NATYATMIKA - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Director
• Founder
• Director NIIAC

Dr Janaki Nair is the founder and artistic director of Natyatmika Institute of Indian Arts and Culture (NIIAC). As a performer, researcher, indologist, actress and a media professional she has won many accolades for her dedicated works to foster Indian arts and culture. One of the outstanding disciples of Shri Nelliyodu Vasudevan Nampoothiri, Janaki has followed a rigid training regime in Kathakali for fifteen years. She was aptly awarded with Government of India's talent scholarship for her flair and passion in Kathakali. Her inclination towards male characters in Kathakali has catalyzed her to stage many challenging characters. She has completed Masters degree in Bharatanatyam (MFA) and has been lucky to avail training in Mohiniyattom from one of the acclaimed dancer Dr Neena Prasad. She is also trained in Kuchipudi by exponent Shri. Kishore Mosalikanti. Janaki also has directed documentaries and acted in various films and television soaps. She has won Kerala State Television Award (2015) for Best Actress and Adoor Bhasi foundation International Short Film Festival Award (2016) for her acting in the short film 'Riverlife'. She has a PhD in Visual Anthropology and a Masters degree in Media and Public Relations from Newcastle University. She is currently a Research affiliate at the University of Oxford and is continuing her academic research at post-doctoral level. Her papers are widely accepted in various international conferences such as IFTR (Hyderabad), ICSVC (Cyprus), ACCHA (Australia), SARI (Paris), IFTR (Stockholm), Text and Ritual Seminar (Aarhus) etc. A fellow of Royal Society of Arts, London, Janaki collaborates with international organisations and artists to mobilise and sustain the presence of traditional Indian arts and culture. Whilst her expertise is deeply rooted in Indian dance and cultural practices her engagement with the investigatory potential of practice-based research offers a unique perspective on the creative potential of traditional art within contemporary academic contexts. Clearly her interdisciplinary and cross- cultural range of practices opens many possibilities to showcase, preserve and disseminate traditional practices and pedagogy.