We are delighted to share the outstanding achievements of our students at the National Art Talent Search 2026 and the 22nd Cultural Forum of Performing Arts, organized by Akhil Bharatiya Sanskrutik Sangh, Pune.
These prestigious national-level competitions brought together talented young artists from across India, providing a platform to showcase excellence in classical performing arts.

​Our talented student Nidhi Mendon achieved remarkable success in the Senior Classical Kuchipudi Category (15–19 years) during the 2nd Season of the competition, held from May 25–27, 2026.
Receiving the prestigious Chairman Award is a testament to Nidhi’s dedication, discipline, and passion for the art of Kuchipudi.

​Adding to the academy’s proud achievements, Trisha Kotian won the First Award in Solo Classical Kuchipudi (Junior Category, 9–14 years) during the 3rd Season of the National Art Talent Search, held from May 29–31, 2026.
Her performance reflected not only technical excellence but also the grace, expression, and confidence that are hallmarks of a dedicated Kuchipudi dancer.

​We are equally proud to celebrate Nidhi Mendon and Revathi Nair for securing the Second Award in Duet Classical Kuchipudi (Senior Category) at the National Art Talent Search 2026.
Their performance showcased exceptional coordination, artistry, rhythm, and expression, reflecting the beauty and elegance of Kuchipudi as a duet form. Achieving recognition at a national-level competition is a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to their hard work, dedication, and countless hours of practice.
Congratulations to Nidhi and Revathi on this wonderful achievement. We wish them continued success in their artistic journey.

​These accomplishments would not have been possible without the unwavering guidance, dedication, and encouragement of our esteemed teachers.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Guru Smt. Vijaya Prasad, Guru Suchitra Doke, Guru Deepti Nair, and Guru Sangeeta Naik for their constant support, patience, and commitment to nurturing every student’s artistic journey.

​At Kuchipudi Dance Academy, we are immensely proud of Nidhi and Trisha for representing the academy with distinction on a national stage. Their achievements inspire fellow students to pursue excellence while preserving and promoting the rich heritage of Indian classical dance.
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Congratulations to Nidhi, Revathi, Trisha, and all our dedicated teachers on this wonderful accomplishment. We look forward to many more milestones in the years ahead.

In a heartfelt celebration of cultural excellence, the Telugu Fine Arts Society (TFAS) of New Jersey honored renowned Kuchipudi exponent Guru Smt. Vijaya Prasad during their Annual Diwali Cultural Event held on September 20, 2025. The event brought together members of the Telugu community from across the region, continuing TFAS’s long-standing mission of promoting Telugu culture, arts, and traditions among families in the United States.

TFAS, known for organizing major Telugu festival celebrations including Sankranti, Ugadi, and Diwali, serves as a cultural anchor for Telugu-speaking families in New Jersey. Its programs aim not only to preserve heritage but also to instill cultural, social, and literary awareness among children growing up in the U.S.

This year’s Diwali festivities were marked by a special moment as TFAS invited Guru Smt. Vijaya Prasad to honor her remarkable contributions to Kuchipudi and her impactful efforts in promoting the classical dance form across Maharashtra. Her dedication to nurturing young dancers and sustaining the traditional legacy of Kuchipudi was widely praised by the attendees.

In recognition of her achievements, the TFAS leadership--President Shri Madhu Anna, Vice President Shri Prasad Vootukuru, and Secretary Shri Venkata Satya Tata—presented Guru Vijaya Prasad with a shawl and a commemorative plaque. The gesture symbolized the community’s deep appreciation for her artistic excellence and service to the cultural landscape.
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The evening concluded with vibrant cultural performances and celebrations, enriching the spirit of Diwali and reinforcing the shared cultural identity among Telugu families in the U.S. The felicitation of Guru Vijaya Prasad added a distinguished highlight to an already memorable event.

When I established Kuchipudi Dance Academy in 1981, it was the first registered Kuchipudi dance school in Maharashtra. I didn’t want it to be just like any other dance school of that time. I established my academy with the goal to teach Kuchipudi in Guru Shishya Paramapara style.

Guru Shishya Paramapara is the tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring where teachings are transmitted from a guru (teacher) to a shishya (disciple) and it is imparted through the developing relationship between the guru and the disciple. It is considered that this relationship, based on the genuineness of the guru, and the respect, commitment, devotion, and obedience of the student, is the best way for subtle or advanced knowledge to be conveyed. The student eventually masters the knowledge that the guru embodies.
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In my teachings, I try to inculcate the four qualities of Devotion, Dedication, Discipline, and Determination into all my disciples — the 4 Ds. These 4 Ds are very difficult to practice, but when you make them part of your life you will experience their life-changing power. In this article, I’ll try to explain the meaning of these simple words through my life experiences.

