Andhra Natyam is a folk dance of Andhra Pradesh. It is reported that efforts are being made to obtain for a classical status.
Andhra Natyam is a classical dance form originating from the Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh. This traditional dance form, having a history of
2000 years, was lost in the Mughal and British era, and was revived in the
20th century.This dance form is
essentially performed by females, characterised by rich footwork and Abhinaya.
The musical instruments accompanying the dance include mridangam, manjira,
veena, the violin, venu, tanpura, surpeti and kanjira.
It is derived from various dance forms and
has strong similarities with Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, including older dance
styles like Dasiattam, Kacherittam and Chinnamelam. Though it originated in
temples, it was also performed by the courtesans known as kalavantulu in
Telugu, open-air public performances known as Kalopam are a part of
Andhra Natyam.