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Satyavani “Vani”
Pippalla Akula

“Vani” has been dancing since she was three years old. One of her most vivid memories as a child is attending a staged performance by revered Indian dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy and copying the performance in the aisle of the theater. Following the performance, her father took her backstage to meet Srimati Krishnamurthy, who enjoyed seeing Vani dancing during the performance and encouraged her parents to train her under a guru. Thus, her formal dance lessons began in Odissi, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance. Eventually, Vani began studying Kuchipudi, another classical Indian dance which originated in the village of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh.
 
 
“Vani” has been dancing since she was three years old. One of her most vivid memories as a child is attending a staged performance by revered Indian dancer Yamini Krishnamurthy and copying the performance in the aisle of the theater. Following the performance, her father took her backstage to meet Srimati Krishnamurthy, who enjoyed seeing Vani dancing during the performance and encouraged her parents to train her under a guru. Thus, her formal dance lessons began in Odissi, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance. Eventually, Vani began studying Kuchipudi, another classical Indian dance which originated in the village of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh.