About Kuchipudi Dance

Kuchipudi Dance

Kuchipudi is a classical Indian dance that counts among the top ten classical forms of dance prevalent in India.

It derived its name from the village Kuchelapuram which is located at about 65kms away from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. It is a combination of lasya and tandava elements.

It takes about 7 to 10 years to attain mastery in this form of dance style. Kuchipudi can also be defined as a dance drama of Natya, Nritta, and Nritya.

Short History:

This dance form mainly developed way back in the 1^st century BC. There is a popular story behind the origin of this dance style. An orphan living in Srikakulam got raised by the people of the village and then got married soon. He arrived at Udipi to gain knowledge of Vedic studies.

When he came back to the village after studies he was asked to bear his family responsibilities. He slowly turned to be a devotee and started teaching devotional dances to Brahmin boys. This was how the art started.

Style And Attire:

The dancers here wear ornaments like Chandra Vanki, Rakudi, Kasina Sara and Adda bhasa. They use light and sober makeup.

The costumes in this art form are quite similar to Bharatnatyam. The ghungroos worn by the dancers create the perfect rhythm of footwork. A popular style of Kuchipudi dance is Tarangam.

In this style, the dancers hold pots full of water on their heads and then balance their feet on rims of plates without the water inside the pot getting spilled.

This dance form is known for the quick footwork, expressions of the eyes, dramatic presentation and spirited narrative. The performers besides being excellent actors and dancers have to be well-conversant with the music, language, and manuscripts of Telugu and Sanskrit.

It is a unique combination of strength, control, and delicacy. Musical instruments like mridangam, cymbals, Veena, tambura, and flute often get used in the Kuchipudi dance.