with Adoor Gopalakrishan and Sreedevi Rajan

"Penchant for abhinaya... Smitha Rajan's Mohiniyattom recital had all the finesse expected from one whose legacy stems from her legendary grandmother Kalyani Kutty Amma. A mobile face for mukhabhinaya, Smitha's cheekbones and eyebrows engage in myriad movement nuances, bringing out the intricacies of mood at each moment... Smitha displayed great expressional virtuosity."

- by Leela Venkatraman Jan 23, 2009

"Mohini Aattam by Smitha Rajan was a truly delightful aesthetic treat to the audience. The fantastic demeanor, with spontaneous expression of varied moods and eloquent gestures were so astounding that one felt no words would do justice to her elegance and perfection."....

- Narthaki Sept 12th, 13th, and 14th 2008 

"Granddaughter of the legendry couple Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Kalandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, Smitha Rajan, who performed on the third day of the festival, has inherited the grace and poise of the art form... Smitha's ability to emote the nuances of the theme made the performance a treat."

- The Hindu Nov 16th 2007 

     

Dr. Harsh Dehejia interviewing Smitha Rajan for Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada 

Receiving momento from Dr. Sunil Kothari 

"Smitha ...with her description of Parvathi and her eight moods: Sringara, jugupsa, bheeta, veera, vismaya, rosha, hasya, karuna... By the time the piece ended, I had the feeling that I had been led into a temple and witnessed the Goddess of the temple, and felt deeply prayerful and silent... Smitha's steps for the swaras immediately following this avataram were especially catchy - the dancer and the mridangam player seemed to be enjoying that bit!..."

- Jugalbandi by Smitha Rajan and Indira Kadambi 2003 

"Outstanding effort by Smitha Rajan to honour her grandparents, words cannot explain the intensity she brought to the stage.. "

- The Hindu Oct 13th 2002

"Smt. Smitha Rajan brought the essence of the Legends (Late Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Late Kalamandalam Kalyanikuttiamma) to the stage for a remarkable feast of classical dance experience"

- FACT Padmanabhan (Famous Kathakali exponent) at Tribute to Masters, Oct 12th 2002

 "Brilliant story telling by Smt. Smitha Rajan, as she took the audience for a pilgrimage through the epic Ramayana."

- O.N.V.Kurup (Famous Malayalam poet) at Soorya Festival Oct 02, 2002

 "Smitha Rajan is indeed a chip off the old block, for she scrupulously follows the tradition kept alive by her illustrious grandparents, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Kalyanikuttyamma."

- The Hindu Sep 23rd, 2002 

"Smitha being the best among the stage artists who performs Mohiniattam in its purest form has been able to imbibe this style of classical Indian dance in its entirety........"

- The Indian Express June 2001

 "Smitha Rajan carried the crowd to a level of remarkable ecstasy through the traditional Mohiniattam style ........"

- The Malayala Manorama May 18th, 2001

 "Incarnation of Krishnan Nair's abhinaya on the traditional spirituality of Mohiniattam........"

- The Times of India, Feb 1998

 "Smitha Rajan has an incredible ability to sink into the depth of dancing with meticulous precision and devotion and is an asset to the art of dancing........"

- .P.Unnikrishnan, Natyashastra scholar, 31 Dec 1996

"Smitha has imbibed the artistic merit from her legendary grandparents and established herself as one of the best performing artists in the field of Mohiniattam. Her performances are always brilliant in their content and delineate the characters very uniquely........."

- V.P. Dhananjayan, 03 December 1996.

 "A perfect marriage of abhinaya and intense spiritual expression of Mohiniattam........"

- The Herald December 1994

 "Exceptionally brilliant performance. Very powerful in communicating the message........"

- Leela Venkataraman, Oct 1993

 "A new rising star who stole the show from the known big stars of Indian classical dance........"

- at the Soorya festival, The Hindu October 1993

 " Smitha carries the essence of both grandparents........"

- Chowallur Krishnankutty Chairman of Kerala Kalamandalam on Smitha's Doordarshan performance in 1992

 

 
  © 2009 SmithaRajan