Akhila's Gurus
Her Lineage
SASIKALA PENUMARTHI
Guru
In the world of Kuchipudi, Sasikala has been a beacon across generations of effortless perfection and mastery of expression. She is the beloved disciple of the legendary dance Master, Padmabhushan Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. Throughout the 80's and early 90's Sasikala toured all over India, Europe, the former USSR, and the United States, as a principal dancer in her Guru’s dance dramas. Sasikala's famous roles include Sri Lakshmi and Padmavathi in Srinivasa Kalyanam, Satyabhama in Sri Krishna Parijatham, Chandalika in Chandalika, Dakshayani in Hara Vilasam, Vishwa Mohini in Ksheera Sagara Madhanam, Ahalya in Ramayanam, Shankuntala in Shakuntalam, and Parvathi in Ardha Nareeswara. As a soloist she performed at various prestigious venues including the famous Khajuraho dance festival before emigrating from India to America after marriage.
Sasikala formally established the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, Atlanta in 1998 where she has tirelessly groomed new generations of Kuchipudi dancers for the past two decades. She has the unique distinction of having devotedly kept alive her Guru's masterpieces. She has produced with her own students his famous Rukmini Kalyanam, Chandalika, Srinivasa Kalyanam and Ksheera Sagara Madhanam in multiple cities. Sasikala has also choreographed diverse original dance dramas including: Swapna Vijayam (Victory of a Dream), Andal Kalyanam (Wedding of Andal), Pasidi Poornamma (Child Poornmma), Chinmaya Charitham (Story of Chinmaya), and Sri Rama Pattabhishekam (The Coronation of Sri Rama) which have all debuted to praise in Atlanta, GA.
She has been recognized as a Master Artist by the Georgia Arts Council and Master Teacher by the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. Since 1999 Sasikala has served as an Artist Affiliate at Emory University where, with faculty from the Dance and Asian Studies program, she created a popular credit course on Kuchipudi, Indian dance, and culture. Carefully carrying on Guru's vision, her life has been a meditation on purity of emotion and divine beauty which distinguishes her choreography as well as teaching.
BALA KONDALA RAO
Guru
A.B. Bala Kondala Rao, who is fondly known as "Balakka" in the Kuchipudi world is one of the greatest exponents of Kuchipudi. As a prime disciple of Guru Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam, she has toured the world giving unmatched performances as a soloist and in the principal roles of her Guru's ballets. Whether dancing as Parvathi, Rukmini, or Chandalika , she is known to breathe new life into the innumerable roles she has played in Guru Satyam’s memorable ballets.
Balakka was the prime teacher next to her Guru in Kuchipudi Art Academy, Chennai and later established her own Kuchipudi Kalakshetra in Visakhapatnam. She is known by all as a passionate and sincere teacher who has molded countless reputed dancers, including the famous Vempati Ravi Shankar, son of her Guru. Balakka has choreographed several ballets and solo items over the years which have been met with accolades in India and abroad. Blessed with a strong voice, Balakka's Nattuvangam is as popular as her dance. Balakka was most recently given the highest national honor in the arts--the Sangeet Natak Akademi award--for her artistic mastery and contribution to Kuchipudi. Balakka continues to faithfully serve the art and those who are fortunate enough to witness her artistry can count themselves truly blessed.
Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam
In the ocean of dance greats, Vempati Chinna Satyam stands tall as one of the most brilliant and visionary choreographers. In India and the world over, Vempati Chinna Satyam is synonymous with “Kuchipudi,” one of India’s classical dance forms. A charismatic performer, a masterful choreographer, and passionate teacher, he was largely responsible for the revival of Kuchipudi dance in post-independent India.
Born into the traditional Kuchipudi families in October 15, 1929 Vempati received training from such famous teachers as Tadepalli Perayya Sastry, Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastry, and Vempati Pedda Satyam for two decades. As a young boy he made the journey by foot from Kuchipudi to Chennai, heeding a call to take Kuchipudi beyond its borders literally and artistically.
With his fierce determination he established the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai in 1963. The Academy soon became a bastion of Kuchipudi dance. Many accomplished dancers from other classical styles as well as movie heroines also came to learn from the famed master.
Over his lifetime, Vempati Chinna Satyam gave the world several dance drama masterpieces which forever changed the cultural and spiritual landscape of multiple generations. His solo choreographies are in the hundreds and have remained unmatched in their emotive depth and demand for perfection.
Dr. Satyam received numerous honors, awards, and titles from various arts and cultural institutions of India. He lifelong contribution to the flourishing of Indian Classical Dance was honored with the conferring of the title "Padma Bhushan" by the Government of India.