Kuchipudi guru Vempati passes away

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Renowned Kuchipudi expert Vempati Chinna Satyam, a dance guru of the stars, died at his home in Chennai on Sunday. He was 83 and had been ailing for more than six months due to age-related ailments, family sources said. He was credited with elevating the Kuchipudi dance from its crude rustic form to a highly refined performing art, deserving prime position among the eight Indian classical dances.

Vempati spread the Kuchipudi form across the world by performing in about 60 countries and training over 10,000 students since starting his Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai in 1963. His legacy is carried on by many illustrious performers and students such as Uma Muralikrishna (daughter-in-law of singer S. Janaki), Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad), besides senior gurus like Manju Bhargavi and Shoba Naidu.

Many film stars learnt from the guru including Hema Malini, Rekha and Vijayantimala. He was also the dance director for NTR’s hit movie Narthan-asala. NTR’s daughter and Union minister Daggubati Purandeswari was Vempati’s student. He worked with the legendary Telugu film-maker Kamalakar Kameshwar Rao, known for his mythological films. He choreographed dances for Hema Malini in two major Telugu films, Pandava Vanavasam and Sri Krishna Vijayam. He assisted in the choreography for the social drama NTR’s Devadasu.

Born in Kuchipudi village in Krishna district of coastal Andhra Pradesh on October 25, 1929, he was the recipient of several awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 1956. He is survived by his wife Swaraja Lakshmi, two sons and three daughters. His younger son Vempati Ravishankar had trained under him and assisted him by taking leading roles in his dance dramas.