I just finished watching Sunday’s lineup for Prakriti Dance’s Festival of Kuchipudi, and my mind is abuzz. First - some context. Kasi Aysola, a dynamic and passionate artist, and codirector of Prakriti Dance, curated the festival. Using a blend of pre-recorded sessions that are released on each day, and live events, Kasi brought together an incredible group of Kuchipudi performers, choreographers, educators, and academics to perform and to discuss the present moment of Kuchipudi through various perspectives. By the way, this is my raw reaction - I literally started writing as soon as I finished watching the last video.

Day 1: Festival Opening

The first day consisted of two pre-recorded performances. T. Reddi Lakshmi presented “Virtual Margam Performance” and Sasikala Penumarthi performed “Virtual Abhinaya Performance”. T. Reddi Lakshmi presented pieces that are typically seen in a solo Kuchipudi performance, including Tandava Nritya Kari, Madana Daruvu from Bhama Kalapam, a javali, an Ashtapadi, and the Vasantha swarajathi (featuring the brass plate). Sasikala Aunty presented a pravesa daruvu from her ballet Andal Kalyanam, a piece on Andal’s pasurams, and a javali.

I need not say anything about the beauty of the performances - as someone who has devotedly watched Sasikala Aunty in Mastergaru’s dance ballet videos for as long as I can remember, I grew up imagining her as I read or heard stories about iconic characters such as Dakshayani, Padmavati, Gowri, and Mohini. Likewise, T. Reddi Lakshmi is a charming and accomplished artist whose abhinaya pieces I’ve seen on social media, and I was very excited to have the opportunity to see her presentation in this much fuller format.

What was interesting to me is the particular pairing of these two artists, who belong to different generations and styles. The overly simplistic (dare I say lazy) narrative that we hear about the evolution of Kuchipudi is that the traditional style is more rustic and natural, while the Vempati style is more refined and stylized. Watching these two programs really upends those assumptions. T. Reddi Lakshmi’s dance is chiseled perfection, as it highlights footwork and movements characteristic of the traditional style. Sasikala Aunty’s dance, as always, just draws you into the character’s emotional journey with such authenticity that you forget it is dance or that it is a performance. I think it speaks more to the classical dance aesthetics we focus on today versus in the past, because even within Mastergaru’s school, you can see a similar shift in aesthetic focus in videos of performers from earlier generations compared to the same repertoire presented by dancers of later generations.

Day 2: Then and Now

There were two talks, two reflections based on archival performances, and a virtual live performance during a jam-packed Saturday.

Rathna Kumar, Jaikishore Mosalikanti, and Anupama Kylash had a paneled discussion moderated by Ramya Sundaresan Kapadia focused on pedagogy. Anupama m’am (who was my guide as I worked on my Master’s thesis) is an erudite academic who very keenly approaches dance through the lens of textual foundations and analysis. Rathna Kumar and Kishore sir are both renowned dance educators with decades of experience as educators and choreographers. While each of these stalwarts had distinct paths, they were very aligned on the elements that allow for an immersive and well-rounded dance education, the shifting expectations from parents and students today compared to their own dance education, and the challenges of digital pedagogy, as well as avenues were it may not be a hindrance.

Equally inspiring was their camaraderie and respect for either others’ paths and experiences. I’m taking a brief jaunt into politics and media here, but in an era where the dialogue we see in the public sphere is often talking heads yelling across each others and scoring zingers (American politics, anyone?), it’s an example of how powerful figures can engage with one another simply to have an open dialogue where all of us watching can learn and move forward.

Kiran Rajagopalan and I spoke about the various stages of Kuchipudi over time, and what we can learn from the past as we move onto this virtual stage of Kuchipudi. Kiran, who I met at Kasi’s Festival of Solos a few years ago, and self-ascribed “fan of Kuchipudi” brought his immense knowledge of and passion for South Indian dance repertoire, evolution and interplay of various performing traditions, and Telugu as we teased apart the history of Kuchipudi from the time the Kuchipudi trinity, the interplay with early cinema, the pursuit of “classicism” and what we can learn today from its ability to shapeshift through each of those inflection points to meet the need of the moment while retaining its spark.

