What is Kuchipudi?
Kuchipudi is a classical dance originating from a village in Andhra Pradesh, India. This dance-drama performance art evolved from devotional roots dating back to the Natya Shastra. The repertoire is believed to be composed and arranged by a yogi of Advaita Vedanta sect, Tirtha Narayana Yati, and his disciple, Siddhendra Yogi in the 17th century.
Interestingly, when Siddhendra Yogi found it hard to find appropriate dancers to perform his plays, he requested a group of young Brahmin boys belonging to a village called, Kuchelapuram (also called Kuchilapuri or Kusilava-puram – meaning the village of actors), thus the dance form derived its name – Kuchipudi.
Interestingly, when Siddhendra Yogi found it hard to find appropriate dancers to perform his plays, he requested a group of young Brahmin boys belonging to a village called, Kuchelapuram (also called Kuchilapuri or Kusilava-puram – meaning the village of actors), thus the dance form derived its name – Kuchipudi.
