Swapnasundari

swapnaban

Sreyashi Dey Shovana Narayana Chitra Visweswaran Bharati Shivaji

Swapnasundari is among the foremost dancers of India. As an exponent of Kuchipudi and Bharata Natyam, two of the classical dance styles of southern India, as a choreographer and as an accomplished vocalist, she has contributed greatly to the popularity of the classical arts of India both within the country and abroad.

Swapnasundari was trained in Kuchipudi under the renowned masters Pasumarthi Seetharamaiah and Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her gurus in Bharata Natyam include KN Dakshinamurthy, Adyar K Lakshmanan and B Kalyana Sundaram. She received specialized training in abhinaya from the veteran performer and teacher, Kalanidhi Narayanan, who is recognized for her mastery over the histrionic aspect, or characteristic stylized mime, of Indian classical dance.

Apart from her sound knowledge of Carnatic music, Swapnasundari has also specialized in the art of singing padams with Shrimati Mukta. This training enables her to lend a distinct character to her dance rendering of traditional padams.

Swapna's painstaking research into the temple dance traditions indigenous to the region of Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of a nearly defunct dance genre, Vilasini Natyam. She has been receiving guidance in this art from Maddula Lakshminarayana.

As the founder director of the Kuchipudi Dance Centre in New Delhi, she has trained a number of students and produced several ballets.

The Delhi Government's Sahitya Kala Parishad Award is among the many honours that have been conferred on Swapnasundari for her contribution to the arts.

Indian Dances Andhra pradesh Dances