SWAPNASUNDARI
Exponent of KUCHIPUDI

www.artindia.net is privileged to present this page on SWAPNASUNDARI as part of its series on outstanding artists of India.

Swapnasundari was trained in Kuchipudi under the renowned masters Pasumarthi Seetharamaiah and Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her gurus in Bharata Natyam include KN Dakshinamurthy, Adyar K Lakshmanan and B Kalyana Sundaram. She received specialized training in abhinaya from the veteran performer and teacher, Kalanidhi Narayanan, who is recognized for her mastery over the histrionic aspect, or characteristic stylized mime, of Indian classical dance.

Apart from her sound knowledge of Carnatic music, Swapnasundari has also specialized in the art of singing padams with Shrimati Mukta. This training enables her to lend a distinct character to her dance rendering of traditional padams.

Swapna's painstaking research into the temple dance traditions indigenous to the region of Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of a nearly defunct dance genre, Vilasini Natyam. She has been receiving guidance in this art from Maddula Lakshminarayana.

As the founder director of the Kuchipudi Dance Centre in New Delhi, she has trained a number of students and produced several ballets.

The Delhi Government's Sahitya Kala Parishad Award and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the Government of India are among the many honours that have been conferred on Swapnasundari for her contribution to the arts.