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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 great 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 dramas as a participant in the
invocation dance, when her Guru produced Chandalika for the
first time in 1976. Since then she has performed many roles in
solo as well as group items. As Sri Lakshmi and Padmavathi in
Srinivasa Kalyanam, Satyabhama in Sri Krishna Parijatham, as
Chandalika in Chandalika, Dakshayani in Hara Vilasam, Vishwa
Mohini in Ksheera Sagara Madhanam, Ahalya in Ramayanam, Parvathi
in Ardha Nareeswara, she has proven herself adept in the art of
dance and drama.
Unhurried and dignified, controlled empathy animates her grand
style and makes her performances especially meaningful. She has
toured all over India, 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
several promising students in the United States.
In 1993, she took part in several performances of Sri Krishna
Parijatham in this country in the role of Satyabhama. In April
1994, she performed her major production Chandalika, involving
new talent all trained by her. During August to November 1994,
she toured all over the United States and Canada with her Guru
and his troupe for four months to perform Ksheera Sagara
Madhanam, Hara Vilasam and Ramayanam. She toured again with her
Guru in 1998 to perform in Ardha Nareeswara, Sakuntalam, and
Srinivasa Kalyanam.
In 1996, Sasikala presented another 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 and propagate the art into the
mainstream, Sasikala founded the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, a
non-profit organization in 1997. 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 is pursuing
her Academic interests. She teaches credit courses in Kuchipudi
to the students of Dance Department and Asian Studies Program,
and works with the teaching faculty in presenting Lectures and
Demonstrations on Indian Dance, Religion and Culture. Sasikala
also conducted lecture demonstrations on Kuchipudi upon
invitation from the 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. 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 to name a few, performing, promoting and continuously training
the students for graduation.
Sasikala is on the Georgia Arts Council State Touring and Teaching Roster. She works with Arts organizations
associated with Georgia Council for the Arts to promote and
propagate the Art of Kuchipudi Dance.
