Born at Kuchipudi village in Krishna district of coastal Andhra Pradesh, where the Kuchipudi dance originated, he strove for popularising the unique dance form across the world.
Praised for refining the Kuchipudi dance form by introducing new elements into it, Chinna Satyam trained hundreds of students in Chennai, including movie stars Vyjayanthimala, Manju Bhargavi, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Hemamalini and Rekha. Chandrakala was also who made a name in Telugu and Tamil films.
Chinna Satyam started the Kuchipudi art academy in 1963 and began choreographing and composing dance numbers for solo presentations. With his creative genius, he brought in sea change in the execution of the pure dance or nritta sequences and this attracted many young women who did not belong to Andhra Pradesh or to traditional dancing community to take to Kuchipudi.
He also trained celebrity dancers like Shanta Rao, Yamini Krishnamurthi, Sonal Mansingh and Swapna Sundari. It was his disciple Shobha Naidu who became synonymous with Vempati Chinna Satyam style and later it was Manju Bhargavi who brought in her popularity in films to her Kuchipudi stage performances.
Sobbing uncontrollably, Manju Bhargavi said she could not believe such a dynamic person was no more. Listening to his powerful voice in recording was a special thrill, she said.
(V.R. Devika is a well-known dance critic and educationist)