Kapila Venu

Biography:

Kerala, India-born Kapila Venu is a Koodiyattam and Nangiar Koothu artist. She won numerous honors, such as the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award from the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Government of Kerala, the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Government of India, and the Kumar Gandharva Samman from the Madhya Pradesh government. On February 3, 1982, Kapila Venu was born in Kothamangalam, Kerala. She is the sole daughter of Nirmala Paniker, a Mohiniyattam artist and researcher, and G. Venu, a Koodiyattam artist and director of the Irinjalakuda Natana Kairali.During her early years, Kapila attended two schools: her mother’s Lawrence School in Lovedale and her father’s “Natana Kairali” in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur district, which promoted traditional Keralan arts.

At the age of seven, Kapila began learning the fundamentals of Koodiyattam at Irinjalakuda under Usha Nangiar. He then received in-depth instruction in the gurukula tradition from Ammannur Madhava Chakyar for almost ten years.Her mother, Nirmala Panicker, and father, Venu G, later became her mentors.Her father’s guidance, oversight, and discipline enabled her to hone the abilities she had acquired from Ammannur and become a performer.She received instruction from masters such as Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, and Kavungal Chathunni Panicker at the art school established by her father, Natana Kairali. Her mother, Nirmala Panicker, taught her Mohiniyattam. Balan Gurukkal taught Kalaripayattu. For six years, she also trained under Japanese dancer Min Tanaka.She later appeared in two of his choreographies, Thottangal (2007) and Rite of the Forest (2005).