The Media Spotlight
International
Malavika Sarukkai’s performances have been acclaimed by critics of leading newspapers in India and abroad – The Times of India, The Indian Express, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Le Monde, Le Figaro, the Washington Post, The Independent.
“A goddess dances at Edinburgh… The Bharata Natyam of Malavika Sarukkai was flawless, her divine performance as intricate as lace…” Alice Bain, The Guardian.
“It was Malavika Sarukkai’s Bharata Natyam session that drew us deepest into the devotional aspect that makes Indian dance so potent... Weaving a clever dramatic structure that showcased her stunning technical and expressive expertise… Sarukkai had the Lyceum auditorium bristling with atmosphere”. Ellie Carr, Sunday Herald.
‘Each performance of Malavika Sarukkai is an event… She is without any doubt the most expressive of contemporary Indian dancers…One admires the brilliance and the elegance of the artist…the perfection of her technique… the liveliness and variety of her dance, which lies somewhere between ecstasy and sensuality, always of an exquisite femininity.’ Rene Sirvin, Le Figaro, Paris
The New York Times Saturday March 12th 2011
Alastair Macaulay
‘As a performer, Sarukkai is phenomenally precise……. As an actress, she is a chameleon……. She is also a master of coordinating movement and music. When she portrayed Siva….. her hand vibrated so fast it was blurred. The effect was unearthly and, in this portrayal of the divine, entirely appropriate’
‘‘Bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai, who wowed Washington audiences at the Freer Gallery in 2002, did it again on Thursday night at the Kennedy Centre – Terrace Theatre’ .
The Washingaton Post, March 12th 2011
Dancer Malavika Sarukkai wows Kennedy Centre with ‘ Maximum’ artistry
Pamela Squires
National
‘In relating the classical form to a contemporary theme while simultaneously investing it with an individuality and modern sensibility, Malavika has few equals’ Leela Venkataraman, Hindu Madras.
"The production (The Grove) was an artistic expression and recollection of movements, performed by celebrated Bharata Natyam danseuse Malavika Sarukkai" - India Today
‘Easily the most accomplished Bharata Natyam dancer today…An artiste who has worked and polished her art to such perfection that it has become an extension of her body…it just flows out of her like intimate conversation’. S.Kalidas, India Today, Delhi, .
"It's as if Malavika Sarukkai discovers and marvels at each experience... over and over again, impassioned and enlivened by the warmth it has brought to her life. And that genuine relationship with her art has such heartening vibrations, that anyone in contact with it in any way - performance or interview - cannot help but experience the elation vicariously." - First City, New Delhi,
"Today there is an inner energy which dictates her dance... Thunderous applause and standing ovation surround her..." - Sunday Express.
"Through the dynamic and textures of dance, she takes her audience - whether in Kolkata or California - into the mind, body and being of this young courtesan to bring out a universal thought and idea." - Telegraph, Kolkata.
‘Unusual choreography….. unique feel for nritta …….. areas of freewheeling exploration of dance and music …..Drops of water becoming larger bodies, the circle of life shown through waves and recurring cycles, floor terrain rapidly traversed showing Ganga’s gushing ease all ending with the quietude of complete submersion, symbolized an involved personal journey, the search finally attaining a different level of consciousness’ Leela Venkatraman, The Hindu, Friday Review .
Innovative Choreography ……Kasi Yaatra remained a superb demonstration of malavika Sarukkai’s innovative choreography, replete with arresting stances and quick-silver foot work , her passionate intensity, her capacity to move fluidly from aggressive vigour to lissome grace and her faultless technique. The tradition griws richer when creative artists like her contribute to it. Shanta Gokhale , Mumbai Mirror
‘A New Wave …. At the core of all her choreography, Malavika says, lies “ a bedrock of philosophy,” which she is inexorably drawn to explore through her dance. She says if she needed two words to define her wok, she would choose “austerity and passion” . The first, because she doesn’t like “the decorative stuff”. And the second, because you need “ the passion of abandonment” if you hope to touch the stars. Of, if you hope to dive into a river of mythic proportions and swim with its magnificent currrent. Anjana Rajan , The Hindu New Delhi
‘ Malavika’s performance was high on aesthetic appeal ……… Malavika’s interpretation blended masterfully with the song and the rhythm, with the dance giving forms to the music.
The magnetism of Krishna’s flute drawing the gopies away from their chores as Krishna leads them in a Rasa Leela depicted the srungara Bhakti.
Malavika depicted various forms of Krishna – Madhusudhana, Kalinganardhna, Radha Madhava….. the performence was vibrant. One came away with the magical sound of fleet-footed Malavika’s ankle bells ringing in one’s ears. Usha Ramadas The Hindu Friday Review .
‘Uniquely powered performance From the curtain raiser........one sensed a uniquely powered performance in a contrasting energy enveloped in beauty, sublime grace, quietude and benediction was a portrayal of Devi.
One aspect of Malavika’s dance is a deep respect for silences amidst high energy………
The dancer as an empowered Devi smoothly transform into the ardent devotee to rapturous applause. Leela Venkatraman, The Hindu, Friday Review.
Malavika Sarukkai an extraordinary dancer, redefines tradition, blends poetry, painting and sculpture in her performance. Sarukkai has mastery over abhinaya, has the ability to capture a stance, and infuse it with the essence of an emotion she wishes to evoke. She is so balanced, so perfect in her performances that a dance lovers’ high expectations are always fulfilled. With her beautiful lines, deeply convincing mime and exquisite taste in music, costume and presentation, she transports her viewers into a world of beauty, sensuality and timeless human emotions richly infused with a sense of sacred. Dinanth Pathy, Angaras.
The dancer, as artist, creates a world of envisionment. Space is energized. Rhythms pulsate and expressions imprint on it. The charged space around the artist is dynamised as if set in motion. Energy moves in and out of the body.The dancer’s being is a flame….. Sruthi magazine .
