Shobha Korambil -A Profile

SHOBHA KORAMBIL

Kuchipudi Dance Artiste

“….she is also an excellent solo performer and her form of nritta and sensitive abhinaya have won the appreciation of critics and art lovers . Her dedication to art is total and absolute.”

                                                      - Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam on Shobha Korambil

Shobha was born and brought up in Chennai, the cultural capital of India.  She was initiated into dancing at her 10th year of age by her parents and had undergone training in Melattur style of Bharathanatyam from late Guru Sundaram (Disciple of Mridangam Maestro Sri Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer) for 9 years. Shobha then started her training in Kuchipudi  dance form under the direct  tutelage of Guru Padma Bhushan Vempati Chinna Satyam  in 1990 at the ace Kuchipudi  Art Academy, Chennai  . She has participated in several Programmes staged by the Academy and has toured across India and around Globe as a member of her mentor Dr. Vempati's  Troupe.

Shobha’s  20 years of  journey on this path of Kuchipudi has seen her perform along with  Guru Dr.Vempati  Chinna Satyam’s troupe at some of the following prestigious events :

·        Sangeet Natak Academy- New Delhi,

·        Mamallapuram Dance Festival-Tamil Nadu,

·        Deccan Herald Festival of dance-Karnataka,

·        Surya Dance Festival – Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala

·         Nishagandhi Dance Festival- Thiruvanathapuram ,Kerala,

·        Konark Dance Festival- Orissa,

·        Chembur Fine Arts Festival- Maharashtra

·        Chidambaram Natyanjali Festival

·        Doordarshan Graded artist

Shobha’s International Sojourns with Dr. Vempati include performances in :

·        World Music Theatre Festival in 1996, Netherlands and Belgium

·        Kuchipudi Globe Trot, performing in 30 cities in United States and  in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore from Aug – Dec 2004.

Shobha’s independent performances abroad:

·        Tamil Day Celebrations - Reunion Islands in 2002

·        UNSRC Photographic Society& Arise India presentation at New York in 2006  

·        National Geographic Society Centre in Washington DC and Lincoln Center, New York in 2005 during a presentation on India  organized by National Geographic Traveller Magazine  with the famous photographer Steve Mcurry.

·        Multiple performances at Indian Consulate, New York between 2004 & 2007

·        19^th Annual National Convention of Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America

·        Pranapratishtha anniversary  celebrations of Hindu Samaj temple in Wappingers Falls, New York State   in 2006

·        Multiple Performances at the Hindu Temple Society of North America from 2004-2010

·        Boston University Seminar in the Arts in 2005

·        Lotus Music & Dance , New York – Celebrations of  South India Music and Dance in 2006

·        India Culture Festival , Seoul, South Korea in 2006

·        Korea World Travel Fair, Seoul in 2006

·        Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance, New York 2010 (This performance was reviewed by Alastair Macaulay in The New York Times on Aug 19, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/arts/dance/19guru.html)

Workshops  & Lecture Demonstrations by Shobha

·        Lucille Roberts – Gym for women, New York City – 2006

·        Lotus Music and Dance, New York – 2006

Shobha now performs and trains with Yuvakala Vipanchi  Kishore Mosalikanti in Chennai. Some of her important performances  with Kishore’s troupe are :

·        International Dance Alliance (IDA) –Chennai in 2007

·        Natyanjali –Chidambaram in 2007

·        Ananya Dance Festival, New Delhi  in 2008

·         Dhouli Festival -Bhubeneshwar in 2009

·        Choreography Festival of Impresario India, New Delhi  in 2009

·        Bharat Bhavan Annual dance festival  in Bhopal in 2009

·        Rukmani Devi Arundale centenary celebrations at Kalakshetra, Chennai in 2010

·        Nada Neeranjanam, Tirumala Tirupathi in 2010

Shobha significant solo performances

·        Mylapore Fine arts Club - 2008

·        Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha – 2008

·        Bharat Kalachar - 2008

·        Mudra, Thiruvananthapuram - 2008

·        Mamallapuram dance festival - 2008 and 2009

·        Nishgandhi Onam Celebrations - 2008

·        Akruthi - 2009

·        Natyanjali, Chidambaram - 2010

Shobha's urge to acquire proficiency in dancing and dedication shaped herself into an artiste of considerable promise. A Commerce graduate, she is a multifaceted personality. She is a diploma holder in Travel and Tourism management and also in Cosmetology. She has been awarded the prestigious "Natya Visharada" award by Kuchipudi Art Academy in 1997. She was also the recipient of  Scholarship for Young  Artiste in field of  Kuchipudi ,awarded by Department of Culture, Govt of India during 1998-2000.

Shobha continues to follow the foot steps of her Guru Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, dedicating herself to take Kuchipudi to the younger generations through teaching and performances.

Shobha lives in Chennai, India undergoing advance training, teaching and performing Kuchipudi and also guiding the budding dancers at Sridevi Nrithyalaya an institute run by her sister Sheela Unnikrishnan.

 Shobha Korambil

17 North HighCourt Colony 

Redhills Road 

Villivakkam Chennai-600049

Tamilnadu, India

Tel. +91-98408-35825

Email: korambilshobha@yahoo.com