Lasya Priya Dance Academy (Uma Rama Rao)

A graceful archway and an ornate set of stairs take you into the alayam of the grand dame of dance herself - Uma Rama Rao. This world-renowned exponent of Kuchipudi has been performing and teaching for more than 50 years, and her numerous disciples have made a name for themselves teaching dance in India and abroad.

Her twinkling eyes and grandmotherly smile welcome you into her domain. She is completely unassuming, teaching now as she has always done, impervious to the accolades heaped upon her from every direction. Her students come across as serious performers, and she admits that her age prevents her from taking on casual learners.

While senior students are charged Rs. 10,000 per annum, juniors pay Rs. 500 a month to partake of her expertise. Her strengths are the rudimentary hand movements and positions of Kuchipudi, and she is attempting now to teach scientifically, specifying the angle made by the hand with the torso and so on.