About Founder

Profile

Mrs. Usha Goteti, is an accomplished Kuchipudi dancer, inspiring teacher and talented choreographer. She has learnt dance since the age of 4, from renowned gurus Padmasri Dr. Shobha Naidu, Sri Hemadri Chidambara Deekshitulu and Smt. Vempati Nageswari.

At age 8, Mrs Usha performed the lead role as a child artist where she narrates the story of Ayyappa through dance in popular devotional movie Ayyappa Swamy Mahatyam. Impressed with Usha, Natyacharya Hemadri Chidambara Dikshitulu featured her in his book “Kalasagaram” (1989), an important text on Kuchipudi. A very senior student of Padmasri Sobha Naidu and an inspiring teacher.

Smt. Usha received a Masters in Kuchipudi from the University of Hyderabad along with the distinction of earning a Gold Medal. Usha has won several awards. Besides giving innumerable solo performances, she has performed at major dance festivals like Khajuraho and Konark, and performed the lead role in all of Dr. Shobha Naidu’s dance ballets.

Teacher

At a very young age, Usha was promoted to be a teacher in Padmasri Dr. Shobha Naidu’s dance academy. She taught in summer camps conducted by Jawahar Bal Bhavan. During her stay in the US, she taught students who performed at the prestigious Washington Telugu Samiti (WATS).
In 1997, she founded Abhinaya Kuchipudi Art Academy, a successful dance school in Nallagandla, Hyderabad. At her academy, Usha is pioneering an integrated approach to dance. Students get lessons in arts related to dance such as music, Talam, Yoga and literature. Achievements of her academy include:

• One of her students received the prestigious CCRT dance scholarship.
• 4 Students did Rangapravesam.
• More than 25 students received distinction in certificate course conducted by Potti Sriramulu university and Pracheen Kala Kendra.

Performer

Mrs. Usha gave several performances doing lead roles in all dramas choreographed by Dr. Shobha Naidu in her dance troupe.
She moved the audience to tears as Purnamma the lead character in “Puttadi Bomma Purnamma”, a well known social drama converted to a Kuchipudi ballet. She played Sita along-side Dr Sobha Naidu as Rama in “Sita-Rama Kalyanam”. She also performed in SVBC channel along with Dr. Shobha Naidu in 2010. She performed in popular dance festivals in Konark and Khajuraho. She gave over 300 solo and group performances in India and the US.

At Annamacharya Bhavana Vahini she drew praise from Padmasri Sobha Raju for exquisite Abhinaya..
Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji blessed her for the devotional fervour at Divya Saketam, Shamshabad. Her performance as Narada in Sri Krishna Parijatam never fails to enthrall audiences.