Milena Salvini, an Italian-born dancer who loved Indian traditional art, particularly Kathakali, died in France on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
The 84-year-old dancer, who came to Kerala in 1965 to learn Kathakali, founded Centre Mandapa, a school of Indian dance styles in
Paris that thrived as a learning center. She supported Kerala Kathakali troupes and organized
theatrical performances in several
European locations. This aided in the westernization of Indian classical dance. India awarded the Padma Shri prize on her in 2019.
Milena was born in 1938 in
Milan, Italy, and lost her father when she was four years old. Her mother took her to France, where she began
studying dance and music. In 1962, she was awarded a scholarship to study Kathakali at Kerala Kalamandalam. Milena went to Paris after finishing her studies and planned a trip for a Kathakali ensemble under the
UNESCO cultural exchange program.
She was a huge fan of Indian classical dance and regarded Indian performers in high regard. She was attached to every brilliant kathakali dancer of our age. She even used to have Chavitti Uzhichil, a traditional Kathakali body massage.
