Kuchipudi Indian Dance Class Series

with Sujatha Avadhanam

Sundays 9:30 -10:30 am

Month-long series every month. $60 per month. No drop-ins. Payment for series should be made directly to the teacher.

You are welcome to come observe a class for free.

Kuchipudi is a classical Indian dance from Andhra Pradesh, India and derives its name from a village with the same name. It is also very popular over South India and primarily uses gestures to combine them with speech, song, mime and movement to tell a story. It is this unique story telling nature of this dance which appeals to all audiences, from the dance connoisseur to the novice.

Trained Kuchipudi dancers are quicksilver and scintillating, rounded and fleet-footed, as they perform with grace and fluid movements. The songs in Kuchipudi are mimed with alluring expressions, swift looks and fleeting emotion. Kuchipudi is a classical Indian dance originally from Andhra Pradesh, India and now popular all over South India. This dance form primarily uses gestures combined with speech, song, mime and movement to tell a story, usually devotional in nature, accompanied by song, which is typically Carnatic music. The dramatic storytelling this dance appeals to all audiences, from the dance connoisseur to the novice.  Historical evidence places the origin of this dance form back 3,000 years. It wasn’t until Siddhendra Yogi’s time (14th – 15th century) that it came to be known as ‘Kuchipudi’, named after the village established by Siddhendra Yogi, where his followers, the male Brahmin performers, settled down.

In this class, Sujatha instructs her students in much the same way that she learned from her renowned Indian teacher, teaching basic footwork and movements before moving onto the choreography of specific songs. Sujatha trained in this art form since she was 11 years old under the mentorship of guru Shiva Prasad, who is a student of Vempati Chinasatyam garu, the master of Kuchipudi.

After a successful Rangapravesham (on-stage debut performance), Sujatha has continued her performances all over India and received many awards and praises all along the way. After her marriage, she moved to USA and pursued her passion to learn and teach this beautiful dance form. With her husband Ananth’s encouragement she joined Natyanjali Dance School and performed several ballets under the mentorship of Smt. Srilatha Suri, a renowned dance guru in Dallas, Texas.

Recently Sujatha relocated to Honolulu and started teaching in Honolulu area. She is passionate about introducing this dance form to kids at an early age and is very patient working with kids and adults of all ages. Her passion is to keep this art alive and share it with as many people as possible.