At seven, Kuchipudi is her first love

Looking at the dance performance of seven year old Srikrithi one would easily call her a prodigy.

As this little kid from Hyderabad danced to the tune of “Mutthugari Yashoda” explaining the love of Yashoda and the little Krishna, it appeared as if an experienced Kuchipudi danseuse was performing on the stage in front of a thousand odd audience.

When the children between the age group of 10 and 16 performed dances on the Dr Shivaram Karanth stage as part of Bal Bharath Srujanotsav at Pilikula, it was the performance by Srikirthi that stood a class apart, taking the audience by surprise.

Srikirthi, a second standard student from Genesis International School, Hyderabad, has been learning Kuchipudi for the last two years. She does her performance on stage without even a shred of nervousness. With a smile on her face, she smoothly finishes her performances lip synching for the song played in the backdrop.

Speaking to Deccan Herald after the performance she said she loves dance and she never found it difficult to follow the instructions of her dance teacher Dhanalakshmi. “I have been learning Kuchipudi for the last two years and I attend the class twice in a week. I never miss my dance class,” she says. Srikrithi’s mother Aparajitha said that the girl is so much addicted to dancing that she feels uncomfortable if she is not allowed to go to the dance class. “We enrolled her to the dance class thinking that it would be a recreational activity for her. But seeing her performing on different stages now, we think she would be a professional dancer,” her mother said. She added that Srikrithi’s dance teacher calls the child as a gifted dancer and born talent for she grasps things easily and quickly.

The kid has already performed at national and international programmes including the Brahmotsava programme in USA organised by Tirupati temple committee. Srikrithi is also conferred with Smart Kid of Hyderabad award. A member of Bal Bhavan, this child prodigy is looking forward to achieve greater heights in the field of Kuchipudi.