Suryanarayana Moorthy J

🪔 About

J. Suryanarayana Murthy, born on July 7, 1966, in Kuchipudi Village, Andhra Pradesh, hails from a Parampara Bhagavathulu family, a lineage of traditional dancers and teachers. He is recognized as a seventh-generation dancer-teacher from one of the original 15 Bhagavatulu families of Kuchipudi. His early exposure to dance began with Kuchipudi, influenced by his father, J. Krishnamurti, a mridangam accompanist to the renowned Vedantam Satyanarayana Sharma. Murthy's extensive training in Bharatanatyam includes a 1st Class Diploma and Post Graduation Diploma from Kalakshetra, where he studied from 1982. He further honed his skills under the Dhananjayans at Bharatha Kalanjali from 1985 to 1991, where he also took on teaching responsibilities for evening classes. From 1987 to 1995, he trained with Dr. R. Nagaswamy and was a recipient of an MHRD Fellowship. His academic pursuits also include a Sangeeth Vidwan from Tamilnadu Govt Music College (1993-1996), a "Distinction" and rank in Sanskrit Vichakshna, and a "Distinction" award in Indian Culture exams from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. His arangetram took place on July 10, 1988, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. A highly acclaimed artist, he holds a DD 'A' Top Artiste grading. Murthy has performed widely across India and internationally, including in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, USSR, UK, Belgium, Reunion, Ceylon, and Sweden. He has collaborated with eminent artists and participated in significant productions such as Pandit Ravi Shankar's "Ghanashyam" and "Krishnam Vande Jagatgurum." Beyond Bharatanatyam, he is also proficient in Kuchipudi and Kathakali. As a choreographer, he has created numerous solos and dance dramas, including "Appar," "Gana Sambandar," "Arunagiri Nadhar," "Sundaramurthy," "Manimekalai," "Divya Prabandam," and "Hanuman Chalisa." He founded his own dance institution, "BHARATA KSHETRA," in Chennai. In 1999, he rejoined Kalakshetra to complete his diploma and subsequently became a teacher there. He has also served as an ICCR Panel Member in 2000 and is a Life Member and Theory Teacher for Abhai. Awards & Honours: Bharatha Kalarathna, Natya Kalarathna, Best Male Dancer, Yuva Kalabharathi, Natya Purna, Kalaimamani, Sanskrit Vichakshna "Distinction" and Rank Holder, Distinction award in Indian Culture exams.