Sunday, February 06, 2011

Kuchipudi: Indian Classical Dance form of Andhra Pradesh

-by Padmini Kantety, Director of Center for Kuchipudi Art, Huntsville, Alabama

 

Introduction:

India is a land with the oldest and longest history of arts and dance forms in the history. Dance has a unique place in the hearts of people from all walks of life. It is due to the combination of grace and efficacy of its movements to the rhythmical music and lyrical compositions. No one can clearly put a specific date on how this art has emerged as a field; however there are records that date back to 4000-5000 years from present day. As these traditions emerged and more material documentation methods were developed, additional evidence began to accumulate and helped us understand more about Indian cultural roots and various socio-political circumstances that influenced our culture.

In order to understand any classical dance tradition, one must study different facts of that art form such as its origin, history, and theoretical background in addition to considering socio-political and cultural contexts including language, music, customs and traditions. Most art forms in India are directly or indirectly dependent on the Hindu mythology, philosophy, sculpture, painting, human psychology and yoga. India, with its vastness and magnitude of her culture, several classical dance forms emerged with common theoretical background. Each of these classical dance forms can be traced to different parts of the country owing to their place of origin.

At present, there are eight recognized classical dance traditions: Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Bharatha Natyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathakali and Mohiniattam (Kerala), Odissi (Orissa), Manipuri Dance (Bengal and Manipur), Kathak (North India) and Sattriya (Assam). Though ancient in character, all the dance forms have disappeared into oblivion due to socio-political reasons. A few connoisseurs in their respective fields brought recognition to their respective fields in the later part of the 20th century by bringing them into limelight through their dedicated service and promotion of these ancient forms to future generations.

 

Origin and History:

Kuchipudi (pronounced as Koochipoodi), one of India's eight major classical dance styles, is a fascinating dance form. It is named after a small remote village in Andhra Pradesh called “Kuchelapuram”, or “Kuchipudi”. The village of Kuchipudi is six miles away from Srikakulam, the ancient capital of Satavahana Empire and benefited from their patronage towards classical and performance arts. After the fall of Mauryan Empire, the Satavahanas extended their domain in the North West and South, until Andhra embraced a great portion of the Indian Peninsula. Satavahanas ruled from the middle of the 3rd century B.C. to the first quarter of 3rd century A.D.

From very early times of the tradition of Natya Shastra, one of the many branches of learning flourished in Andhra, embracing both music and dance. Bharata Muni, often known as the father of Indian theatrical arts believed to have authored Natya Shastra during the years of 200 BC to 200 AD, in a first attempt to develop and compile the techniques of performance arts including music, dance, and drama in a systematic manner. According to Natya Shastra, all modes of expression – speech, gestures, movements, and intonation must be used in correct sense. Natya Shastra refers to Andhra region in connection with a particular style of dance in the context of representation of different modes of Vrittis, especially Kaishika Vritti, delicate and graceful dance movements. A particular raga by the name, Andhri, was a contribution of this region to the music of India. Mention of these specific techniques, various ancient folk dances and Yakshagana tradition of this region played an important origin for evolution of the most comprehensive classical dance form in India. Yakshagana is the musical play sharing the characteristics of opera and ballet combined in one presentation. It originated in Andhra and received patronage in Karnataka and Tamilnadu. More than 800 works were produced by 465 authors. Of which 542 works are available, some in print and others mostly in manuscript.

Natya Shastra is the oldest surviving text on stagecraft in the world and it precedes one of the oldest and greatest epics of history, Valmiki’s “Ramayana”. It is believed to be a creation of Lord Brahma, who issued it to all classes of people to study and practice as the “5th Veda”. Though it was written about 2000-2500 years ago, it is believed that Natya Shastra is based upon much older Natya Sutras widely in practice throughout the country at the time. Unfortunately, there are no surviving copies of the Natya Sutras. Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope and included many practices from various geographical regions and discussed their appropriate placement in the proposed classification. It covers as many and diverse aspects such as, music (raga, tala, sruti, and instrumental knowledge), stage-design (mandapa), dance (rules & classification of dances, acting, expression of bhava, eight kinds of rasas, choreography, and direction), makeup, and virtually every aspect of the stagecraft. Therefore Natya Shastra is studied and researched by scholars in dance as well as musicians because it is the only text that gives such detail about music and instruments of the period.

