Trained initially at Kalakshetra, Yamini Krishnamurti was groomed by masters such as Kanchipuram Ellappa Pillai, Thanjavur Kittappa Pillai, Dandayudhapani Pillai and Mylapore Gouri Amma. She received lessons in Carnatic vocal music from M.D.Ramanathan and in Veena from Smt.Kalpakkam Swaminathan. She also learnt Kuchipudi dance under masters including Vedantam Lakshmi Narayan Sastri, Chinta Krishnamurti and Pasumarthy Venugopal Krishna Sarma. From gurus Pankaj Charan Das and Kelucharan Mohapatra she learnt Odissi dance.

She gave her first performance in 1957 in Madras and has dominated the bharatanatyam scene since the 1960. Guided by her father Professor Krishnamurti, a scholar, she broke new ground in the traditional art. Her dynamic nritta to complex tala patterns gave a new dimension to Bharatanatyam on the concert stage. Her treatment of shringara in abhinaya has been equally captivating. On the other hand, she has contributed to the popularization of Kuchipudi with her portrayal of Satyabhama. Gifted with every attribute of a dancer, she has dazzled audiences everywhere with her masterly performances of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She has also enriched the traditional repertoire with her own compositions. An active performer for four decades, Yamini Krishnamurti now imparts training to younger dancers at the Yamini School of Dance in Delhi. Asthana Nartaki of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, she received the Padma Shri in 1968 and the Sangeet Natak akademi Award in 1977.