Sudheer Rao Dons Mantle Of Shiva With Ease

The Hanumakonda-based Kuchipudi dancer and Guru B Sudheer Rao, who has been bestowed the Telangana state award in the year 2015 and 2017, successfully hosted the three-day National Dance Festival UDVIGNA in December last. According to Sudheer, the Guru Shishya Parampara which was followed by Master Garu, Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, has produced many distinguished dancers. Sudheer, who has established the Satguru Shri Shivananda Nrithyamala, teaches dance to youngsters. Some students across the Telugu speaking states and from the North like Sruthi Sanmay, Madhavi and Himanshi have come and stayed at his place to learn dance. Many of his students have been conferred with Central Scholarships and completed Certificate courses in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. 

“They come and stay for a month or couple of days and learn/perfect some dance items required for ballets,” he says and adds that all students should be disciplined and attain their goals. “If the Guru trains the students to perfection, they will take his name forward. Himanshi still continues to train under him in the Guru-shishya Parampara,” the dance exponent states. One must take note that every year his students win district and state awards. 

“Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam was a doyen, who to protect the art form, housed students at his home and looked after all their needs and produced brilliant masterpiece ballets, which are popular even today and performed by many,” recalls Sudheer Rao. He says that today, the ancient form of Guru-Shishya Parampara may not be followed because there are many opportunities and dance courses too which can be mastered. He says many apart from dancing are following simultaneous career path too. 

Armed with a Diploma in Kuchipudi dance from Warangal Music College, BA in Bharatanatyam and MA in Kuchipudi dance from Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, Sudheer to understand the dance in totality also pursued a Diploma in Music. Sudheer says that if one has to perfect Ang Shudhi, it has to be like Master garu. He says that he has learnt a lot by attending the workshops of Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam and collaborated with dancers like Manju Bhargavi, Deepika Reddy, Vyjayanthi Kashi and late Dr. Sobha Naidu.

The classical dancer was interested in dance right from his childhood. His parents encouraged him to fulfil his dreams and etch his name as a good Kuchipudi artist. All this was possible, thanks to the relentless efforts and blessings of his dance Gurus. Apart from lighting up the stage in Hyderabad, Sudheer Rao has given performances in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Dubai, South Korea, Japan etc. An established nattuvanar for dance and also an excellent teacher, Sudheer has knowledge in all departments of dance. In fact, Sudheer Rao has given his best performance as Satyabhama in a television serial titled Tanashaw Kuchipudi Agrahara Sandarshan. In addition to this, he has been selected as Lord Shiva and successfully performed in the Hindi serial telecast in Doordarshan National Network. He has also essayed the roles of Mahatma, Buddha, Indra, Ramappa, Shiva, Venkateshwara and Krishna.

Recently, the Kuchipudi dancer was part of the Kuchipudi ballet ‘Krishna Rukmini’, presented by Kuchipudi exponent and founder of Deepanjali, Deepika Reddy on the sixth day of Natyolsavam organised by Guru Gopinath Natanagramam in Thiruvananthapuram.