Colossal loss to Kuchipudi

Renowned dancer Sobha Naidu's demise leaves a void in the world of dance

The world of music and dance woke up to the news of untimely demise of the quintessential Sathyabhama, alias Sobha Naidu. An outstanding disciple of the renowned legendary Guru, master Vempati Chinna Satyam, she brought a new dimension to the Kuchipudi dance form without disturbing the set of rules framed. She relentlessly kept the dance culture alive by choreographing new ballets, fantastic performances, training and workshops.

Extremely impressed by her beautiful and elegant performances, Sobha’s Guru designed a few expressions (haava bhavalu) in Kuchipudi specifically for her. Her classy portrayal of romance with graceful eye and lip movements brought the characters alive on stage.

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“I joined madam’s institute in 1992 and I was hardly 8 years old. She used to encourage each and every child who wanted to learn this wonderful art form. It might be a beginner or a senior, her teaching and dedication to every student would be the same. And she used to strive to bring that perfection in every sishya,” says Ushakiran a disciple of Sobha Naidu, who learnt Kuchipudi for 25 years at her institute in Himayathnagar.

Sobha Naidu’s passion towards dance was such that around two years ago she underwent knee surgery and everybody thought that she would stop dancing, but she proved everyone wrong and performed many programmes graciously as ever. Her last choreography was on coronavirus where she was seen saying she would kill the virus, but fate had a different plan.

Sobha Naidu — a synonym with Kuchipudi, an inspiration to many and an incredible artiste — will be remembered forever. Her sudden demise is a colossal loss to the world of Kuchipudi and leaves thousands across the globe deeply saddened and anguished.

* Sobha Naidu was born in 1956 at Anakapalli in Andhra Pradesh.
* She was awarded the civilian honour of Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001.
* In 1991, she received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
* Prior to that, she was awarded the title of ‘Nritya Choodamani’ by the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha of Madras.
* She also served as the Principal for the 40 year old Kuchipudi Art Academy, Hyderabad, and trained more than 3,000 students from India and abroad.

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