Sandhya Sree Athmakuri

🪔 About

Sandhya Sree Athmakuri is an accomplished exponent of two prominent South Indian classical dance forms, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, and is also recognized as an award-winning performer, choreographer, and teacher. She inherited her interest in performing arts from her mother, Smt. Indira Devi, under whom she also received extensive training in Carnatic Classical Music. In Bharatanatyam, Ms. Athmakuri belongs to the esteemed Vazhuvoor school, having trained under eminent gurus of the Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai lineage, including Kum. Padma and 'Kalaimamani' Swamimalai Rajarathnam Pillai. She also briefly studied under Guru Bangalore B. Bhanumathi. For Kuchipudi, she initially trained under Smt. Bala and senior staff at 'Padmabhushan' Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam's Kuchipudi Kalakshetra in Visakhapatnam, later becoming a disciple of Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam himself at the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai. Additionally, she received training in Nattuvangam under Guru Bhagavatula Seetha Rama Sarma at Kalapeetham, Madras. Academically, Sandhya Sree holds a Baccalaureate degree in Law from Andhra University. Ms. Athmakuri has performed extensively both in India and internationally, including at the Festival of India in Germany, the World Theater Opera Fest in the Netherlands, and in the United States and Canada, often performing with her gurus and taking significant roles in their dance productions. She has also conducted lecture-demonstrations and workshops under the auspices of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) and the Central Sangeeta Natak Academy Nrtiya Utsavs in India, and shared her expertise with educational institutions and universities in the United States. She is the founder and director of the "Natya Dharmi Foundation for Performing Arts" in Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA, established in 2006. Through her academy, she trains aspirants in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and has successfully guided over 35 students to perform their Arangetrams/Rangapravesams since 2006. Her school's productions, such as Kumara Sambhavam, Avishkarana, Natya Ragam, Chandalika, Sri Krishna Parijatham, Rithu Raagam, and Kuchipudi Natya Saurabham, have received critical acclaim. Her students have also won awards in prestigious competitions like the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana dance competitions. Ms. Athmakuri also collaborates with other artists and dance styles through 'MAITRII' Detroit, where she has co-curated, co-produced, co-choreographed, and co-directed several productions. Awards & Honours: First Gold Medal, National Scholarship for Kuchipudi, National Award for Choreography in Bharata Natyam, Singaramani, Natya Visharada, Vadlamudi VenkataRathnam Memorial award, Kuchipudi Moukthikam (2018).