 

Founder of Kuchipudi Dance:

The dance traditions in Andhra can be traced to various sources from ancient times. Inscriptions and sculptures found during excavations in and surrounding areas of Kuchipudi bear witness and provide extensive examples of the dance prevalent during ancient times. Throughout the rise and fall of powers and constant invasions by foreign forces, scholars in Kuchipudi noted that feudalism was inducing some individuals were exploiting dance through over exaggeration and deviation from the original nature of this art form. During early 15th century, Sri Siddendra Yogi took oath to save this art form and dedicated his life to its cause. He took a decision to train a core group of Brahmin male dancers, “Kuchelas”, who dedicated their life for the cause of saving the art form and would work towards promoting the art in its original form. As this group of Kuchelas was isolated from the rest of the villagers, their new home was called Kuchelapuram (that later became the village of Kuchipudi) and the dance was eventually named after the new village. The first documented evidence of Kuchipudi male dancers’ performance was recorded in 1502 A.D. where they performed in front of Veeranarasimha Rayalu of Vijayanagara Empire and depicted the misdeeds and corrupt rule of Sammeta Guravaraju, Siddavatam ruler.

Thus, Kuchipudi dance was pioneered by Siddhendra Yogi, dating back to 15th century, as an outstanding contribution in preserving and enriching Indian Dance and Culture. This architect of Kuchipudi dance initiated the local boys to learn and perform his brainchild Bhama Kalapam – an aesthetic, descriptive and dramatic dance expression referred as Prabandha Nartanam. These artists then formed into groups called Bhagavata Melalu or Bhagavathulu of Kuchipudi, and traveled widely to propagate the spiritual aspect of their mission through this dance form. Their performance at temple premises, royal courts and cultural centers, won the hearts of kings, scholars and the common people. The Nawab of Golconda, Habul Hussan Qutub Tanisha, moved by the performance, gifted the village of Kuchipudi and made it a cultural center to pursue the art with peace and harmony. Even today, artists and scholars living there continue the age-old tradition and pass the knowledge to present and future generations.

According to the tradition, Kuchipudi dance was performed only by Brahmin men until recently. A new tradition was introduced by one of the great gurus in the 20th century, Sri Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry, who started training women and included them in performances such as Gollakalapam. Over the past few decades, this transformation sparked interest in many women to pursue this art form. Modern dance groups primarily comprise of women. Kuchipudi dance groups today are broadly classified in to two groups.

1. Natyamelamu consists of a group of actors (males) performing Kuchipudi dance drama.
2. Nattuvamelamu is a tradition of dance performed by woman artistes. This tradition had two sections, those who performed at the royal courts and those who performed in temples.

 

Kuchipudi's cousins:

During 16th to 19th centuries, Thanjavur region was under the Telugu Nayaka kings and later under the Maratha rulers. After the fall of Vijayanagara Empire in mid 17th Century, some Kuchipudi performing families migrated to Tanjavur region where they continued their original tradition and retained majority of the aspects. Their dance is recognized today as Tanjavur Bhagavatars or Melattur Bhagavatars. However, cultural interaction between Telugu scholars and the Tamil exponents of Tanjavur region during 17th to 19th centuries resulted in the growth of Karnatic music and Sadir Natyam which is now called Bharatnatyam with most songs written in Telugu.

 

Kuchipudi's Repertoire:

Kuchipudi dance begins with worship rituals as laid down in the Natya Shastra. As a part of purvaranga, one of the dancers move about sprinkling holy water, offering of incense, colorful flowers, and blessings are sought from the Ranga Adidevata. Indra-dhvaja (the flagstaff of the god Indra) is planted on the stage to guard the performance against outside interference or a dancer might run it across the stage to drive evil forces away. Women sing and dance with worship lamps, followed by the worship of Ganesha, the elephant god or the god of obstacles, who is traditionally petitioned for success before all enterprises. The bhagavatha (stage manager-singer) sings invocations to the goddesses Saraswati (Arts and Education), Lakshmi (Wealth), and Parashakti(Parent Energy), in between chanting of drum syllables.

