Sasikala Penumarthi participates in Indian Dance Festival
Sasikala Penumarthi, founder of the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance in Atlanta, was one of only two artists from the United States to participate in the 2006 Siddhendra Yogi Mahotsav in India. At Guru Chinna Satyam's invitation, a number of dancers and dignitaries attended the festival between March 10th and the 16th in Kuchipudi Village, Andhra Pradesh. Penumarthi and Dr. Kamala Rajupet, the other U.S.-based participant, gave their dance performances on the 13th. As part of the activities, training camps were held and bronze statues of the Savants of Kuchipudi were formally installed. Saswati Sen (Kathak), Priti Patel (Manipuri), Bharati Shivaji (Mohiniattam), and the Kuchipudi Art Academy of Chennai gave the other key performances. Dance demonstrations and lectures by scholars on topics such as the "Evolution of Dance" were also on the event-packed agenda. A donation of 100,000 rupees was made to the Mahotsav on behalf of the local Academy of Kuchipudi Dance.
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