Grand old man of Kuchipudi dead

CHENNAI: Dance maestro Vempatti China Satyam, who was synonymous with the Kuchipudi art form, died at his residence on Sunday. He was 82. China Satyam “passed away due to age-related ailments,” his family members said.
China Satyam, a Padma Bhushan awardee, is credited with refining Kuchipudi from a rustic folk art to a globally recognized art form.“All his life China Satyam strove hard to popularise the dance form across the world. He was filled with a strong desire to carry Kuchipudi out of the confines of the traditional village and bring it to the world platform,” said Union minister of state for Human Resources Development Daggubati Purandeswari, one of his disciples. She learnt Kuchipudi from China Satyam after he founded the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai in 1963.
“Kuchipudi, for long, was mired in Telugu language and the Krishna cult,” said director of Saila Sudha Dance Academy for Kuchipudi and his disciple for 16 years, Sailaja. “He experimented with different composers and various languages and taught us to perform for a global audience.”
Born in Kuchipudi village in Krishna district in 1929, China Satyam hailed from one of the 15 traditional Brahmin families whose profession was dance. In his lifetime, China Satyam trained 10,000 students and peformed in 60 countries across the globe. He also features in the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the most number of dance programmes in the world.
Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, yesteryear superstar Vyjayanthimala Bali, actors Hema Malini, Rekha and danseuse Shobha Naidu, Manju Bhargavi, Jamini Krishnamurti were among his disciples.