Kuchupudi dance guru Potnuru Vijaya Bharani Shenkar.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Potnuru Vijaya Bharani Shenkar, a third-generation Kuchipudi dance guru, passed away on Monday at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife and son.
Dance artists in Visakhapatnam mourned his loss, as he had trained many in Kuchipudi over decades.
A resident of Peda Waltair, Potnuru Vijaya Bharani Shenkar breathed his last at his son’s house in Yendada.
Vijaya Bharani Shenkar, received prestigious awards like ‘Nrityaka Tapasvi’, ‘Natya Kala Prapurna’ and ‘Kala Ratna’, and was recognised by the Central Sangeetha Natak Academy as a national second generation guru of the Kuchipudi tradition.
His family has been teaching Indian classical arts like ‘Harikatha’, ‘Bharatanatyam’ and ‘Kuchipudi’ for four generations.
In 1962, he went to Chennai and received special training in ‘Kuchipudi’ from the late Vempati Pedda Satyam and Vempati Chinna Satyam.
He established his own dance academy in Visakhapatnam in 1982 and introduced the Vempati Pedda Satyam style.
With nearly six decades of experience, he performed as a national teacher in the country and abroad and was felicitated by the Central Sangeeta Natak Academy in 1997.
His wife and son are also Kuchipudi dance artists.
Published – November 27, 2025 08:23 pm IST
