Uma Rama Rao

🪔 About

K. Uma Rama Rao (born Uma Maheswari on July 4, 1938, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh) was a renowned Indian Kuchipudi dancer, choreographer, academician, research scholar, author, and teacher. She passed away on August 27, 2016, in Hyderabad. Her early dance training began at age five, initially in Bharatanatyam under Guru Prahlada Sarma, and later mastering Kuchipudi under esteemed gurus such as Vedantam Prahlada Sarma, C.R. Acharyulu, Nataraja Ramakrishna, Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastri, Guru Pakkiriswami Pillai, and P.V. Narasimha Rao. Uma Rama Rao had a distinguished career as a performer, gaining recognition for her expressive and technically proficient performances across India and internationally. Beyond performing, she was a dedicated educator, serving as a senior lecturer in Dance at Sri Thyagaraja Government College of Music and Dance in Hyderabad from 1969 to 1988. Subsequently, she became an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Dance at Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad, where she was instrumental in introducing B.A. and M.A. degrees in Kuchipudi dance, giving it a new academic status. In 1985, she founded the Lasya Priya Dance Academy in Hyderabad, which became a significant institution for training dancers in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, offering both theoretical and practical aspects of the art forms. Through Lasya Priya, she trained numerous students, preserving the traditional essence of Kuchipudi. A dedicated scholar, she earned a Ph.D. with a gold medal from Telugu University in 1994 for her thesis on the 'Yakshagana Prabandhas of King Shahaji II'. She authored "Kuchipudi Bharatam Or Kuchipudi Dance: South Indian Classical Dance Tradition" and numerous articles, contributing significantly to the documentation and preservation of Kuchipudi. Her choreographic works included solo items, dance features, dance dramas, and traditional Yakshaganas, showcasing her innovative spirit while adhering to traditional structures. She is widely regarded as a pioneering figure and a Guru for Kuchipudi. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2003), National Senior Fellowship from Department of Culture, Government of India, Kala Neerajanam, Sri Kala Poorna, Pratibha Puraskar, Best Teacher Award from Government of Andhra Pradesh, PhD with Gold Medal (1994).