5 Dance Maestros You Must Watch

Dance forms are part of our culture and art. In India, besides being a performance art, it is seen in architecture, as inscriptions, in chronicles, literary sources, sculptures and painting of different periods. Every state or region in India has many dance forms, some folks and some classical.

Bharatanatyam from Tamilnadu, Odissi from Odisha, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Kathakali from Kerala and Kathak from Uttar Pradesh are some of the famous dance forms of India.

We talk about great dance maestros from different dance forms whom you must watch perform.

Pandit Birju Maharaj (Kathak)

The dance maestro who passed away recently started practicing and performing at a very early age. He belonged to the “Kalka-Bindadin” Gharana, Lucknow. He did solo shows at the mere age of seven and received a lot of recognition, performed at many international events and won many awards including Padma Vibhusan and Sahitya Akademi Award. He also choreographed many Bollywood films and is known to have taken Kathak to the global audience and giving the dance form a new identity.

Kelucharan Mohapatra (Odissi)

He is often known as the main architect of the Odissi dance form. He became an inspiration for many dancers of his time because of his dancing, acting and choreography. He started learning at the age of 9 from Guru Mohan Goswami. He researched on Gotipua and Mahari and was also a skilled pattachitra painter, tabla and mridangam player. He was the recipient of Padma Shri, Padma Bhusan, Padma Vibhusan and Sahitya Akademi Award.

U.S. Krishna Rao (Bharatanatyam)

U. S. Krishna Rao was a Bharatnatyam dancer, choreographer, renowned teacher and author of books on dance in English and Kannada. He and his wife Chandrabhaga Devi were often referred to as the eminent dancing couple in the Indian classical dances. He has dedicated all his life to promote and propagate the dance form Bharatanatyam and received the Sahitya Akademi Awards and many others.

Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair (Kathakali)

This veteran Kathakali exponent was conferred Padma Shri in recognition of his contributions. Leaving his studies and home at the age of 14, he became a disciple of famous Kathakali maestro Guru Karunakara Menon. He established the first classical dance school in Kannur, Bharatiya Nritya Kalalayam and dedicated his life to his art. He developed his own improvisations and charmed the audience with his mudras and grace.

Vempati Chinna Satyam (Kuchipudi)

He belonged to the family of Kuchipudi dancers and researched to improvise the dance form of Kuchipudi. He founded the Kuchipudi Art Academy and choreographed many solo items in a very exquisite style and with flowing grace. He extensively toured India showcasing his work which was considered to be an inspiration to many.

Watching these dance maestros perform is gratifying in its own way. They have done much to bring the classical dance forms to the masses.

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