Celebrated dancer Aparna Satheesan, an exponent in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, is honored with the prestigious National Nritya Shiromani award for her outstanding performance, extraordinary contribution and excellent service to the promotion, preservation and popularization of the heritage of Indian Performing Arts in the field of Kuchipudi dance across the world.
The award was conferred on the week-long 13th Cuttack Mahotsav, an international festival for Dance and Music in January 2022, by the Utkal Yuva Sanskrutik Sangh, Odisha. Aparna has also showcased a solo Kuchipudi performance at the event in the millennium city on January 4th, where she presented her traditional choreographies in Kuchipudi.
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When asked about receiving the award, Aparna said, “I am extremely honoured and humbled to receive this award, and it is indeed a validation that I am on the right path and there is a lot to be accomplished for me in this journey”.
Aparna is among India’s most dynamic and technically brilliant dancers, an outstanding representative of Kuchipudi dance form. Aparna’s performances are popular all over India and many other countries. Her innovative dance productions are characterized by an impeccable technique that blends geometrical precision with vibrancy.
Her recent Bharatanatyam project AMMA: Journey of a new mother, has already been a successful one and has got several appreciations from the dance community. A software engineer in US is also a recipient of several international and national awards which include Abhinandan Saroja Award 2021 by National Institute of Indian Classical Dance, Bharata Shastra Nritya Praveena by All India Dancer’s Association and the prestigious Natya Shiromani Award by the India Festival USA.
