Kuchipudi convention gets underway, organizers hope for world record

The Second International Kuchipudi Dance convention got underway on Friday with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy inaugurating the event which is jointly organized by California-based Silicon Andhra and the State Government at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).

Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development D Purandareswari and Minister for Tourism Vatti Vasanth Kumar were present at the inaugural ceremony.

The convention is estimated to see about 4,000 delegates from 16 countries participating. According to the organizers, the focus has been on bringing together five generations of dancers, from living legends to students, to promote the classical dance form.

The organizers hope that the convention will inspire the youth to take an interest in the centuries old dance form.  

The convention would see experts presenting their research papers and speaking on various aspects of Kuchipudi during the first two days, while the concluding day events would be held at Gachibowli Stadium.

It is expected that President Pratibha Patil would be among the attendees at the stadium to witness about 2,500 youth performing the 'maha brunda natyam' in the mould of Sidhendra Yogi's dance form. Sidhendra Yogi, the 15th century saint is widely believed to have been the driving force behind the dance form.

Organize expect that the 2,500 performers presenting the 'maha brunda natyam'  would find a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.

About 20 dance troupes and noted artists like Sobha Naidu, Alekhya Punjala, Raja Reddy and Radha Reddy would perform during the convention whose theme is 'Youth is the future of Kuchipudi'.