On 26th December 2010 I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Hyderabad, India to adjudicate the largest Kuchipudi dance. Kuchipudi is one of the oldest forms of classical South Indian dance, filled with colour, grace and spectacular movements and is normally performed by those dressed in traditional south Indian dress. I was so overwhelmed by the grandeur and detail that adorned each and every dancer. It truly was a spectacular sight to witness a sea of young dancers who were all so well versed in the dance come together and celebrate their culture and heritage.
After many days of dress and dance rehearsals, children from all over Hyderabad had turned up to represent their culture and perform to an audience of both the Chief Minister of Hyderabad state and President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
As each child was ushered into the Gachibowli Stadium by their proud parents, the anticipation was inevitably growing stronger. Like many mass participation records, it was of immense concern that each child who had signed up to register in the morning was present and participating during the day. Each group of 50 children had a group leader assigned to them and were being observed to make sure they were not only well versed in the Kuchipudi dance, but looked and danced exactly like the person to either side of them.
To organise and execute a mass participation record such as this required great passion, skill and diligence and a massive congratulations must be given to Silicon Andhra for organising this spectacular feat for the second time and for beating their very own record.
By the end of the show, there were in total 2, 850 dancers who all simultaneously performed the same Kuchipudi dance. The magnitude and quality of the performance ensured it was an unforgettable record.
Congratulations to all the participants and to Silicon Andhra for yet another successful Guinness World Records achievement!
