I firmly believe that an art form can only grow through innovations and explorations.
Still, these innovations do not contribute anything to the art without the foundations of the traditional structures.
Through my artistry I constantly strive to widen the horizons of Kuchipudi by exploring various thematic performances and productions and yet never compromise on the structures of the yore.
Each of the productions have distinctive explorations of concepts, redefining the tales and presentations to suit the modern audience.
Drishya Kavya , Poetry in Movement is an evening inspired by the words of notable poets. Dance and poetry are woven with spoken word and music throughout the production to create an ethereal experience for its audiences in an attempt to personify the works of legendary poets from across time.
Every culture has a story to tell, and the way they tell itis unique. Storytelling has been used to preserve culture, instill values, educate, and entertain. And throughout history, dance has proven to be a powerful tool of storytelling, for the passing on of ritual and tradition or even forbidden secret knowledge passed down through generations.
Arising from man’s need for storytelling is the art of Kuchipudi dance. Kuchipudi dance tradition is a combination of Theater (Natya Mela) and Temple Dance (Nattuvamela) thus making it an unique form of dance which encompasses a rich tradition of storytelling. This production is a complete form of storytelling replete with characters, narrations, episodes and dialogues, which give it the ability to instantly absorb the audiences into its presentation.
Conceptualized and presented as duet, this is a Kuchipudi dance production along with Bhavana Reddy, Advityeeyam explores the duality within the one.. This production explored the conflicting roles of Vishnu and Shiva that are in direct opposition and can be seen as a tension but are at the same time complementary and in unison because one does not exist without the other..
However, this tension can be described as merely duality of the same spiritual spectrum. Shiva and Vishnu thus become the proper duality, the inner world and the outer world, the spiritual world and the material world, and mankind’s inherent need to unite the two.
“Ekam evadvitiyam”- “He is One only without a second.
‘Vishnu is the heart of Siva and likewise Siva is the heart of Vishnu’
Antaram is a dynamic collage of Indian Classical dance and theatre that celebrates the vibrant arts and crafts of India. The stories of strong feminine characters of Indian mythology and history are rediscovered in a brilliant expose that reveals their inner psyche and thoughts onstage links them to the present day feminist issues.
In this production the southern Classical Dances of India (Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam) along with Theatre and multimedia come alive in a collage on stage. This is a collaboration with dancers Gopika Varma, Krithika Subramaniam, and actress Suhasini Maniratnam.
This was an original choreography of Raja and Radha Reddy which was revived and reimagined jointly with Bhavana Reddy. This duet production brings to life the various stories of Lord Shiva as ‘Swayambhu’, ‘ Neelkantha’, ‘Mrityunjaya’ and so on, through mesmerizing rhythm and music, combined with multimedia.
Before Creation, when there was utter darkness, an endless Egg was materialized, in the midst of which, Pitamaha Brahma was present atop a lotus stem. As he broke open the Egg in the middle and from his mouth emerged the ‘Maha Shabda’ (The Enormous Sound) ‘AUM’. This Sound was followed by the Foremost Sound ‘BHU’; then came BHUVAH, followed by SVAHA; the Sum of these Three Echos formed Surya.
This production is an ode to Surya ‘The Sun God’. It juxtaposes the vedic scriptures to modern day scientific theories of the planetary systems throwing light on the ‘Sun’ as the creator and preserver of life.
Before Creation, when there was utter darkness, an endless Egg was materialized, in the midst of which, Pitamaha Brahma was present atop a lotus stem. As he broke open the Egg in the middle and from his mouth emerged the ‘Maha Shabda’ (The Enormous Sound) ‘AUM’. This Sound was followed by the Foremost Sound ‘BHU’; then came BHUVAH, followed by SVAHA; the Sum of these Three Echos formed Surya.
This production is an ode to Surya ‘The Sun God’. It juxtaposes the vedic scriptures to modern day scientific theories of the planetary systems throwing light on the ‘Sun’ as the creator and preserver of life.
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Legendary Kuchipudi Dancing couple, Raja and Radha Reddy, is responsible for bringing Kuchipudi dance, the pride of Andhra Pradesh, onto the cultural map of the world.
Legendary Kuchipudi Dancing couple, Raja and Radha Reddy, is responsible for bringing Kuchipudi dance, the pride of Andhra Pradesh, onto the cultural map of the world.
For their contribution to the art form they have been decorated with many awards nationally and internationally. They have had the honor of performing for presidents and prime ministers of many countries such as President Ford, Bill Clinton, Fidel Castro etc. They have conducted charity shows for Red Cross Society, Blind Relief Association, and the home for the aged people in Bombay and CRY. They had the honor of being invited as the first Indian dancers to participate in the International Dance festival of Avignon in France and Salzburg in Austria.
The couple’s contribution to the festival of India in the USA and the UK was considered outstanding. They were the star attraction of the All Star Ballet Gala festival in Japan. The Reddys inaugurated the India Festival in Bangladesh. Raja and Radha Reddy have created history by becoming the first couple to receive Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan award individually and simultaneously for the same cause by the President of India, the Sangeet Natak Academy award, International Meridian award etc.