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Kuchipudi Yakshaganam

This website is created to spread awareness amongst art enthusiasts to preserve, protect, propogate and popularize Kuchipudi Yakshaganam – Genre of Kuchipudi.

DHARMA YASHASYA AAYUSHYA HITA BUDDHVIDARDHANAM
LOKOPADESHA JANANA NATYAMETAD BHAVISHYATI
(Natya Sastra)

– It is Dance that will lead to Dharma,
to Success,
to Longevity,
to Welfare,
to enhancement of intellect and
provide good counsell to the world.

 

Kuchipudi Yakshaganam, one of the most acclaimed performing arts of South India can be described as a dance opera with a well defined plot involving several characters who perform to a libretto. It is clearly distinguished by its structure, musical features and presentational format. It is also called Kuchipudi Bhagavatha melam.

The popularity of the same can be seen from several references over the past many centuries right upto the 20th century.

Research points out that the development of Kuchipudi Yakshaganamas a dramatic form known to us had three distinct stages:

  1. ‘Recitational Stage’ – stories narrated by a single person who sang the story in native metres and while narrating enacting the various roles of the character.
  2. ‘Samvada stage’ – the chief narrator became the ‘Sutradhara’ of a two-character play.
  3. ‘Dramatic stage’ – where in more characters acted out a more complex story, the present style of Kuchipudi Yakshaganam.

The commonality of all the stages being the presence of Singing, Narrative and Dramatic elements captivating the audience.

Kuchipudi Yakshaganam is very unique in the sense that it encompasses the whole gamut of bringing out stories from the ancient epics to the audience in a breadth taking performance. Generally it was performed at the centre of a village and importance was given for the area to be warded off any distraction.

In a typical Kuchipudi Yakshaganam performance, characters introduce themselves through their own singing and dialogue rendition. This vocal expression called Vaachikabhinaya is unique and a very integral part of Kuchipudi Yakshaganam performance.

Kuchipudi Yakshaganam dealt with both secular and religious themes. At times contemporary issues were also spontaneously introduced into the play even if the main theme was mythological.

 

Yet another uniqueness of Kuchipudi Yakshaganam is that the traditions have been systematically and skillfully passed on to generation after generation by the traditional families in Kuchipudi village.

The surnames of the traditional families who up to this day are torch bearers of the art form are:

Bhagavatula

Bokka

 

Challa

Chinta

Chitlapati

Darba Hari Josyula

 

Mahakali

 

Nimmagadda

 

Pasumarti

Peddibhatla

Pillala Marri

Polepeddi

Somayajulu

 

Taddepalli

 

Vallabha Josyula

Vempati

Vemu

Vemuri

Vendantam

Venkunti

Yelleswarapu

 

   

 

 
 

 

 

The popular Kuchipudi Yakshaganam which has mesmerized the audiences for a long time are highlighted here:

Daddinnama

Gaya Natakam

Harishchandreeyam

 

Ksheerasagara Martanam Lava Kusa
Markandeeya Charitra

Mohini Basmasura

Mohini Rukmangada

Prahlada Natakam

 

Rama Natakam

 

Sasirekha Parinayam

Sri Krishna

Usha Parinayam Vipranarayana

Virata Vijayam

The need of hour is to preserve, protect and promote Kuchipudi Yakshaganam, to regain the past glory.

 

 

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Comments

  1. morena February 6, 2018

    Namaste
    thank you very much for this site and the information. I live in Italy, I started to study Kuchipudi (Guru Vempati style) 10 years ago and I would like to study the traditional Kuchipudi but it is really difficult to find good teachers and our great teacher Sreelakshmi Govardanan teaches only in India.

    Moraine

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