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Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi dance is believed to have begun in the 17th century in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Its roots are in antiquity and developed as a religious art linked to temples and spiritual belief. This art form expresses its performance with rhythmic gestures as sign language to mime a story. Historically, all Kuchipudi dancers were male and would dress and dance as characters of any gender. During the first half of the 20th century, Lakshminarayana Sastri, a Kuchipudi dancer focused on reviving and relaunching Kuchipudi after classical Hindu dances came under sustained ridicule and political degradation in the British Raj. Sastri is also remembered for encouraging and teaching Indian women to dance Kuchipudi as solo performers and in teams, as well as working with artists of other classical dances such as the Bharatanatyam that enabled the sharing and cross flow of ideas. Today, Kuchipudi still remains a very popular, and is one of the eleven major Indian classical dances.

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