Kuchipudi Dance of Andhra Pradesh is also known as Kuchipudi Kathakali. It is also called Kuchipudi Marathi. Kuchipudi is a type of Kathakali and is considered to be a part of the Kathakali genre of mass entertainment. Although it originated in AP, Kuchipudi has now spread across to other districts in India and has become more popular. It is the dance form that was much recognized and introduced by the then Government of India and gave lot of impetus in AP in the early 1960s. And it was Government plan to make the dance an integral part of the mass entertainment in all places and thereby strike a chord with the people.
This dance form has gone through many changes and there are many versions that have been brought in recent times. Some of the latest versions are the Kathakali Samskar (voyeur), Sarvalam (marionette), Bheema (Manipuri), Tika(Tamil Nadu), and the traditional Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi Marathi. The main thing about Kuchipudi is that it has been divided into various groups which include the Marathi troupe and the Andhra Pradesh troupe and the traditional group of Kathakali groups. It has been given a generic name of Kathakali and there are different groups and subgroups which are famous in their own way.
The traditional way of dancing in Kuchipudi is characterized by a flamboyant style of dancing where all the members of the group perform a string of footwork and gymnastics to the accompaniment of drums and brass instruments. In fact this is the most commonly known version of the kuchipudi dance and it is also called the marching dance or the dancing of feet and legs. The dancing is choreographed and is often performed bare footed to the delight of the audience and the camera. Most of the performances of the kuchipudi are performed in the evening in different localities and the performances can be very lively and entertaining. The dances is generally accompanied by traditional music like that from drums and brass bands and this adds an extra flavor to the performance.