Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi is a classical dance that has its origin in Andhra Pradesh. The name 'Kuchipudi' is acquired from the name of a small village of Kuchelapuram near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, India. In seventh century, Kuchipudi evolved with the outcropping of Bhakti movement. The credit of existing dance form of Kuchipudi goes to Sidhendra Yogi. One of his eminent works of dance is 'Bhamakalapam'. Though, Sidhendra Yogi restricted the art of dance to the young Brahmin boys of the village, yet the dance is outshined by women these days.

Generally, the dance of Kuchipudi is commenced with certain stage rituals and following them, every participant appears on the stage introducing them with a 'daru' (a small comp of both song and dance). Daru helps in introducing the characters and set the atmosphere of the stage show. The dance starts with a song that is usually carnatic music. The song comes along with the harmony of Mridangam (a classical instrument), Violin, Flute and Tambura (an instrument with strings). The dancers wear ornaments that are fabricated out of a light wood commonly known as 'Boorugu'.

Kuchipudi Dance Drama has a perfect blend of speech, mime and pure dance. The Kuchipudi dancer is a multifarious personality on the stage that changes form with the pace of mime. Kuchipudi has imitated many of its features like 'Yakshagan' from the dance of Bharatnatyam. The dance of Kuchipudi is vivacious and dazzling, yet has the magnitude of being earnestly symphonious. It is audacious and sumptuous in the movements of the eyes and does not look restrained to the slouchy world of hankering lovers. There are numerous dancers that are renowned for Kuchipudi in India.

Kuchipudi is famous for its swift and delicate footsteps and elegant movements. The best part of Kuchipudi dance is the breathtaking dance on the brass plate rim. With the change in time, Kuchipudi has changed in a great deal. Initially, it was intended to be a conventional dance act, crammed with religious feeling and dedication. Usually men used to perform Kuchipudi after passing through a strict training. In the present date, Kuchipudi dance is mostly performed by women. Kuchipudi has crossed the boundaries of India and today, even foreigners like this form of Indian Classical Dance.