Kamala Reddy reflected on how things have shifted from a performance perspective from her earliest performances to performances now. Her earliest performances were conducted by Mastergaru with a live orchestra, typically with no cameras or video cameras interrupting the (sacred!) bond between the musicians, the dancer, and the audience. She also talked about her experience being a part of the initiative to videotape his repertoire specifically for archival purposes and for making recorded music available. Then, she spoke of the difficulty she had transitioning from performing with live music to performing with recorded music. Kamala Aunty is just brilliant in these videos, and while we can see differences in the video aesthetics and the music over the years, her dance itself is timeless and ageless.

Anuradha Nehru spoke about the three specific different types of exploration seen in the group productions of Kalanidhi Dance over the years. Her vision has brought a very specific aesthetic and a distinct utilization of the Kuchipudi vocabulary to reach diverse audiences that do not necessarily have the cultural references that are common within India and the Indian diaspora, and this talk provided an opportunity to see excerpts of her productions over the years and to hear her contextualizing these productions and how they sought to harness the language and technique of Kuchipudi.

The live session, which featured a reimagination of the Kalapam format to fit a socially distant, virtual stage, included pre-recorded daruvus threaded together with a live Zoom conversation between the principal character, Alamelu Manga, and the sutradhara (respectively, Swapna Sundari and Kasi). Having these conversations were in English and English subtitles accompanied the recorded dances meant even those not familiar with Telugu and the Kalapam format can follow along with both the literal dialogues and narrative, and also the spontaneity, wit, and relatability of Kalapams.

Given that I have attended similarly conceptualized productions by Francis Tanglao-Aguas of Aguas Arts Ink in a very different theatrical tradition, I’m curious to see whether this is a one-time experiment specifically given the theme and moment of this festival, or if this is an example of different theater-based artists from across the world independently solving the challenges and possibilities of a virtual stage in similar ways.

Day 3: Ready for My Close-Up

The final day of the festival featured three talks and three Instagram Live performances.

Candor, wit, and insight marked the conversation between Kasi and Vyjayanti Kashi, whose journey I’d known very little about prior to this weekend. In a wide-ranging conversation discussing not only her personal experiences, but also pedagogy, history, performance, tradition and innovation, critics, access to opportunity, and so much more, As much as she shared her own perspectives, Vyjayanthi Kashi pushed and probed assumptions and narratives, and beautifully challenged young artists to be intentional, accountable, and brave in their pursuits. This is one conversation that I wish I could save and go back to again and again.

Madhavi Reddi’s conversation with Suresh Kumar was extremely practical and - if it makes sense - kind. A film director and flautist, he patiently and passionately walked through details of the considerations, options, and a roadmap to ensure that videography projects feel fruitful for dancers, using examples. This was a topic that, as a dancer, I wouldn’t have even thought about, but given the criticality of well-recorded videos in these next era of dance, it is a very astute discussion and so incredibly educational.

The live performances of the day featured Sai Gangadhar Venkat, Pranamya Suri, and Kasi. Three talented artists who each have a distinct social media presence, passion for the dance form, and very different journeys, they each presented 30 minute sets on Instagram Live, with choreographies by Mastergaru, Vempati Ravi Shankar, Kishore Mosalikanti, and Shobha Naidu. The challenges of this platform were immediately apparent, including how to manage transitions between dancing and speaking, ensuring the camera angle and lighting is sufficient, managing the background, the specific logistics of the mirrored video and floating comments. These challenges were afterthoughts in the face of the artists’ passion and mastery of the dance form.

The three artists also had a recorded conversation with Archana Raja reflecting on their own experiences with social media. If yesterday’s conversation between three educators with decades of experience showed clarity and convergence of perspectives about pedagogy over the years, this conversation reflect just how nascent social media is, and how we are all still working through its myriad of possibilities and potential pitfalls. Perhaps, with time and distance, we will be able to crystallize this specific moment, just as we have been able to for all the other contradictory and beautiful parts of Kuchipudi’s evolution that have led us to this moment.

I absolutely have to specifically bring attention to Kasi and his team at Prakriti Dance, who put together a seamless, beautifully organized festival that gathered such an incredible group of people together to make sense of this moment. The intentionality and care with which the topics, the days, and the speakers were brought together, is just remarkable.

If you missed the festival, dependent on the date, it might not be too late. The festival videos are available through Feb 7th - just go to the Prakriti Dance website and purchase a ticket.