Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi is one of the most evocative representations of the Vaishnava cult which began deepening its roots by the 2^nd century AD in India. Evolved from the dance-drama traditions, the distant predecessor of Kuchipudi is Yakshagana, a folk-ritual theatre very much prevalent in Karnataka. The Andhra Pradesh based Kuchipudi and the Tamil Nadu based Bhagavatamela spring from almost the same source. The origin of Kuchipudi can be traced back to 13^th century as a direct and definite inspiration from Geetagovinda,  the redoubtable pranayakavya of the 12^th century poet Jayadeva. Yet the modern form of Kuchipudi is attributed to the 17^th century saint and composer, Tirtha Narayanayati and his disciple, Sidhyendra Yogi. Krishnaleelatharangini of Narayanatirtha has provided a solid thematic base to Kuchipudi as a dance-drama. The verses in his well-known composition consist of rhythmic dance syllables capable of affirming the identity of the dancer on stage. Yati’s disciple, Sidhendra Yogi composed Parijathapaharana commonly known as Bhama Kalapam. Yogi’s endeavour resulted in the sustenance of Kuchipudi as male dominated dance-drama as he succeeded in finding out a group of Brahmin boys in Kancheepuram to take up the tradition.

The fall of the Vijayanagara Empire and the subsequent Islamic invasions adversely affected hundreds of artists associated with Kuchipudi. The advent of the British and the resultant colonialism in the 18^th century questioned the very existence of Kuchipudi. With the banning of the temple-dance by the British in 1910, Kuchipudi too went into oblivion for a while. But within a decade, there took place a cultural renaissance as part of which Kuchipudi underwent both revival and reformation. It was left to the task of Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastri (1886-1956) to restructure and revitalize Kuchipudi. The trinity that revamped Kuchipudi in the first half of the 20^th century were Vedantam Lakshminaryana Sastri, Vempati Venkitanaryana Sastri and Chinta Venkitaramayya. As part of the reformations, women were allowed entry to Kuchipudi and solo-recitals began to gain more and more acceptance. Indrani Rahman and Yamini Krishnamurti became the torch-bearers of the modern Kuchipudi prompting lots of youngsters to follow in their footsteps.

In the second half of the 20^th century, Vembati Chinna Satyam rose to become an icon in Kuchipudi. The technical and aesthetic enrichment of Kuchipudi are mainly due to the genius and perseverance of this legendary Guru. Excerpts from the Krishnaleela Tarangini, a couple of Kalyanams, numerous Kalapams including Bhama Kalapam, Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda, Kritis of saint Thyagaraja and the innumerable Padams of Kshetrayya form the lyrics of Kuchipudi. True to other Indian classical dance-traditions, the three major components of Kuchipudi are Nritta, Nritya and Natya. An onstage Kuchipudi concert can begin with a short dance called Pravesha Daru followed by the Jatiswaram, a pure-dance item. Next is a Sabdam, again a pure-dance. Varnam, a combination of textual and non-textual dance is one of the major items performed by a Kuchipudi dancer.

Kavutvams are a distinctive feature of  Kuchipudi. This can be performed either as Nritta (pure dance) or as Nritya (expressional dance). Rhythmic intricacies are a dominant characteristic of certain Kavutvams in which the dancer balances a pitcher on his/her head simultaneously executing foot-works on a brass-plate. The modern day Kuchipudi dancers do these as part of the tharangams they perform on stage.  Mayura Kavutvam (a peacock dance) or Vinayaka Kavutvam (dance in praise of Lord Ganesha) is an impressive spectacle. The Kuchipudi dancer performs any one of the Ashtapadis of Jayadeva followed by a Tillana. Mid-tempo is most prominently used by the dancers whose rhythmic virtuosity finds the fullest expression in Kuchipudi. The movements and expression of the dancer adhere to the doctrines in the Natyasastra of sage, Bharata.

With colourful costumes, thick facial make-up and the flower-laden braided hair, the aharya of Kuchipudi exudes an unusual splendour. Apart from Nattuvankam, the BGM includes vocal music set to the style of Karnatic Music, violin, mridangam and flute. The late Shobha Naidu was perhaps the most illustrious Kuchipudi dancer in the second half of the last century. Other luminaries in the field include Swapna Sundari, Radha-Raja Reddy and Manju Bhargavi.