Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi is another one of the official Classical Dance forms of India, originating from a town named Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh. This art form also traces back to the Natya Shastra text, written by the Sage Bharatha Muni. Similarly to Bharatha Natyam, Kuchipudi was also performed for Hindu religious contexts until Colonial Rule put severe bans on the dance form. Kuchipudi then transitioned into a "Veedhi Bhagavatham" tradition, meaning "Street Dramas."
Kuchipudi was performed mainly by men dressed in the female form on the streets, depicting various stories of Lord Krishna. Because of this deep influence of the dance-drama practice, Kuchipudi was not recognized as an official Classical Dance of India until the 20th century. The drama aspect of Kuchipudi is still honored to this day; many pieces are followed by skits performed by the dancer, spoken in pure Telugu. These skits have themes rooted in the Hindu religion, and for those that can understand the language, they can be very entertaining and comical as well. Within the last century or so, it has slowly shifted to being a female-dominated art form, but the influence of prominent male Kuchipudi artists are still felt within this field. The choreographies by one of the most famous Kuchipudi exponents, Late Padma Bhushan Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam, are still taught in Kuchipudi academies across the globe to this day! His style and training even reached Bollywood, with famous actresses such as Rekha, Hema Malini, and Vyjanthi Mala all learning under him. Our Guru, Dr. Sinduri, learned from Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam Master as well, making her the only direct student of his in Los Angeles, CA.
At Savithri Arts Academy, students go through the entire Kuchipudi syllabus leading up to the Rangapravesam, their debut performance on stage. The process is very similar to the Bharatha Natyam Arangetram, and takes many years to master.