Kuchipudi originated from a small hamlet in Andhra Pradesh, known by the same name. It is a dance which combines the style and technique of various other forms of dances, gestures and mimics. Siddhendra Yogi was the innovator of Kuchipudi. He belonged to the time when the Bhakti Movement was swaying the South Indians with its powerful impact. Kuchipudi had been kept out of the reach of the Devadasis. This was done deliberately due to the religious origin of this dance. Some of the religious gurus who initiated and continued this dance were Brahmins like Laksmi Narayan Shastri and Chinta Krishna Murti. Their performances in roles such as Satyabhama in Bhamakalapam made the audiences feel the depth of the character. Kuchipudi is a kind of classical dance that enacts the scenes from the Indian epics and Mythological tales. Since Kuchipudi involves drama and music, it offers a unique scope for self expression by the dancers. Sanskrit verses are chanted as background music to this dance. There are various phases of Kuchipudi dance.It consists of a solo recital which is known as Sabdam. After this the dancer gets abundant scope for expressing the magnitude of characters through dramatization and mimic. This phase is known as Padams or Tarangams. In each and every case the main character is Satyabhama. She is a beautiful yet arrogant queen who ultimately discovers the path of devotion and finds true love. In the Tarangam section of the Kuchipudi dance, the dancer performs skilled display of balancing feats. Kuchipudi is usually performed in open air and on an improvised stage by artists. The Kuchipudi Dance Drama generally begins with an Orchestral Music with a pair of Cymbals; this is followed by invocation of the deity who appears along with Ganesha. Then the dancers start worshipping these Gods and Goddesses. The dance starts at a slow pace with intermediate intervention by the dancers who play roles from the epics. This is a part and parcel of the Kuchipudi Dance. Characters for Kuchipudi Dance are mainly selected from epics like Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
