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Sasikala Penumarthi is one of the most accomplished disciples of Padma Bhushan Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. She has found a unique place as a vigorous and spirited exponent of Kuchipudi dance in the lineage of her guru. The most prestigious award that she has received and cherishes is the imperceptible nod of approval from her great Guru. Her art is an eloquent tribute to the impact of her Guru on her vision and sensibility. Endowed with a rare blend of intuition and intellect, she has evolved over the years an excellent command over the technique.
Sasikala was introduced to Kuchipudi dance dramas as a participant in the
invocation dance of Chandalika by her Guru for the
first time in 1976. Since then she has proven herself adept in the art of dance and drama through both solo and group performances. These performances include dancing as Sri Lakshmi and Padmavathi in
Srinivasa Kalyanam, Satyabhama in Sri Krishna Parijatham,
Chandalika in Chandalika, Dakshayani in Hara Vilasam, Vishwa
Mohini in Ksheera Sagara Madhanam, Ahalya in Ramayanam, and Parvathi
in Ardhanareeswara. Controlled empathy and expression of emotion make her performances especially meaningful.
Sasikala has
toured all over India, the United States in 1982, 1984, 1994, and
1998, USSR in 1987, Europe in 1989 and performed as the leading
artist in many of Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam's ballets. In March
1993, she performed at the prestigious Khajuraho dance festival
following an invitation from the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad.
Setting high standards of accomplishment, she is propagating
Kuchipudi dance through her own performances and teaching
in the United States.
In 1996, Sasikala presented a student scholarship
fundraiser, Rukmini Kalyanam, at the Georgia Tech Theater for
the Arts, Atlanta. This was her second major production
involving herself and her students. She 
presented repeat performances of this dance drama in
Jacksonville, FL, Columbia, SC and Augusta, GA in 1997-98,
Jackson, MS in 2004, Mobil, AL in 2008, Wichita, KS and Corning,
NY in 2009, Atlanta, GA in 2010.
In order to continue the pursuit of artistic excellence and propagate the art of Kuchipudi dance in the United States, in 1997 Sasikala founded the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, a
non-profit organization. Most recently, she received the
Master Artist award from the Georgia Arts Council and the
National Foundation for the Advancement of Arts. Sasikala serves
as an Artist Affiliate at Emory University where she teaches courses in Kuchipudi
to the students of Dance Department and Asian Studies Program,
and works with other faculty in presenting lectures and
demonstrations on Indian dance, religion and culture. Sasikala
also conducted lecture demonstrations on Kuchipudi at Georgia State University, Macon State
College and University of Georgia at Athens. Sasikala organizes
and produces dance ballets involving experts from the field and
her own students with live orchestra. These have included Kirataarjuneeyam in
November 2000, Saptapadi in December 2001, Srinivasa Kalyanam in
January 2003, Sivoham in December 2003, Chandalika in July 2005, Swapna Vijayam in 2007, Andal Kalyanam in 2010, Pasidi Poornamma in 2013, Chinmaya Charitham in 2015, Sri Rama Pattabhishekam in 2017, Chenchitha Parinayam in 2022, Ashtalakshmi Vaibhavam, Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari in 2024 and Abhijnana Sakuntalam in 2025 to name a few. She has trained 45 students to reach the stage of their Rangapravesam (graduation).
Sasikala is on the Georgia Arts Council State Touring and Teaching Roster through which she works with a range of educational and arts organizations
promoting and propagating the Art of Kuchipudi Dance.
