Kuchipudi: Fading Footsteps?

Kuchipudi: Fading Footsteps?

By Indian Express
Sunday November 26, 05:37 AM

Born of the Bhakti movement in the 7th century, in a land which today is more likely to be known for its success in Information Technology, Kuchipudi is Andhra Pradesh's gift to the world. However, its golden legacy notwithstanding, the popularity of Kuchipudi appears to be waning. Giving credence to this sentiment of the connoisseurs is the dwindling number of performances and the relatively better reception received by other forms of classical dances such as Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Kathak. For an art that gave to the world many prominent names including Raja and Radha Reddy, Hema Malini, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Padma Subramaniam, Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Shobha Naidu, Kamala Reddy, Shobha Natarajan, Shasikala and Shanta Rati Misra, the scale and magnitude of talent is on the downslide. A living legend in the dance world and the man behind the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai, Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam, feels that dedication in artists is the need of the hour. The fading out of the Guru-Shishya concept and ''the impatience of youngsters to achieve everything fast,'' are amongst the other reasons cited by the Padma Bhushan award recipient, who belongs to the ninth generation of a family of Kuchipudi dancers. Mastering a classical art form is impossible with this attitude. ''The Kuchipudi dancer is a multiple person on stage and this multiplicity is achieved by the swift change of mime, which depends more on the combination of the natural form of the dramatic content and the symbolism of the poetic intensity of an entire episode,'' says Dr Satyam. ''It requires three-four hours of rigorous practice daily,'' explains Vempati Ravi Sankar, son of Dr Satyam. A dance cannot be mastered instantaneously, a lesson that is taught first thing at the Kuchipudi Academy, whose portals have seen over 8,000 students in the last 40-years. While fast becoming a solo presentation, Kuchipudi still maintains strong ties with the dance-drama tradition. Only a few other classical dance forms offer as much scope in terms of creativity as Kuchipudi. Yet, it is not drawing the masses. While its close cousin Bharatanatyam acquired recognition and international fame, Kuchipudi lagged behind. Admitting that ups and downs are common to every art, most are confident that good days will come back for the dance form. Not without efforts, however. A parallel festival to the Marghazi month of music in Chennai could be one way of promoting the dying art form. Government support is definitely another aspect that needs to be strengthened, while young talent needs to be sought and encouraged.

Anand's Comment: I think the International Kuchipudi Dance Convention 2008 would be another initiative in the right direction. Let us put our hearts and souls to stop this 'FADING' sentiment. Thank you.