The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County (CAC) ARTSventures program facilitated an educational performance by traditional Indian folk dancer, Sasikala Penumarthi, on March 15, 2024, at Chapel Hill Middle School. Students were introduced to Sasikala’s mesmerizing performance of ancient Indian stories, told through sound and movement as they have been for thousands of years.
Sasikala performed “Kuchipudi,” a classical South Indian dance form known for its graceful, fluid movements and for its strong narrative and dramatic elements. Sasikala trained extensively as a Kuchipudi Artist under the legendary Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. She moved to Atlanta in 1991 and continued her pursuits by teaching her own students while also performing her signature dance dramas. Sasikala established the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance, a non-profit organization in 1997 to propagate this art into the mainstream. She teaches dance at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta in Riverdale, at Emory University, and at her own dance studio in Suwanee, Georgia.
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