KUCHIPUDI

Kuchipudi is a classical Indian dance that has graceful and elegant moves. The dance is named after the village 'Kuchipudi' in Andhra Pradesh. In olden times, the dance was usually only performed in certain temples and suring religious festivals. It is now performed on stages throughout the world. There has been a notable change Kuchipudi art over the years, before it was only practiced by men, but now the dance is mostly dominated by female dancers. During the Muhgal rule in India, Kuchipudi was already dwindling from its fame. However, with the rise of the British power, the art form began to lose out.

Kuchipudi dancers are quicksilver and scintillating, rounded and fleet-footed. Performed to classical Carnatic music, it shares many common elements with Bharatanatyam. In its solo exposition, Kuchipudi numbers include jatiswaram and thillana, whereas in nritya it has several lyrical compositions reflecting the desire of a devotee to merge with God.

Beyond the stylistic differences of Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam steps, there are certain types of dances that are unique to the former. Specifically, the tarangam is unique where the dancer must perform on a brass plate, placing the feet upon its raised edges; the dancer moves the plate with much balance. The traditional practice includes dancing on the plate with two diyas (small oil candles) in hands while balancing "kundi" (a small vessel), containing water, on their head. At the end, typically, the dancer extinguishes the candles and washes hands with the water from the vessel. The 20th karana from Natyashastra is very often used in Kuchipudi dance. Apart from six pada-bhedas, Kuchipudi dancers use some adugulu or adavus (steps) traditional to this art: chaukam, katteranatu, kuppi adugu, ontaduvu, jaraduvu and pakkanatu.

Kuchipudi, a blend of music and dance-drama, is Andhra Pradesh's most unique contribution to dance. The dance styles are based on the standard treatises, Abhinaya Darpana and Bharatarnava of Nandikeshwara, which is sub-divided into Nattuva Mala and Natya Mala. Nattuva Mala is of two types — the puja (prayer) dance performed on balipitha in the temple and the Kalika dance performed in a Kalyana Mandapam. Natya Mala is of three kinds- ritual dance for gods, Kalika dance for intellectuals and Bhagavatam for common place. It is a dance-drama performed by a troupe, consisting only of men, who play feminine roles.

The songs in Kuchipudi are mimed with alluring expressions, swift looks and fleeting emotions evoking the rasa (emotion). In tarangam form, the dancer places a pot full of water on her head and dances on the brass plate. The song accompanying this number is from the well-known Krishna Leela Tarangini, a text which recounts the life and events of Lord Krishna. In expressional numbers, a dancer sometimes chooses to enact the role of Satyabhama, the proud and self-assured queen of Lord Krishna, from the dance-drama Bama Kalapam. She goes through various stages of love. When in separation from Lord Krishna, she recalls the happy days of union and pines for him. At last they are reunited when she sends him a letter. One more number from the Kuchipudi repertoire that deserves mention is Krishna Shabdam, in which a milkmaid invites Krishna for a rendezvous in myriads of ways giving full scope for the dancer to display the charms of a woman.

There are subtle differences in the costumes. Usually, Bharatanatyam dresses have three repeated pleat patterns of various sizes that form the arrangement of spreading pleat of a sari. In Kuchipudi, there is typically only one pleat pattern which tends to be longer than the longest of the three pleats present in a Bharatanatyam costume.