Noted danseuse Kottayam Bhavani Chellappan has been selected for this year's "Guru Gopinath Natya Puraskaram", instituted by 'Guru Gopinath Natanagramam'.
The 87-year-old dancer was selected for the honour in view of her overall contribution to classical dance for the last six decades, award committee chairman Rosecourt Krishna Pillai told a press meet here today.
The award, comprising Rs 25,000 and citation, is instituted in the memory of legendary classical performer Guru Gopinath, who evolved 'Kerala natanam' style of dance through fusion of various classical traditions.
Bhavani, herself a disciple of Gopinath, is a recipient of a number of awards like Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award, Kerala Kalamandalam Award, Kalatharppana Award and so on.
The award will be presented to her by state assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan at a function here on July 16, Pillai added.
