Artist Name: Akhila Takkallapalli
Place: Mississippi, USA
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Akhila commenced her Kuchipudi dance tutelage under Smt. Sobha Naidu during a summer trip to India when she was thirteen. In 2000 she then became a disciple of Smt. Sasikala Penumarthi in Atlanta, one of Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam’s prime students. Akhila has had the honor of portraying the lead role alongside Smt. Sasikala in her ballet productions over the years as well as assisting her teacher in classes and workshops. After completing her bachelor’s degrees in South Asian Studies and International Political Economy at the University of California, Berkeley, Akhila moved to Atlanta, where she performed her Rangapravesam in 2009. She now continues to deepen her training in Kuchipudi under the guidance of both Smt. Sasikala and Smt. Bala Kondala Rao, one of Guru Vempati’s foremost disciples, in Vizag, India. Akhila has performed at various cultural and arts events in the U.S. and, most recently, has had the honor of performing in Kuchipudi village and in Cattuck, Orissa (India). Alongside dance, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the medical field. Akhila feels immensely blessed for all the teachers who’ve come into her life, and her greatest desire is to always remain a servant of this magnificent art.