Dance Recital By Madhavapeddi Murthy

He's the teacher of Meenakshi Seshadri, Bhanu Priya and Indraja, and he is himself performing today. The dance festival at the Thyagaraja Gana Sabha just keeps getting better and better!

The 4th day of Kinnera Art Theater's month-long dance festival as part of its 28th anniversary celebrations will see a renowned dancer, Madhavapeddi Murthy, performing Kuchipudi today. Murthy is the son of yesteryears' renowned singer Madhavapeddi Satyam, of Vivaha Bhojanambu fame - there cannot be a Telugu who is unaware of this classic from Maya Bazaar.

The legendary singer's son chose to walk a different path - dance. He studied Kuchipudi from Vempati Chinna Satyam, considered the greatest exponent of the art form. His close association with Kuchipudi has taken him across the world, but he likes to identify himself with Guntur. while he was born and brought up in Chennai, he is very fond of his ancestral native village of Brahmana Kodu.

Murthy's role as one of the classical dancers in Viswanath's recent film Swarabhishekam has brought him into the limelight. A globe-trotting performer, he has enthralled people of over three dozen places abroad, including those in some exotic places like Frejuis and Auxerre in France, Kagamino and Mimasaka in Japan and Petermaritzburg in South Africa. He has also performed in several dance ballets with the gorgeous Hema Malini, on stage and also for the small screen. He has given more than 150 performances with Hema Malini, and was part of her dance-based television serial Noopur.

As a disciple and later as a dancer, Murthy has had the privilege of spending over 20 years of fruitful association with Vempati Chinna Satyam's Kuchipudi Art Academy, Chennai. His portrayals of Lord Siva and Narada in Srinivasa Kalyanam, Sisupala in Rukmini Kalyanam, and Ananda - the Buddhist monk - in Chandalika, have won him laurels.

He cherishes the moments when he performed at the 70th birthday celebration of Satya Sai Baba at Puttaparti, at Kanchi for the Paracharya's centenary celebrations, and at the Brahmotsavams of several important temples. An opportunity to perform before the sitar legend, Pandit Ravi Shankar, was another achievement.

To satisfy his urge to promote fine arts, he set up Siva Foundation in Chennai. Meenakshi Seshadri, and Telugu film actresses Indraja, Jayalalitha, Bhanupriya, Sripriya, Eswari Rao and Ravali, learnt the art of perfecting their bhavas and bhangimas from Murthy.

Madhavapeddi Murthy and the students from his troupe "Siva Foundation" will present a Kuchipudi dance recital to the audience. Please contact M Raghuram / Usha Gayatri of Kinnera Art Theater on 2742-6666/2742-5577 for further details.