STRUCTURING OF THE KUCHIPUDI DANCE FORM:THE TRAILBLAZING TRIO

PERFORMING ARTS-INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE

During the Indian national freedom movement, the countries indigenous performing art forms, like music and dance gained currency. Diverse cultural art forms emerged from the different regions of India and aided in developing a sense of national pride. The dance forms of the country received attention from the political and cultural leaders of the land; and, by the time the country gained independence, four major “classical” dance forms—Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali and Manipuri—had been revived and gained recognition as “classical” dance forms and were showcased at the first dance seminar organized at Delhi, in 1958. Kuchipudi, Odissi and Mohiniattam dance forms, were given recognition much later. Kuchipudi, the classical dance form of the state of Andhra Pradesh, is also the name of the village from which this art form originated. There are several historical evidences of the existence of the art form, for over five hundred years in the village of Kuchipudi. The dance form was recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the apex cultural body of India, when a Kuchipudi Natya Seminar was held at Hyderabad in the year 1959, to prove the classicity of the dance form. This dance tradition, practiced by the hereditary families of the Kuchipudi village, has evolved over the years and its journey into the twentieth century as a solo and dance drama genre, has seen significant changes in the technique, content and performance practices. In this paper, the role of the hereditary artists, who founded dance institutes and initiated non-hereditary artists into the fold of the art form will be discussed.

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