Kuchipudi is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India.
Helen Ann Richardson Khan, known mononymously as Helen, is an Indian actress and dancer. She has appeared in over 1000 films, making her a prolific performer in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning 70 years, Helen has received two Filmfare Awards. She is often cited as one of the most popular nautch and caberet dancers of her time. In 2009, Helen was awarded with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
John Prakash Rao Janumala, better known by his stage name Johnny Lever is an Indian actor and comedian who is known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the most recognised comedians in India and is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedians in Indian Cinema. He has received numerous accolades, including thirteen Filmfare Awards nominations in Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role, and has won the award twice, for his work in Deewana Mastana (1997) and Dulhe Raja (1998). He began his career in 1984, and has acted in more than three hundred Hindi films.
Meenakshi Seshadri Mysore is an Indian former actress and beauty pageant titleholder who worked primarily in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. Seshadri established herself as one of the most popular and highest-paid actresses of her time and is considered among the leading actresses of Indian cinema.
Prabhu Deva is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed dancing styles and has garnered two National Film Awards for Best Choreography. In 2019, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to dance.
Devi Sri Prasad, commonly known by his initials DSP, is an Indian music composer, singer, and lyricist primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema, along with Tamil cinema. He has received numerous accolades, including a National Film Award, a Nandi Award, ten Filmfare Awards, seven SIIMA Awards, and five CineMAA Awards.
Indian Nutcracker, also called Swapna Vijayam, is an adaptation of the 1892 ballet The Nutcracker into the South Indian classical dance form of Kuchipudi, with Telugu lyrics. It was first performed on 15 December 2007 at the Robert Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech, to raise funds for the Emory University Telugu Initiative.
Zarina Wahab is an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Hindi and Malayalam films. Known for critically acclaimed roles in Chitchor and Gopal Krishna in Hindi and Malayalam cinema with films like Madanolsavam, Chamaram, Palangal and Adaminte Makan Abu.
Swarnakamalam is a 1988 Indian Telugu-language dance film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Venkatesh and Bhanupriya in the lead, while Sharon Lowen appears in a special role. The film is about a danseuse daughter of a noted Kuchipudi exponent, wooed by a painter of banners and hoardings, who uses her as a model. The choreography is helmed by Kelucharan Mohapatra, and Sharon Lowen with soundtrack by Ilaiyaraaja. The song sequences were extensively shot at the Valley of Flowers National Park, the Nanda Devi National Park, the Shanti Stupa and Bhringesvara Siva Temple at Dhauli; and other locations in Visakhapatnam.
Ananda Bhairavi is a 1983 Indian bilingual dance film, simultaneously shot in Telugu and Kannada languages, written, and directed by Jandhyala. It starred Girish Karnad, Kathak dancer Malavika Sarkar, Rajesh and "Natyacharya" Bhagavathula Venkata Rama Sarma as a male classical dancer in this film. The film was premiered at International Film Festival of India. The film received positive reviews and has garnered the four state Nandi Awards.
Nataraja Ramakrishna was an Indian dance guru. He was the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Sangeeta Nataka Academy. He was also a scholar and musicologist who promoted classical dance in Andhra Pradesh and worldwide.
Raja and Radha Reddy are an Indian Kuchipudi dancing couple, gurus and choreographers. They are renowned as exponents of the South Indian dance form of Kuchipudi. They founded and run the Natya Tarangini Institute of Kuchipudi Dance in New Delhi. The duo are credited with having given Kuchipudi a new dimension without compromising on its traditional virtues. For their services to the field of arts, the Government of India has conferred on them the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards.
Nuvvila is a 2011 Telugu romantic comedy film written and directed by Ravi Babu. He introduced six new faces with this film in lead roles. Ajay, Havish, Yami Gautam, Vijay Deverakonda, Prasad Barve, Sarayu, and Remya Nambeesan. The film features music by Shekar Chandra and is produced by Ramoji Rao.
Prateeksha Kashi is an Indian Kuchipudi dancer. Kuchipudi is a classical dance form originating from the village of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh, India. Kashi holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore.
Usha Srinivasan, more commonly known as Usha, is an Indian film classical dancer specialising in kuchipudi. She was born in a Tamil family. Her father, P. Srinivasan, is a Veda pandit.
Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma (1935–2012), popularly known as Satyam, was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, considered by many as one of the leading exponents of the classical dance form of Kuchipudi. He was known for his portrayal of female characters such as Usha, Satyabhama, Deva Devi, Mohini, Sasirekha and Gollabhama (Gollakalapam). He was a recipient of several honors including Kalidas Samman, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 1970, for his contributions to Dance.
The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival is a 12-day festival of South Indian classical music and dance in Cleveland, Ohio, and is held each year around Easter weekend. The festival is a celebration in honor of Tyagaraja, the famous composer of Carnatic music, who composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and Sanskrit language. The festival began in 1978, and has since grown to become the largest South Indian classical music and dance festival outside of India. The festival draws its audience from all over the United States, as well as from Canada and other parts of the world.
Bhavana Reddy is an Indian classical Kuchipudi dancer, singer, songwriter, and guru/teacher. She is the younger daughter and disciple of renowned dancing couple Raja Radha Reddy and Kaushalya Reddy. Bhavana Reddy is the founder of the International Center for Kuchipudi Dance (ICKD).
Byrraju Sandhya Raju is an Indian Kuchipudi dancer and actress. She is recipient of a National Film Award.
Gaddam Padmaja Reddy is an Indian Kuchipudi exponent and music teacher. She performs ballets on mythological themes and contemporary social issues. She choreographed Kakatiyam, a Kuchipudi visual dance form. She was conferred with Kala Ratna in 2006, India's highest art award–Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2015 and Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in the field of art for 2022.
