Vempati Ravi Shankar

🪔 About

Born in Chennai (then Madras) on October 11, 1969, Vempati Ravi Shankar was the fifth and youngest child of the legendary Kuchipudi Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam and Swarajyalakshmi Vempati. He initially began his dance training secretly under Smt. Bala Kondala Rao, a senior disciple of his father. Later, he received intensive training directly from his father, Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, for over ten years. An accomplished musician, he was also a disciple of Carnatic vocal music legend Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna. Vempati Ravi Shankar emerged as a versatile artist, performing as a soloist at numerous national and international festivals, including Khajuraho, Konark, Avignon, Euro Festival, and the Kennedy Centre. He accompanied his father on extensive international tours across the USA, Russia, Canada, Europe, and Gulf countries. From 1994 to 2004, he played leading male roles in most of his father's productions, notably Shiva in 'Haravilasam' and 'Ardhanareeswaram', Rama in 'Ramayanam', and Arjuna in 'Kirata Arjuneeyam'. Recognized for the fluidity and grace of his movements, Vempati Ravi Shankar was also a prolific choreographer, composer, and writer. He choreographed over 100 solo items, three major dance dramas—'Navadurga', 'Ramana Katha', and 'Sri Leela Ganapathy'—and three thematic productions. He composed music for numerous keerthanas, javalis, and thillanas, often writing his own lyrics. From 1995, he conducted workshops globally, propagating the Kuchipudi art form. He founded the "Sri Vempati Ravi Shankar School of Kuchipudi" and taught at the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai from 1991. He passed away on January 23, 2018, in Hyderabad at the age of 48, due to a kidney ailment. Awards & Honours: Kala Ratna, Natyakala Surya, Siddhendra Puraskar, Best male dancer.