Kuchipudi
Growing up in Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, Sandeep Bodhanker was not far from the ancient origins of the dance form, which started out during the Seventh Century A.D. in the small village of Kuchelapuram. There, the three unique and essential ingredients of Kuchipudi dance developed: Nritta (pure dance), Nrity (expressional dance) and Natya (drama), and were formalised in the written tradition of the Natyashastras (dance scriptures).
With themes deriving from Hindu scriptures and mythology, Kuchipudi consists of fast, rhythmic footwork, dynamic expression, graceful body movements and hand gestures. The dancer/actor is trained not just to dance, but also to deliver the dialogue with intense facial expressions, and by singing the text as well. The dance was originally performed only by men of high caste, – as a form of bhakti (worship).
This devotion is a key element motivating the choreograhper of the drama, the performer, as well as inspiring the audiences through the storytelling. A spiritual understanding is very much required to interpret the characters in the dance appropriately.
The solo performance tradition of Kuchipudi developed early in the 20th Century, as a result of the enormous life long contribution of Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry. He was the first to introduce female dancers to the artform and developed disciplines such as Tarangam (plate dance), to further display the skills of the solo performer. These new inventions in Kuchipudi were solidified by the great work of Shri Vempatti Chinna Satyam.
Dance Drama of Prahlada Charitram performed at Kuchipudi Village early 20th century.
Sandeep had the great fortune to develop his abhinaya (dramatic expression) from the great guru Vedantam Satyanarayana Sharma.