ABOUT THE ARTISTE
Kalpalathika
Disciple of Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, Founder-Director of Kuchipudi Art Academy, Madras.

Kalpalathika hails from an aristocratic, cultured and respected family of Land lords of Sirkali in Thanjavur Dt., the birth Place of Saint Thirugnanasambandar.

She is daughter of Late  S.S  Thiyagaja Mudaliar, founder of Srinivas  Subaraya  Polytechnic in Sirkali  Taluk.

He was also connected with many educational and cultural  institutions. He was charitable by disposition and many  poor and  deserving students owed their  education  to his  munificence and  benevolence.

Their family patronised fine arts  and it is therefore  no wonder that    Kalpalathika coming as she  does from  a noble  and  aristocratic family with great tradition  behind her, is a success in the art of dancing  art of dancing under the able guidance and tutelage of Dr. Vempati Chinna Sathyam.

She made her debut at the Music Academy at Madras. Hon'ble Thiru P.Ramachandran the then  Governor of State of Kerala, Presided over the function. Ever since  she has given  several performances in most  of the cities in India. A few of the highlights of Kalpalathika's career on the international scene would include her performances in the Yuv Utsav festivals held in Delhi and Jaipur. I.S.F.R.C. International Symposium held at Madras, Festival of India held in U.S.S.R in 1987 and 1996, the Festival of theatre and dance held at Netherlands and Belgium, a three month tour of the United States and Canada in 1994. She is the youngest Indian dancer to be invited by an American university as a visiting professor of dance when she served for two semesters at the Richmond University, Virginia in 1999.

Acclaimed not only for the exquisite perfection of her dance, Kalpalathika, one of the prominent exponent of Guru Vempati Chinna Sathyam is also hailed as a creative artist, who brings to every one of her items a depth, intensity and naturalness, which makes her not only a paragon among dancers but the essence of Dance itself. Portraying powerful lead roles of Sathyabhama, Rukmini, Padmavathi, Mahalakshmi, Parvathi, Dakshayani and Seetha on prestigious festivals to an international audience, Kalpalathika has won the acclaim and applause of critics and connoisseurs all over India and abroad.


She is an active participant in most of her Guru's Dance Ballets. Her  performance had been very widely acclaimed and commendably  reviewed by many art critics.

Her flowing movements and grace on stage is unique and distinctly her own and has been described as "An effortless synchronisation of apparent contradictions: linearity and lyricism, symmetry and sinuosity, precision and poetry". Kalpalathika proved to be a dedicated disciple of Vempati and her essays in expressing satvika abhinaya may help her to blossom fully "Sometimes a single swallow can announce a summer".


Achievements of Kalpalathika over a span of eighteen years :

Accompanied  her Guru  to the Festival of India held in Russia in 1989.

Performed in the Festival of india held in germany, 1991 playing the lead roles in his ballets.

Has been awarded the 'BEST DANCER AWARD' in the Kuchipudi style of Dance by the  prestigious Krishna  Gana Sabha, Madras, in 1993.

Has performed at the  kuchipudi  mahotsav'93 and  yet again in 1996 playing the lead  role  in Rukmini  Kalyanam as well as a  solo  performance  and as the  main dancer assisting her Guru in the  lecture  demonstration session.

A marathon four month tour of the United States and Canada giving 58 performances in 57 cities  in 1994.

Toured Russia  again  in 1995, performing  in the RITUSAMHAR with senior dancer from other styles of dance, sponsored  by the  ICCR.

Performed and part took at the lecture demonstrations at the  Nrityotsava held by the Sangeet  Natak Academy, Delhi, in 1995.

Performed  in the first  World  Music  Theatre Festival held in the  Netherlands and Belgium in 1996.

Toured  Dubai and Kuwait with her guru  and  had the honour of performing before  Mr. B. M. C Nayar, the Ambassador of India, Kuwait in 1997.

Danced at the prestigious Swarna Samaroh commemorating with the 50th independent  year  of India  at delhi in 1997.

Has performed at the  I.S.F.R.C. International symposium held at Madras.

Has performed in the Yuva Utsavs held at Delhi and Jaipur.

Has been widely acclaimed for portraying the roles of Padmavati in Srinivasa Kalyanam, the Powerful  Dakshayani and Parvati in Hara vilasam, the devoted Rukmini in  Rukmini Kalyanam , the proud and unrelenting Sathyabhama in Parijatham and as Seetha in Ramayanam (Siva dhanur Bhangam).

Has been selected by the  I.C.C.R. for the  reference panel of artists to be  sponsored  by them  for Government and international Festivals aboard.

A recipient of the Iyal Isai  Nataka  Mandram scholarship for Nattuvangam besides holding a Masters Degree in English  Literature, a diploma  in Computer integrated Management course, Certification in Oracle Financials and Diploma in Web Administration.

The Director of SAUNDARYALAHARI SCHOOL OF DANCE at Chennai.
Kalpalathika was invited by the University of Richmond to teach dance theory and practicals for two semesters by the Department of International Education and the Department of Theatre and Dance. She gave several guest lectures on the cultural and religious aspects of India in addition to lecture demonstrations and performances in the university campus. She taught a three credit course to the students on Kuchipudi dance in theory and practice and Hinduism and its allied arts.