Vilasini Natyam: Bharatam Of Telugu Temple & Court Dancers - Swapna Sundari's Book Release: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR VILASINI NATYAM: BHARATAM OF...

Vilasini Natyam : Bharatam Of Telugu Temple And Court Dancers, a book composed and written by Padma Bhushan Swapna Sundari, will be released by Sadguru K Sivananda Murthy of Anandvanam (Bheemli) on 28th December at the Chitramayee State Gallery of Arts auditorium. The book presents a comprehensive and cohesive account of the origin, rise, decline and re-emergence of the Telugu temple court performing traditions, illustrated with over 200 photographs. On this occasion, a few of her disciples will present a Vilasini Natyam recital.

Swapnasundari was trained in Kuchipudi under renowned masters Pasumarthi Seetharamaiah and Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her gurus in Bharata Natyam include K N Dakshinamurthy, Adyar K Lakshmanan and B Kalyana Sundaram. She received specialized training in abhinaya from the veteran performer and teacher Kalanidhi Narayanan, who is recognized for her mastery over the histrionic aspect, or the characteristic stylized mime of Indian classical dance.

Swapna's painstaking research into the temple dance traditions indigenous to the region of Andhra Pradesh has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of a nearly defunct dance genre, Vilasini Natyam. She had received guidance in this art from Maddula Lakshminarayana. As the founder-director of the Kuchipudi Dance Centre in New Delhi, she has trained a number of students and produced several ballets.

The Delhi government's Sahitya Kala Parishad Award and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the government of India are among the many honors that have been conferred upon Swapna Sundari for her contribution to arts. She is, perhaps, the youngest dancer who was presented with the national title of Padma Bhushan in recognition of her research into ancient dance forms, and in the revival of the long lost dance art form, Vilasini Natyam.

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