Kuchipudi exponent Aparna Satheesan has won the prestigious Bharata Shastra Nritya Praveena National Award 2021 for her outstanding performance and excellence in Kuchipudi, at the International festival of dance and music organized by All India Dancer’s Association (AIDA) in Bhilai, Rajpur India.

AIDA is a non-profit organization in India. They conduct several international and national level cultural events to preserve and promote Indian Classical Dance and Music, and also honoring eminent artists in the field. This award has been given in the past to outstanding Indian classical dance performers of India and abroad.

Aparna Satheesan had also won first place in Kuchipudi at the International dance competition by AIDA in 2021. She is also a recipient of the prestigious Natya Shiromani National Award by the India Festival USA for her exceptional achievements in the field of dance. In 2015, she was runner up in the Bharatanatyam competition by Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana in Ohio, which indeed is one of the most esteemed venues for Indian dance and music outside India.

Aparna is a senior disciple of Guru Smt. Vyjayanthi Kashi and Smt. Girija Chandran. She started her dance journey at the age of 3 and has continued learning six different classical dance forms of India and has presented her talent in global venues. She is renowned for her innovative ideas and for communicating strong messages to society through her dance. She has won several awards and recognitions in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi and has attained international acclaim at this young age.