Veteran dancer Rathna Kumar marks 75 years in dance, calls for preserving Kuchipudi’s grace

Known affectionately as ‘Rathna Papa’ when she first entered a dance classroom as a child, veteran danseuse Rathna Kumar is completing 75 years in dance this year.

Yet for Rathna, a lifetime devoted to Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi has not led to a sense of finality. “You never master dance,” she says. “You remain a student all your life.”

Rathna began her training in Bharatanatyam under K.J. Sarasa, who accepted her as her very first student. She later transitioned to Kuchipudi, first under Vempati Pedda Satyam and then under the legendary Vempati Chinna Satyam, with whom she rebuilt her technique from the ground up. Studies in Kathak, Mohiniyattam and Odissi further shaped her understanding of movement. An early encounter with dancer Ram Gopal, who urged her to devote herself entirely to Kuchipudi, foreshadowed the path her career would take. Looking back, she believes dancers should first establish a firm grounding in one tradition before exploring another.

Reflecting on the evolution of Kuchipudi, Rathna says the form has gradually lost much of the grace and fluidity that defined the style taught by her guru. She laments that performances today often prioritise speed, sharp lines and athletic precision over seamless movement.

Rathna credits Vempati Chinna Satyam with refining Kuchipudi for the female body without altering its essential vocabulary, insisting instead on elegance and restraint. For her, preserving Kuchipudi’s distinctive identity matters more than adapting to changing aesthetic trends — a belief she carries forward even after 75 years on stage.