Kuchipudi (Telugu: కూచిపూడి) is a Classical Indian dance from Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also popular all over South India. Kuchipudi is the name of a village in the Divi Taluka of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and also the surname of the resident Brahmins practicing this traditional dance form, it acquired the present name.
The performance usually begins with some stage rites, after which each of the characters come on to the stage and introduces him/herself with a dharavu (a small composition of both song and dance) to introduce the identity, set the mood, of the character in the drama. The drama then begins. The dance is accompanied by song which is typically Carnatic music. The singer is accompanied by mridangam (a classical South Indian percussion instrument), violin, flute and the tambura (a drone instrument with strings which are plucked). Ornaments worn by the artists are generally made of a lightweight wood called Boorugu. It originated in the seventh century.
Kuchipudi costumes look similar to
those worn in Bharathanatyam dance. Elegant footwork is an important aspect of
Kuchipudi. Another distinctive aspect of this dance is that in special
performances, the dance is executed on brass plate and moving the plate with
the feet to the tune of the accompanying music. Yet another is the formation of
beautiful floor patterns using efficient feet movements. The performer has to
express through dance and gestures, the speech and song. The artiste, apart
from being a dancer and actor, has to have a high proficiency in Sanskrit and
Telugu languages, Music and the texts for the performance.
The Kuchipudi performance begins
with recital of extracts from the four Vedas as these symbolise the composition
of the Natyaveda.This followed by Ganapati stuti before the entry of the
sutradhar who narrates the dance-drama with its implications and introduces the
artistes. Each dancer is introduced with pravesa daruva orentrance number
accompanied by song and rhythmic syllables. The word daruvu means rhythmic
pattern. There is nritta, nritya, and natya. The nritta part is composed of
teeermanams and jatis; the naitya consists of sabdams indroduced to enrich the
dance and natya is acting with mudras to enact the stories of yore.
Kuchipudi classical dance comprises
of a blend of tandava and lasya elements. The music is this dance from is
classical and the costumes are conventional. Bhagavatula Ramayya, written by
Hari Madhavayya, introduced the dance-drama in the Kuchipudi repertoire; and
today vachikabhinaya (verbal expression) has become a special feature of
Kuchipudi dance-drama.
Vedantam Laxmi Narayana Sastry
Introduced solo items and laid the foundation of the Kuchipudi repertoire.
Today Raja and Radha Reddy have taken this dance from to new heights.
After the initial rituals as well the introduction of the characters is complete, it is the time to finally begin the performance of Kuchipudi. Through the show, the dance is accompanied by song, typically Carnatic music. Accompanying the singer, in the performace, is by mridangam (a classical South Indian percussion instrument), violin, flute and the tambura (a drone instrument with strings which are plucked).
Make-up, Costumes and Music
Make-up and costumes are the unique characteristics of Kuchipudi dance form. Apart from the make-up, the female characters also wear ornaments and jewelry, such as Rakudi (head ornament), Chandra Vanki (arm ornament), Adda Bhasa and Kasina Sara (neck ornament), and a long plait decorated with flowers and jewelry. Most of the ornaments worn by the artists are made of a light weight wood, called Boorugu.
Popular Kuchipudi Dance
The most popular Kuchipudi dance forms is the pot dance, in which a dancer keeps a pot filled with water on his/her head, while the feet are balanced on a brass plate. He/she moves on the stage, manipulating the brass plate with the feet kept on its rim and doing some hand movements, without spilling a drop of water on the ground. Bhama Kalapam, Gollakalapam, Prahlada Charitam, Sashirekha and Parinaya are some of the other famous dance dramas in Kuchipudi.
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