ABOUT KUCHIPUDI WITH ASWATHI
WHAT IS KUCHIPUDI?
Kuchipudi is one of the eight major classical dance styles of India, originating from the state of Andhra Pradesh. This dance-drama art form dates back to the 10th century and is based on the Natya Shastra, the oldest surviving text in the world on dance and drama.
Kuchipudi combines fast, intricate footwork, expressive gestures, and graceful movements to tell stories, often drawn from historical or cultural themes. Like ballet, Kuchipudi places a strong emphasis on precision and technique, with dancers conveying emotion and narrative through their movements and facial expressions.
Today, Kuchipudi is recognized and appreciated worldwide for its beauty, skill, and cultural significance, continuing to enrich the global performing arts scene.
ABOUT ASWATHI
Aswathi Arun Konkoth (formerly Aswathi Kunnath) started her training in Kuchipudi at the age of six in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Since 1994, she has been under the guidance of her guru Smt. Lakshmi Babu of Kuchipudi Dance Academy (KDA) who is a direct disciple of legendary guru Padmashri Dr. Sobha Naidu.
Aswathi completed her solo debut performance at Guruvayur Temple in Kerala, India in 2001 and has been a part of many dance tours all across the East Coast as well as parts of Kerala, India. For numerous years, Aswathi performed competitively through organizations such as AIA (The Association of Indians in America) and IDEA (The Indian Dance Educators Association). In 2004, she was cast as Srinivas/Venkateshwara, the lead role in the dance drama Kalyana Sreenivasa, conducted by her guru Smt. Lakshmi Babu and students of Kuchipudi Dance Academy.
Other notable performances include those at the Asianet Festival in Trivandrum, Kerala, the 26th InterFaith Concert at the Washington National Cathedral, the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, and at the National Geographic Bee in 2012 hosted by Alex Trebek. In 2023, Aswathi performed alongside her guru and artists of KDA at the All-Indian Dance Festival, held on the world-renowned Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
In 2011, she co-founded an introductory dance program, Little Bells at KDA, for children between the ages of 3-5 in which her students performed at cultural events in the DC Metropolitan area. During the global pandemic, Aswathi has been able to continue dance instruction virtually with students of Kuchipudi Dance Academy and continue her own training working with artists internationally through socially impactful virtual learning initiatives established by her guru.
Aswathi is currently pursuing her master's degree in Kuchipudi from the University of Silicon Andhra (UofSA). With two daughters of her own, Aswathi has further prioritized her desire to continue promoting the arts and teaching Kuchipudi to the next generation of students in New York.
Photo credit: Priyanca Rao Photography