Interview with Raveendra Reddy Traditional Indian Dancer

I am CH. Raveendra Reddy, my father’s name is CH. Venkataramana Reddy. My hobbies are dancing and reading.

How did you get interested in dancing?

I get interested in dance by my mother, she encouraged me a lot, and I started my dance in 2003 on march 12.

What  inspired you to start?

This is Indian traditional dance which is never seen all over the world, this fact is inspired me in start.

Introduce this style of dance, share infos about its history.

The style of dance is fully based on the body and position of foot and mainly stiffness of the body. There are so many rules and regulations in this classical dance the dance fully go on to explain the story of all gods in Indian history.  I can do two different dansec, one is "BAHRATANATYAM" and another one is "KUCHIPUDI" these both are comes under Indian classical dances.

Who have you worked with?

I worked with dance Prof.A.Prasada Rao in fact he is my dance master from my childhood.

How do you see people like this kind of programs?

All Indians who know about the Indian ancient history they know the meaning of this dances so that people like this kind of dances.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to become a good "classical Dancer".i done 8 programs till now and i got 1st prize in program name called "Ganapati Kowtam" which says whole story of Ganesha.

I have 5 more dance shows in this year.

Found me on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003382033512

My dancing:

MY KUCHIPUDI PERFORMANCE WHEN I AM 11 YEARS OLD

One of the most popular item in "Kuchipudi" dance and done by popular dancers from my state called "ANDHRA PRADESH" one of the state in INDIA:

ABOUT "BHARATANATYAM" DANCE WHICH IS DONE IN STATE OF INDIA CALLED "TAMILNADU" ♥

I would like to give a brief history on how the beautiful dance form came into existence. This classical dance form originated from the state of Tamil Nadu. It has its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram located near Pondicherry (now Puducherry). Bharatanatyam, as the name depicts is the combination of:
BHA- Bhava (Expression), RA- Raga (Music) and TA- Tala (Rhythm)
Traditionally the dance was performed by Devadasis (community of temple dancers) in the ancient temples. The Devadasis were women who dedicated their lives to serving the temple deity as dancers and musicians and their performances were an inherent part of the elaborate temple and court rituals.
Somewhere around the 1930’s some surviving Devadasis such as the legendary Balasaraswati were called for stage performances by the elite educated Class. Thus Rukmini Devi was the first ever educated elite to learn this dance form under the guidance of Balasaraswati.
The present form of Bharatanatyam as we know it today has been codified and documented by four brothers Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Vadivelu and Sivanandam in the early 19th century. They are also famously known as the Tanjore Quartret. Their dance compositions form the bulk of the Bharatanatyam practiced today.
Today this is one of the popularly practiced dance forms in India. I feel that if any body is interested in the art of dance, one must actually give a thought to learning any of the classical dance forms of India. Such dances are more of DEVOTION, WORSHIP, DISCIPLINE, is SOFT and sometimes even BLISS. It is more introvert than extrovert. The younger generation of today is being continuously exposed to the hip hop by the media. I feel more exposure to classical dance forms would help them understand the very essence of DANCE.

ABOUT "KUCHIPUDI" DANCE WHICH IS DONE IN STATE OF INDIA CALLED "ANDHRAPRADESH" ♥

Kuchipudi is one such unique form of Art which is the tasteful blend of grace and vigour, elevation and sensuality, of control and abandon. With its roots buried in the soil of Andhra Pradesh in India, Kuchipudi was born in a remote Village from which it derived its name. In the early days, the Kuchipudi style of dance was in the form of dance dramas, the main purpose being to inculcate divine ecstasy which invokes immortal bliss and brings one closer to the path of salvation .It is strictly classical in nature incorporating Lasya, Thandava and Abinaya in the interpretation of Slokas. It incorporates Samyutha and Asamyutha Hasthas, Karana, Chari, Angahara, Mandala, Nrutha Hasthas etc. All mentioned in the NatyaSasthra. Kuchipudi dance is the only dance form where all the four Abhinayas (Angika, Vachika, Aaharya and Satvica) are given equal importance. The use of Vachikabhinayam is a special feature in the Kuchipudi dance style. The Dancer not only merely dances but also acts with gestures as well as words. It takes atleast ten years for an ordinary dancer to master this art and be able to express Bhava through eyes and Rhythm through foot work.

There were two parallel schools of dance, Nattuva Mela and Natya Mela. Nattuva Mela developed into Bharathanatyam (performing solo items) and Natya Mela into the Kuchipudi dance in dance drama style. Nattuva mela is basically solo dance performed by women and the nattuvangam is generally done by men. The repertoire of this style of dance consists of both erotic and devotional items, Sringara and Bhakti. This is the form of dance that both the temple dancers and the court dancers used to perform, with God or king as the hero, as the case may be. The second style of dance is Natya mela which is generally performed by both men and women. Their repertoire consists of dance dramas with themes, not necessarily religious, to entertain the audience. This later form of dance is believed to be the forerunner of the present day Kuchipudi dance.