| Vempati Chinna Satyam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vempati Chinna Satyam October 25, 1929 Kuchipudi, India |
| Occupation | Classical Indian dancer |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan: 1956 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship: 1967 |
| Website | |
| http://www.kuchipudi.com | |
Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam (Telugu: వెంపటి చినసత్యం) was born on October 25, 1929 in Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh. He is a legendary dancer and a guru of Kuchipudi dance form. Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry, a great master in the field, initiated Young Vempati into this great art. He then refined his art by learning the graceful movements from Sri Tadepally Perrayya Sastry and later was trained by his elder brother Sri Vempati Pedda Satyam in the beauty of expressions. As he learnt the nuances of this style of dance, Vempati was avid to see this great heritage permeate all over the world and was successful in popularising this dance form all over the world.
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Vempati Chinna Satyam's charismatic choreography and scintillating style were witnessed and applauded in almost all parts of the world. He sublimated and systematised Kuchipudi without sacrificing its pristine purity and gave it a more classical and sophisticated basis. He refined the art form bringing it completely within the boundaries of Natya Sastra and gave it a whole new perspective. He worked on and produced many more marvels.
| Operas |
|---|
| Padmavati Srinivasa Kalyanam |
| Vipranarayana Charitam |
| Menaka Viswamitra |
| Kalyana Sakuntalam |
| Bhama Kalapam |
| Chandalika |
| Rukmini Kalyanam |
| Hara Vilasam |
| Siva Dhanurbhangam and Ardha Nareeswaram |
Vempati started the Kuchipudi Art Academy at Madras in the year 1963. The Academy has to its credit more than 180 Solo items and 15 dance dramas composed and choreographed by Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. These solo items and dramas have been staged all over India and abroad. He composed his first dance drama Sri Krishna Parijatham in the same period followed by another hit Ksheera Sagara Madanam and played the lead role. His portrayal of Lord Shiva and his brilliant choreography was received with thunderous applause. With his very first attempt passing in flying colors, his long cherished desire, to establish Kuchipudi among he prominent classical styles, got a shot in the arm.
He was conferred with many titles and awards such as "Sangeet Peeth of Bombay", "Asthana Natyacharya of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam",T.T.K. Memorial Award by Music Academy, "Natya Kalasaagara of Waltair", "Raja-Lakshmi Award of Madras", "Kalaprapoorna" from Andhra University, "Natya Kala Bhushana of Guntur", "Bharatha Kalaprapoorna of Hyderabad", D. Litt. from Sri Venkateswara University, "Asthana Natyacharya of Pittsburgh", and "National Award from Central Sangeet Naatak Akademi, New Delhi". He was awarded by many State Governments of India such as Kalidas Puraskar by the Government of Madhya Pradesh and Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nadu. He was honored with a Doctorate degree by Andhra University.
He was also awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.