Devotion is often described as intense love or commitment to something or someone. It could be devotion towards dance, God, or guru. I believe this feeling of devotion is gained due to samskaras — good upbringing, culture, value system the person is brought up in. When disciples have such devotion towards the guru, they experience a level of unparalleled happiness when they perform.
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When children first start learning dance, for them it’s just another class; they are simply following the instructions of their guru. But as time progresses, the love and dedication of the guru start to slowly transform the students — they themselves start experiencing happiness when performing. And when a dance is performed with such devotion, even the audiences can feel it and they too will be elevated to a higher plane of happiness.

When I teach my students, I carefully observe their smallest gestures, their eye movements, facial expressions; I pour my heart and soul into each of them and when they perform on the stage, I see myself in their performance and experience the same bliss and happiness. The devotion with which I impart all my knowledge to the disciples and the devotion with the disciples accept my teachings is the foundation for the true relationship between a guru and shishya. This feeling cannot be expressed in words and can only be experienced.

Discipline is a very critical quality to possess to be successful in life. Discipline builds character, brings stability and structure into a person’s life. Like a muscle, discipline can be trained. The more you work on your discipline the stronger it becomes. Parents are the first guru for their children, so it is their responsibility to imbibe self-discipline to their kids from the very beginning — waking up at a set time, exercising, doing pooja, and then starting your daily activities.

I started learning dance at a very young age. My guru would come to our house at 6 am to teach. My mother used to wake me and my cousin Maruthi, who was also learning Kuchipudi with me, at 5.00 am every day. Like any small child, we hated waking up this early. My mother never shouted at us, instead, she would bribe us with a promise of buying good things. After bathing us, mother would do pooja and made us ready for dance practice. This was our daily routine for a long time and when we grew older it became second nature to us. This discipline was instilled in me at a very early age and it became part of my DNA. This helped me excel in sports — for 3 years I was the captain of my college team, winning many inter-collegiate games and also participated at the national level.
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Let me share another example — I am a stickler for time punctuality. I never used to allow students to step into the class if they were even a minute late. One day, a student turned up very late to the class and I told her she couldn’t enter the class. I later learned from other students that she spent the whole hour in a restaurant killing time. The next day I was very stern with her. I explained to her why what she did was wrong — her parents were under the impression that she was learning dance, but instead, she was in a restaurant. I told her that she should’ve been truthful and gone back home so that her parents were aware of the reason. She was never late to the class again. Many years later, the said student wrote about this incident in her college magazine and showed it to me. She shared how she took this lesson of time punctuality to heart and made it part of her everyday life.

Determination is a great motivating force. It motivates you to dream bigger and achieve higher. It inspires you and keeps you moving even when faced with adversities. Determination pushes you to display your ultimate potential. It makes you believe in yourself and your dreams. It makes you stand a little firmer.

Everyone faces adversities in life. When I lost a game in competitive sports, I would be dejected for a while, but always determined to win the next time. In the early days of the Academy we faced lots of challenges, we did not have a place to practice, nor funds to record music, etc. But time and again my determination to establish an institute to teach Kuchipudi dance helped me overcome such hurdles. As the saying goes “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.

Dedication is surrendering your all in pursuit of achieving or perfecting something. One of the more important lessons learned through dance is dedication. The precision, skill, and hard work required to be successful is what sets dance apart. To most, it may prove to be too complex to learn and they give up. So in order to succeed in the art of dance, you must first master the art of dedication.
The other meaning of dedication is offering a tribute to the guru. The student learns everything a guru has to offer and in return performs in front of the guru is the ultimate dedication.

​I love my students as my own children and in return, I get their love tenfold. I did not start the academy with a conscious decision to impart these 4 Ds, instead, it happened organically. My students are all grown up, some are married, some have kids of their own, they commute by local train to work, but even with all the stresses of day-to-day life, they find time to practice and teach dance. They even make time for rehearsals on weekends for important performances. My students often share with me how the 4-Ds brought positive changes into their personal and professional lives.

Devotion to guru and dance, the discipline to practice, the determination to face hurdles, and dedication to art is what I see in my students and it is their source of power and strength.

Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu

It has been Guru Smt Vijaya Prasad's life long dream to get an affiliation for Kuchipudi Dance Academy from a major university. A diploma/degree from a university will allow the students to pursue a career in dance. After decades of struggle her dream has finally come to fruition.

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Kuchipudi Dance Academy in collaboration with Yashwantrao Chavan Open University will start offering a Certificate and Diploma Program in Kuchipudi starting in 2020. Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Dr. E Vayunandan, Vice Chancellor YCMOU, for granting us this opportunity! We are grateful to the Vice Chancellor for recognizing the work that Guru Vijaya Prasad has been doing in the last 3 decades to popularise Kuchipudi in Maharashtra. The Vice Chancellor made this announcement at Kuchipudi Dance Academy's 32nd Annual Gathering via an audio message.

We would not have achieved this important milestone without the invaluable support from Shri BVH Prasad, Shri Kishore Malladi and senior students of the Academy. 

Kuchipudi Dance Academy is finalizing the syllabus for the Degree and Diploma courses and we will publish the details on the web site when ready. ​