Then each principal character introduces himself/herself on the stage with a daru. A daru is a small composition of dance and song specially designed for each character to help the artist reveal his or her identity and also to show the performer's skill in the art. There are nearly 80 darus or dance sequences in a traditional Kuchipudi dance drama. Another convention is the dance of Ganapati, where a dancer wears a mask and dances to the song, Tandava Nritya kari Gajanana, or Vinayaka Kautham. Purvaranga may be performed either elaborately or in a simple fashion depending on the theme of the play that is followed. For example; a love theme having delicate set may have a simpler version as opposed to a vigorous set. These conventions generally reflect the scheme of Bharata towards the realization of rasa.

The repertoire of Kuchipudi is unique for Kalapas and Yakshaganas. The Kalapas have a few characters with theme revolving around a single incident or a character. Yakshaganas are dance forms evolved from more ancient tradition. This form of dance involves more characters, and gives a more dramatic essence to the dance. Unlike Bhamakalapam, which is centered on a female character - Satya Bhama, the colorful second consort of Lord Krishna, Yakshaganas involve more than one character to bring out the story of the dance. Bhakta Phrahalda, Usha Parinayam, Sasirekha Parinayam, and Rama Natakam are some of the popular Yakshaganas that are still in practice. Gollakalapam is a creation based on social theme, a discussion between an orthodox Brahmin and a clever Milkmaid – Gollabhama. Another unique feature of Kuchipudi is the Tarangam, in which the performer dances on the edges of a brass plate, executing complicated rhythmic patterns with dexterity, while sometimes also balancing a pot of water on the head.

 

Bhamakalapam:

Bhamakalapam is the most popular dance-drama in the Kuchipudi repertoire and is ascribed to Siddendra Yogi. The story revolves around the main character, Satyabhama, consort of Lord Krishna, and her confidante, Madhavi.

Satyabhama enters the stage with her back to the audience and her braid hanging from a beautiful curtain held by two people. The conversation in Telugu is intended to spread humor and evokes hasya, laughter.

The legendary impersonation of Satyabhama’s character by Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma has received universal acclamation. His transformation into this character and abhinaya of subtleties are unmatched thus far. Though the traditional version is a week-long performance, in recent times, it is presented in a shorter version and in its solo style.

Recently, Kuchipudi dance has taken a different shape in the world of art. Ekapatra Kelika – a solo dance system emerged to accommodate female artists, irrespective of religion, caste and creed. It is a full-fledged technique with rich traditional and historical background and strict application of pure theory based on Natya Shastra, and Nandikeswara's Abhinaya Darpanam, made this form beautiful and artistic. Tarangam, one of the attractive solo items of Kuchipudi was added to the repertoire during this transformation. It was incorporated as a “plate dance” for Oothukadu Venkata Subbiah’s lyrical composition, Marakatha Manimaya in Arabhi ragam. Sri Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry – an exponent from a Kuchipudi traditional family was responsible for these great innovations.

During the 20th century, which saw India’s struggle for Independence and the consequent formation of Independent India and its linguistic states, like other classical dance forms, Kuchipudi underwent many changes.

Some of the significant among them are: 

- Introducing women into the dance form, - People other than the originally practicing families started learning the form, - Emergence of the present day (shortened) dance drama and a strong solo repertoire, among other improvements.

Kuchipudi stands apart in several aspects for reasons mentioned earlier even in its solo form; it maintains the aesthetics and fundamental elements of its dramatic nature. It is a moving spirit, traveling from ancient to modern times and working for the promotion of welfare of the society while preserving entertainment values.

 

Style and Technique:

The technique of Kuchipudi makes use of fast rhythmic footwork and sculpturesque body movements, stylized mime using hand gestures and subtle facial expression. It is combined with more realistic acting, including dialogues spoken by the dancers based on occasion.

 

Lyrics & Music:

Kuchipudi performance is traditionally accompanied by Carnatic music. A typical orchestra for any dance recital includes mridangam, flute and violin. A vocalist sings the lyrics, and the Nattuvanar conducts the orchestra and recites the rhythmic patterns.

