Dr. Neena Prasad

Dr. Neena Prasad is one of India's foremost Mohiniyattam exponents and a rare multi-disciplinary classical dancer trained in four Indian classical forms. She studied Bharatanatyam under Padmashri Adyar K. Lakshman (11 years), Kuchipudi under Padmabhushan Vempatti China Satyam (12 years), Kathakali under Vembayam Appukuttan Pillai (10 years), and Mohiniyattam under Kalamandalam Sugandhi (8 years) and Kalamandalam Kshemavathi (3 years). She holds a PhD from Rabindra Bharati University (thesis: 'The concepts of Lasya and Tandava in the classical dances of South India') and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the AHRB Research Centre for Cross Cultural Music and Dance Performance, University of Surrey, UK. She is the founder and principal of Bharatanjali Academy of Indian Dances, Thiruvananthapuram, and Sougandhika Centre for Mohiniyattam, Chennai. Awards include the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2007), Nirtya Chudamani Award (2015), and Kerala Kalamandalam Award (2017).