Vempati Chinna Satyam
Vempati Chinna Satyam (15 October 1929 – 29 July 2012) was an Indian dancer and a guru of the Kuchipudi dance form. Chinna Satyam was born in a brahmin family at Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh. He was taught by Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry. He then refined his art by learning from Sri Tadepally Perrayya Sastry and later was trained by his elder brother Sri Vempati Pedda Satyam in expressions. As he learnt the nuances of this style of dance, he was successful in propagating the Kuchipudi dance form all over the world. He died of old age related problems at the age of 83 on 29 July 2012. Dance Chinna Satyam sublimated and systematised Indian Kuchipudi dance, giving it a more classical basis. He refined the art form, bringing it closer to the standards of Natya Shastra and gave it a whole new perspective and introduced new elements, e.g. chari (leg movements) of Natya Shastra that are significantly different from the interpretations of other dance authorities, such as Padma Subrahmanyam. Previously, it had been considered a "rustic" (folk) form of dance. Kuchipudi Art Academy Chinna Satyam started the Kuchipudi Art Academy at Madras in 1963. The Academy has to its credit