Bharata Natyam Adavus: Fundamental and structural principles.

Smt.Gayathri Keshavan, a Bharata Natyam dancer, teacher, and composer, is the Director of Academy of Bharata Natyam, Bangalore, an institute founded and established in 1948, by her father Sri.T.K.Narayan.
Gayathri, born in Thiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), raised in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and settled in Bangalore (Karnataka) has imbibed the culture and tradition of the three states. She is blessed to have her parents, Sri. T.K.Narayan and Smt. Jayalakshmi Narayan as her gurus in Bharata Natyam and Classical music. The Narayans were the direct disciples of Sri. Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and Sri. Muthukumara Pillai, the highly revered teachers of the Pandanallur style of Bharata Natyam.
An Arts graduate, Gayathri wrote articles on classical dances of India for a reputed newspaper and magazines for educational institutions. The Government of India Scholarship awarded in 1973 provided an opportunity to enhance her knowledge through other eminent teachers of that period. Besides her dancing career, Gayathri also had many years of training in Carnatic music and Veena. This has had a great impact on her compositions for many dance-dramas presented by her.
With a career spanning over fifty years, Gayathri has to this day the experience of dancing and teaching both in India and abroad. She was invited several times to various International Dance Festivals, in Europe, the USA, and Mexico. She was a faculty member for the ‘Friends World Program’ of Long Island University (USA), for nearly a decade. Gayathri was awarded the ‘National Vocational Excellence’(2014) & ‘Natya Mayuri National Award’(2016), by the IISER, Bengaluru.
Maithreyi Barve and Mathangi Keshavan, daughters and disciples of Gayathri Keshavan, carry the mantle of their family tradition as artistes, representing the fourth generation of Guru-Shishya parampara. They have a Master’s degree in Bharata Natyam, and about 20 years of experience in the field, in various capacities.
The motivation to write this book on comes from the wonderful art inherited from her parents- and the keen interest and sincerity of her students to learn this sacred art that elevates the soul to a spiritual level.