Shrimati Swapnasundari

🪔 About

Shrimati Swapnasundari is a highly acclaimed Indian classical dancer, choreographer, vocalist, researcher, and author, renowned for her mastery in Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, and Vilasini Natyam. Born in Chennai, she was inspired by her grandmother to learn dance. She began her dance training at the age of nine, initially in Bharatanatyam, and then Kuchipudi. Her Bharatanatyam gurus included K.N. Dakshinamurthy, Adyar K. Lakshmanan, and B. Kalyana Sundaram. For Kuchipudi, she trained under eminent masters such as Pasumarthi Seetharamaiah and Vempati Chinna Satyam. She also received specialized training in abhinaya from Kalanidhi Narayanan. Swapnasundari's career highlights include her significant contributions to the revival and popularization of Vilasini Natyam, a nearly defunct temple dance tradition indigenous to Andhra Pradesh. She undertook painstaking research, collaborating with historian and poet Dr. Arudra, to reconstruct and document this ancient dance form, which she realigned with rituals of worship in 1996. She is the founder-director of the Kuchipudi Dance Centre in New Delhi, where she trains numerous students and produces ballets. An accomplished vocalist, she has released music albums like "Janmabhoomi Meri Pyaari" and introduced audio cassettes and CDs of Kuchipudi music in her own voice. She is also an author, with notable works including "The World of Koochipoodi Dance" and "Vilasini Natyam: Bharatam of Telugu Temple and Court Dancers". Awards & Honours: Padma Bhushan (2003), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1999), Sahitya Kala Parishad Award.