Kuchipudi tradition evolved under the patronage of several dynasties from times immemorial and exists as a testimony to the flourishing economies. Many of today’s lyrical compositions include legendary works authored by great poets/vaggeyakaras of the region: Sri Jayadeva, Sri Annamacharya, Sri Narayana Tirdha, Sri Siddendra Yogi, Sri Kshetrayya, Sri Bhakta Ramadasa, Sri Thyagaraja, Sri Syama Sastry, Sri Munipalle Subrahmanya Kavi, Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, many disciples and followers of their traditions contributed to the evolution of rich lyrical tradition over the past millennium. The lyrical compositions were initially in Sanskrit until Telugu compositions started emerging in the 15th Century AD. Later on Tamil language based compositions and other language based solo-items were also incorporated.

 

Costumes:

Traditional Kuchipudi costume has a long pleat in the center with a border, a back katcham (dhoti style) and a side small fan that makes this a typical Kuchipudi style costume. A katcham at the back makes the difference between Kuchipudi and Bharathanatyam costume. Cross-pleated costume is used for both Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi. It is best suited for male artists, whereas cross-fan costume can also be used for devotional characters like Karthikeya & Krishna.

 

Exponents:

The first three persons described here are considered the Kuchipudi Murthi Triamu (Trio) who revitalized the art with their thorough knowledge of the Natya Sastra, gave performances that were widely acclaimed all over the country while exhibiting unwavering dedication in training traditional and non-traditional artistes during late 19th to mid 20th centuries. 

 

Sri Chinta Venkataramayya (1860-1949) –

First in the trio, also given the honorary name, Yakshagana Pitamaha; learned dance under his elder brother Chita Rattayya and Sri Yeleswarapu Narayanappa. He specialized in the natakas, Bhakta Prahlada, Usha Parinayam, Harischandra, Sasirekha Parinayam, and popularized them all over India. His disciples include many successful artists including, Vedantam Chalapathi, Adinarayana, Bharata Kala Prapurna Vedantam Raghavayya, Vempati Satyanarayana Sarma (Pedda Satyam), Pasumarthi Krishna Murthy, Vedantam Parvathisam, Bhagavathulu Ramakotayya, Pasumarthi Venugopala Sarma, Vemu Purnachandra Rao, and his son, Bharata Kala Prapurna Chinta Krishna Murthy. 

 

Sri Vempati Venkata Narayana (1871-1935) –

Second in the trio, first famous dancers in the Vempati family, trained under his father at a very early age and became proficient in Bhagavata performance at the age of 12. He was an exponent in roles such as Satyabhama, Dadinamma etc., and performed in royal courts to their acclaim. He is credited to have performed Bhamakalapam all over Andhra Pradesh and beyond for over 1000 times during his life time. Dadinamma is a rare dance drama that he was an exponent of; it is performed while half of the body is tied to a bed and the artist performs with upper body mostly involving several hours of Abhinaya sequences. 

 

 Sri Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry (1886-1956) –

Third in the trio, decorated with the name, Shatbharata Sastra Kalanidhi. He introduced many innovations that initiated transformation of Kuchipudi style to accommodate changing social structures. He made several radical modifications that laid the foundation for the evolution of Kuchipudi solo form that included women artists. He taught Gollakalapams to women artists and choreographed several Ashtapadis & Javalis, as well as Tarangam, Pushpabana Vilasam, etc. Many famous artistes trained under his direct tutelage including Smt Bala Saraswathi, Vempati Pedda Satyam, Vempati Chinna Satyam, Vedantam Raghavayya, and C.R. Acharya. 

 

Vempati Chinna Satyam–

Born in 1929, received training under gurus Tadepalli Perayya Sastri, Pasumarthi Kondala Rayudu, Vempati Pedda Satyam, and Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry of which, he was influenced by the later because of his approach and scholastic abilities. He was very keen on bringing Kuchipudi on par with other recognized classical dance forms at the time and was instrumental in bringing changes that would help realize this goal. He classified various jathis and dance patterns and correlated them with Natya Sastra, emphasizing the principled nature of Kuchipudi dance form. He choreographed numerous jathiswarams, thillanas, and varnams. Besides solo-items, he composed many dance-dramas such as Chandalika, Padmavathi Srinivasa Kalyanam, Rukmini Kalyanam, Hara Vilasam, Siva Dhanurbanam, Menaka Viswamitra, etc. He trained many classical dancers and celebrated dancers who in turn helped spreading the art from throughout the world. Many of these artistes initiated dance academies all over India and abroad. He received innumerable recognitions, honorable doctorates, and is praised as Abhinava Siddendra Yogi for his immense contribution in this field. 

