Sunanda Devi

🪔 About

B.S. Sunanda Devi is a distinguished Indian classical dancer, guru, and choreographer, renowned for her significant contributions to Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. Her initial training in Bharatanatyam was under the tutelage of Raman Pillai and Narayan Pillai, while simultaneously learning the veena. Enchanted by a Kuchipudi performance, she embarked on a rigorous gurukul-style training in Kuchipudi for eight years under the esteemed Padmabhushan Nataraja Ramakrishna in Hyderabad. Further honing her skills, she learned abhinaya from Jeevarathnamma, Bobbili's Asthana Narthaki, and received instruction from Vedantam Prahlada Sarma. Notably, she mastered the challenging Bhama Kalapam from the legendary Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, famed for his Sathyabhama role. Sunanda Devi was also trained in Andhra Natyam and the principles of choreography and ballet production, receiving a holistic education in dance. In 1964, Sunanda Devi made history with her Kuchipudi Rangapravesham in Bangalore, marking the first such debut in Karnataka. As one of the earliest female Kuchipudi dancers, she bravely entered what was traditionally a male bastion, playing a pivotal role in establishing the dance form in Karnataka. Over four decades, she has given hundreds of performances globally, conducted lec-dems, and presented TV programs. A highlight of her performing career includes a memorable performance at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan before dignitaries such as Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi. Sunanda Devi is the founder and director of Chaya Nrithya Niketan, a prominent dance school in Bangalore, where she has dedicated herself to training legions of students. Her commitment to nurturing new talent is evident in her statement that her greatest satisfaction comes from grooming good dancers. She is also actively planning a gurukul for Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and folk-dance. Her proficiency extends to nattuvangam, classical music, and stage production, complemented by her polyglot skills in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, English, Malayalam, and Hindi. She was also part of the first team in Karnataka to produce a government-approved book on Kuchipudi for various academic levels. Her contributions have been recognized with several accolades, including the Karnataka Kalashree, the Aryabhatta award with the Natyashantala title, the Rajyotsava award, and the prestigious Shantala Award from the Karnataka government for 2021-2022. Awards & Honours: Karnataka Kalashree, Aryabhatta award, Natyashantala title, Rajyotsava award, Shantala Award (2021).