Amongst schools of Indian dance that have been revived in this century, Kuchipudi has very interesting history, both at the level of theory as also practice. Also, the history of the evolution of this style is developing and its contemporary revival and popularity throws significant light on the dynamics of the performing arts. The history of Kuchipudi reveals the interplay of not only the temple and the courtyard, but also the urban and the rural, the female and the male and the mutual dialogue between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Kuchipudi's codified language of gestures and the techniques of human movement are known to different regions. However, no alternative can be considered as the base for the grammer of the dance style. Nevertheless, there is great relevance of the lots such as the Nrtta Ratnavali for Kuchipudi.

Mallika Sarabhai, under the guidance of Guru C.R.Acharya, has shown exemplary courage in putting together the corpus of the codified text, supplemented with a brief history.

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MALLIKA SARABHAI has been trained under Guru C.R.Acharya and has been a Kuchipudi performer since the late seventies. She has been involved in researching the style for many years, and as a performer has taken the style all over the world.