 

Yeleswarapu Nageswara Sarma–

Another family that made dedicated contributions to Kuchipudi art form by way of their excellence in dance & Abhinaya as well as sincere teaching efforts in preparing further generations of well-trained artists. He was trained under Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry, Vedantam Parvatisam and Pasumarthi Venugopalakrishna Sarma. He choreographed several dance dramas based on mythological stories. Besides performing he taught for more than three decades at Jawahar Bala Bhavan in Machilipatnam. He established his own school, Nritya Kala Parishad in 1983. Many accomplished disciples such as, Andhra Sisters, Brindavan Sisters, Vemuri Sisters, Yeleswarapu Poornachandra Rao, Chandrakala, Vijaya Prasad, Padmini Kantety, and many others trained under him. He was recognized by the Sangeet Natak Academy for his life-time contributions through a Presidential Award. 

 

Yeleswarapu Purnachandra Rao–

Born in 1965 in Kuchipudi village, he received training under Mahankali Suryanarayana Murthy, Yeleswarapu Nageswara Sarma and other outstanding gurus in Kuchipudi & Machilipatnam. He obtained a Diploma in Yakshagama tradition under Pasumarthy Rattaiah Sarma from Andhra Pradesh Cultural & Technical Education and Masters Degree in Kuchipudi Dance from Telugu University. He is known to exhibit clean technique, abhinaya and an excellent performer overall. He is well known for Sivatandavam. He has been teaching in Machilipatnam for nearly three decades and trained over 2000 students and awarded by Andhra Saraswatha Samiti for his outstanding contributions. 

 

Padmini Kantety–

Born in Machilipatnam; took to dance from a very young age and did her Rangapravesam at the age of 10 years. She received training under Yeleswarapu Nageswara Sarma, and Yeleswarapu Purnachandra Rao. She won prizes several times from Andhra Pradesh Balala Academy’s district level competitions. She is also an awardee in All India Kuchipudi competitions conducted by Akhilabharata Kuchipudi Natya Mandali and received praises from renowned Kuchipudi exponents. She accompanied her gurus in several performances and became a role model and a challenge to many artists. She performed in several dance ballets in lead roles such as, Sutradhari; Sita in Seeta Rama Kalyanam; Parvathi in Girija Kalyanam; and Rukmini in Rukmini Kalyanam. She is an original thinker and has choreographed many classical and contemporary dances throughout her career. She has been training future generation of Kuchipudi artistes in the USA since 1997. She founded Center for Kuchipudi Art in Huntsville, Alabama with a mission to share the beauty, complexity and depth of Kuchipudi to the future generations in multi-cultural societies through regular training, focused camps, and organized performances.

Because of the scope of the article, it would not be possible to describe all the exponents and artistes. However, several names deserve mention here so the reader may learn more about them through other resources: Mahankali Suryanarayana Murthy, Swapna Sundari, Shobha Naidu, Vyjayanthi Kashi, Raja & Radha Reddy.

With over 2000 years of documented history and survival through so many geo-political and social challenges, it only appears as if the art of Kuchipudi chooses some individuals to serve the humanity.

 

Bibliography:

1. Kuchipudi: Indian Classical Dance Art – by Sunil Kothari and Avinash Pasricha. Abhinav Publications, 2001.
2. Kuchipudi Natya Manjari – by Munukuntla Samba Siva. Nishumbitha Publications 1994.
3. Dakshinatyula Natyakala Charitra – by Nataraja Ramakrishna. Visalandhra Publishing House 1968.
4. Nataraj: Indian dances through the ages; History, Theory and Practical Guidance – by Ram Avtar Veer. Pankaj Publications 1982.
5. Kuchipudi Melakarthalu: Bharata Vyakaranamu – Adavasamu. by Vedantam Parvatisam. 1990.
6. http://www.kuchipudi.com: An informative website maintained by Guru Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam’s Dance Academy.

Original publication date: July 3, 2010

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