Ameya King is a Kuchipudi dancer, dance educator, writer, and podcaster based in Richmond, Va. She began learning Kuchipudi at the Kuchipudi Kalakshetra in 2000. Since then, she has been under the tutelage of  her mother, Smt. J. Sarada, as well as Sri Hari Rama Murthy and Smt. N. N. V. Satyabhanu. Ameya earned her Masters in Kuchipudi Dance at the University of SiliconAndhra in 2020.

As the assistant director at Sri Sai Dance Academy, Ameya uses a meticulous and analytical approach to hone the technical skills of dance students. Ameya brings together her love of dance, keen interest in research, and a touch of humor to delve into Indian classical dance forms as part of An Off the Beat Dance Podcast with Ameya and Kiran.

In addition to her work at Sri Sai Dance Academy and Off The Beat Productions, she is a founding member of the Indian Classical Arts Performance Series at Sri Sai Narayana Organization. Ameya also served on the Board of Directors for IDEA from 2021-2023.

Other writings on dance

• Feb 2020 - Masters Thesis: Investigative Analysis of the usage of rhythm to highlight emotion in the Kuchipudi solo repertoire (under the guidance of Dr. Anupama Kylash)

• Oct 2020 - Parampara eJournal: The Layers of Dance: Unraveling A Personal Journey

• March 2022 - Andhra University Journal of Humanities & Management - The Glory of Indian Music & Dance: The Usage of Rhythm to Highlight Emotion in the Kuchipudi Solo Repertoire with special emphasis on the Vempati Bani

My Gurus

Smt. Sarada Jammi was introduced to dance by Smt. Shantha Balagopalan in Dhanbad, India in 1976. In 1985, she moved to Chennai, where she received training under Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam at the Kuchipudi Art Academy in the true gurukulam style, living in his home. In 1987 she moved to Kuchipudi Kalakshetra, Visakhapatnam, a branch of the Academy. After moving abroad, she regularly returned to Kalakshetra for advanced training. 

Sarada has taught in Richmond since 2002, fostering a family-like community between the older and younger students, as well as allowing the students to be immersed in the dance. She has also choreographed numerous solo items, including "Kalika Stuthi," "Siddhendra Stuthi," and "Mahati Jathiswaram". During the nineties, Sarada taught at the Nrithyalaya Aesthetics Society and worked for the Singaporean Ministry of Education, teaching dance at several primary schools. She currently serves as the chairperson of Sri Sai Narayana Organization, and is the founder and director of Sri Sai Dance Academy. 

Sri Hari Rama Murthy hails from the village of Kuchipudi, belonging to one of the traditional families of Kuchipudi dancers and choreographers. He initially learnt dance in his village at Siddhendra Yogi Kalapeetham under Shri Pasumarthy Krishna Sharma and Shri Chinta Ramamanatham. Under the tutelage of Padmabhushan Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam at Chennai, he earned international acclaim as the principal dancer in Dr Satyam’s ballets since 1984. He has performed extensively through Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia as a member of Dr Satyam’s troupe.

He is the beloved guru or mentor to many students of Kuchipudi. He is serving as the principal at Kuchipudi Kalakshetra, an institution started by his guru Dr Satyam.

In addition to choreographing many solo Kuchipudi items, Hari Mastergaru earned critical acclaim for this dance dramas Mohini Bhasmasura and Kalyana Karthikeyam.

Smt. N. N. V. Satyabhanu is the Founder and Director of Sri Siddhendra Yogi Kala Nilayam. Smt. Satyabhanu was introduced to dance by Sri Mohan Rao. She was introduced to Kuchipudi by Smt. Lakshmi Mohanty and Sri Venkateshwara Rao Mohanty. Once Padmabhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam established Kuchipudi Kalakshetra, Smt. Satyabhanu began training there. A Diploma holder in Kuchipudi, Smt. Satyabhanu earned her Masters in Kuchipudi with distinction marks from Sri Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, as well as two gold medals for her outstanding work in the program.

Smt. Satyabhanu choreographed and presented the ballets and productions such as “Janapada Singaram” and “Tava Virahe” explored the life of poet Jayadeva and his poems in Gita Govinda. Most recently, she contributed to Sri Hari Rama Murthy’s critically acclaimed ballet Kalyana Karthikeyam and Mohini Bhasmasura.