Prerana Kottapalli, a third grade student at Dutch Neck School, was one of the participants in the Guinness world record set for being the largest group of Kuchipudi dancers performing together at one time in a performance of the jateeswaram that lasted more than eight minutes.##M:[more]##
She was in Cupertino, California, for the world’s first international three-day Kuchipudi Convention held in the Flint Centre of de Anza College, in June. Pronounced Koo-chee-poo-dee, the dance was started in the 14th century when Siddhendra initiated men into the art of dancing. Women, who were prohibited from dancing at the time, have starting performing the classical dances portraying the roles of characters from Hindu mythology.
Prerana, who began her study of Indian classical dance and music at an early age, studies with Jayasree Kottapalli, at the Kalaprerana School of Dance and Music in West Windsor. She is also a student at the Westminster Conservatory College, training in both violin and choral music.
