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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. [1]
It was produced, directed and choreographed by Sasikala Penumarthi, [2] the founder and director of the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, which was established in 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia as a non-profit organization. The lyrics were written by Indraganti Srikantha Sarma, from Hyderabad, India. Music for the performance was composed by Atlanta-based singer Subhashini Krishnamurthy, and the dance choreography was by Sasikala Penumarthi, student of Padmabhushan Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam of Kuchipudi Arts Academy, [3] Chennai, India.
The costume design sought to fuse Indian and Western "aesthetic sensibilities". [2]
The performance was presented with live orchestral support from Sujatha Rayburn (Female Vocal), Satish Menon (Male Vocal), Sastry Bhagavatula (Nattuvangam or Beat), Suresh Kodandaraman (Mridangam or Drum), V.K. Raman (Flute), Sandhya Srinath (Violin), Seshu Sarma (Veena), Subra Vishwanathan (Mridangam or Drum). More than 35 artists who have trained at the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance performed on stage. Stage direction was provided by Dr. P.V. Rao, Professor in Physics, Emory University and Ravi Penumarthi. The fundraising committee was led by Professor Joyce Flueckiger, incoming Director of the Program of South Asian Studies, Emory University.
At a Christmas party hosted by her parents, Princess Swapna is given a nutcracker by the magician, Mayura. The toy actually holds Mayura's nephew, who will only be freed by "the love of a maiden". When Swapna falls asleep that night, Mayura transports her to a dream world. There, the nutcracker becomes the prince Sundara Rakumara, who battles the Mouse King Mushikasura. Sundara is killed in the battle, but Mayura resurrects him. The prince and Swapna travel to his kingdom, the Land of Spring and Everlasting Youth, where the residents greet them.
When Swapna awakes, she sees Sundara Rakumara has returned to his human form. Mayura blesses the couple.
The 2007 performance played to a "packed" audience, with positive reviews from attendees. [4]
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.
Indian classical dance, or Shastriya Nritya, is an umbrella term for different regionally-specific Indian classical dance traditions, rooted in predominantly Hindu musical theatre performance, the theory and practice of which can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. The number of Indian classical dance styles ranges from six to eight to twelve, or more, depending on the source and scholar; the main organisation for Indian arts preservation, the Sangeet Natak Academy recognizes eight: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam. Additionally, the Indian Ministry of Culture includes Chhau in its list, recognising nine total styles. Scholars such as Drid Williams add Chhau, Yakshagana and Bhagavata Mela to the list. Each dance tradition originates and comes from a different state and/or region of India; for example, Bharatanatyam is from Tamil Nadu in the south of India, Odissi is from the east coast state of Odisha, and Manipuri is from the northeastern state of Manipur. The music associated with these different dance performances consists many compositions in Hindi, Malayalam, Meitei (Manipuri), Sanskrit, Tamil, Odia, Telugu, and many other Indian-Subcontinent languages; they represent a unity of core ideas and a diversity of styles, costumes, and expression.
Bala is a 1976 documentary film made by Satyajit Ray, about a Bharatanatyam dancer, Balasaraswati, fondly known as "Bala". The film was jointly produced by National Centre for the Performing Arts and Government of Tamil Nadu. The thirty-three-minute documentary features the life and some of the works by Balasaraswati in the form of narration and dance, starring herself. At the age of fourteen, Ray had seen a performance of Balasaraswati in Kolkata, then known as "Calcutta", in 1935, when she was seventeen years old.
Arangetram is the debut on-stage performance of a former student of Indian classical dance and music that follows years of training in classical music and dancing. Many Indian classical dance forms require their followers to perform an arangetram. Once a student has done so, they are thereafter allowed to perform dances on their own and to teach aspiring dancers.
Smitha Madhav is a Carnatic Classical Singer and Bharatanatyam Dancer. Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of India and one of the two main classifications of Indian Classical Music.
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.
K. Uma Rama Rao was an Indian Kuchipudi dancer, choreographer, research scholar, author and dance teacher. She was also the Founder & Director of Lasya Priya Dance Academy, established in 1985 in Hyderabad, India.
Achuta Manasa is an Indian Kuchipudi dancer.
Vedantam Ramalinga Sastry is an Indian classical dancer in Kuchipudi. . He was born on June 3, 1963, to Suryanarayana and Sathyavatamma in Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh. He earned fame as a choreographer, writer, dancer, actor and researcher. He won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2012 for his research on Kuchipudi dance form. He is the Principal of Siddhendra Yogi Kuchipudi Kalapeetham.
Deepa Sashindran is an Indian artist and a disciple of the Kuchipudi expert Smt. Manju Bhargavi. She is a performing artist, teacher of the Indian classical dance form Kuchipudi, choreographer, art curator, entrepreneur, and the founder of Kuchipudi Parampara Foundation Trust Bangalore.
Sreelakshmy Govardhanan, is a Kuchipudi artist from India. She is the disciple of Guru Sri Pasumarthy Rattaiaha Sarma.
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.
Yella Venkateswara Rao is an Indian classical musician and percussionist, considered by many as one of the leading exponents of Mridangam, an ancient Indian percussion instrument. He has performed as an accompanist to such renowned musicians as M. S. Subbulakshmi, Ravi Shankar, Chembai, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M. Balamuralikrishna, L. Subramaniam, K. J. Yesudas, Amjad Ali Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Bhimsen Joshi. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2008, for his contributions to music.
Bhagavata Mela is a classical Indian dance that is performed in Tamil Nadu, particularly the Thanjavur area. It is choreographed as an annual Vaishnavism tradition in Melattur and nearby regions, and celebrated as a dance-drama performance art. The dance art has roots in a historic migration of practitioners of Kuchipudi, another Indian classical dance art, from Andhra Pradesh to the kingdom of Tanjavur.
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.
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.
Swathi Somnath is an Indian Kuchipudi exponent and dance teacher from the state of Andhra Pradesh. She performed a dance ballet based on Kama Sutra, Hindu literature on erotic love, through which she gained recognition. She received Kala Ratna award in 2006. She established Nritya Bharathi in Hyderabad and Sampradayam Dance and Music Centre in Srikakulam district.
Maddali Usha Gayatri is an Indian Kuchipudi exponent, danseuse, guru and choreographer from the state of Andhra Pradesh. A recipient of Hamsa Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, she received critical acclaim for her choreography and performances. She performs ballets in mythological, historical and social themes. One of her works, Nrityam Darsayami, included a troupe of 12 of her disciples performing for 12 hours uninterruptedly.
