Kuchipudi for Generation Next

Born in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh, from where it derives its name, Kuchipudi has gone global. Celebrating it through a three-day festival, are a few carriers of the art form from across the state. The International Kuchipudi Dance Festival will be held at the Lalitha Kala Thoranam from December 30 to January 1, 2012 in association with the Andhra Pradesh State Cultural Council (APSCC).The festival is aimed at not only bringing back the magic of traditional art forms of Kuchipudi, but also providing a platform for passionate youngsters to learn and explore the art form in greater depth.Kuchipudi dancers from the city including Dr Shoba Naidu, Usha Gayatri Maddali, Deepika Reddy, Dr Padmaja Reddy and Dr Sumitra Parthasardhy are among the panel members of the festival. Elaborating on their initiative, Ramana Murthy, Chairman APSCC, says, “Kuchipudi is one art form which needs to be celebrated and spoken about. I want our youth to learn about the art form in detail and become teachers for their succeeding generations.”The three-day-long festival will have paper presentations till afternoon and each evening, solo dance performances, group dances, dance ballets, Yakshagana, Bhamakalapam and a lot of other events will be staged. Dancer Dr Sumitra Parthasardhy will be presenting a paper on the origin of the story of Bhamakalapam. “Our dance form is taken up for study in many universities and a lot of aspects of the dance form have evoked academic interest,” he points out. Another popular Kuchipudi dancer from the city Deepika Reddy sounded optimistic and enthusiastic about making the festival a “happening” one.“We will be performing a dance ballet on Kirshnadevaraya on the inaugural day. It is all about bringing in old flavour,”  she reveals. A number of youngsters will be taking part in this, Dr Padmaja Reddy adds.According to them, Kuchipudi, the birthplace of the art form, has been involved in teaching and performing it for a long time. Dance was their one and only source of livelihood and the mantel was passed down the generations.Around 1930, however, there appeared a need for revival and renewal of this tradition. Vedanta Lakshmi Narayana Sastry, an unparalleled maestro in the field, created a flutter by introducing women to Kuchipudi despite opposition from the society.Alekhya Punjala, a renowned Kuchipudi dancer who has been at the forefront in promoting the art form, put it succintly. “Through this three-day long festival, we are celebrating art and this is going to be like a new start with the arrival of a new year. A lot of dancers from across the country will be present to share their experiences. I am looking forward to it.”