Devayani (dancer)
| Annick Chaymotty | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paris, France |
| Residence | New Delhi, India |
| Nationality | French |
| Other names | Devayani |
| Occupation | Bharata Natyam dancer and choreographer |
| Partner(s) | M.M Kohli |
| Website | http://www.devayanidance.com |
Annick Chaymotty, known by the stage name Devayani, is a French dancer who performs in the classical Indian dance style Bharata Natyam. She has performed in India as well as in festivals and concert halls in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, the Scandinavian countries, Estonia, and Korea. Devayani is an empanelled artist with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Govt. of India. In 2009, she was awarded the Padma Shri.
Annick Chaymotty became interested in dance as an art form as a young girl, when she saw pictures by the French impressionist painter Degas in a book. A few years later, at the age of 10, she started attending classical music and dance classes in a Paris conservatory. She studied classical ballet and modern contemporary dance at the Schola Cantorum de Paris. She was noticed by the Flamenco dancer Lutys de Luz, a soloist of the Ballet Company of the Marquis de Cuevas, who taught her the Spanish Classical dance at "La Salle Pleyel" .
Chaymotty's first encounter with Indian classical music was at a performance by Ravi Shankar. She started taking Bharata Natyam classes, and was awarded the Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme ICCR scholarship in 1973 to learn Bharata Natyam in India.
In Chennai, Chaymotty trained Bharata Natyam with teachers including Kancheepuram Ellapa Mudaliar, Kalaimamani V.S. Muthuswamy Pillai. Kumari Sawrnamukhi trained her in karanas (sculptural poses), Padma Bushan Kalanidhi Narayanan in abhinaya, and Padma Vibushan Dr. Balamuralikrishna in vocal carnatic music. At this time she adopted the stage name Devayani.
Devayani was cast in the lead role of the Telugu film America Ammayi directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, which became popular in India and abroad.
Devayani left Chennai in June 1978 and returned to Paris, where she performed at the Centre Mandapa and at the Pernod Club at the Champs Elysees. She had a TV Programme for FR3, DOM TOM, and she taught Bharata Natyam and Yoga to students at the Sorbonne University.
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