Cafe Coffee Day introduces 'The Lounge Journals’ in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, 26th July, 2012 - The Coffee Day Lounge in Hyderabad at Banjara Hills, Road No 12 saw the introduction of The Lounge Journals', a national initiative by Cafe Coffee Day, the leading trend setting chain of coffee cafes in India. 'The Lounge Journals' are a series of tete-a-tete sessions with celebrity experts on hobbies, topics and passions of the youth. The Lounge Journals in Hyderabad kick started with talented and award winning Kuchipudi dancer Yamini Reddy conducting a stimulating session on classical dance with a group of dance students and enthusiasts.

'The Lounge Journals' are aimed at encouraging the youth to partake in creative hobbies and developing productive talents. Said K. Ramakrishnan, President-Marketing, Cafe Coffee Day, "The idea is to channelize youth energy into creative and productive expressions, and encourage them to develop passions in life. What better place for artistic expressions than The Lounge itself, which provides a luxurious and relaxed ambiance for artists. The ambience, coffee and the food at The Lounge is designed to bring out the artist in you."Yamini who gave her first performance at a tender age of three, illuminated the audience with her knowledge, inspirations and learnings on the beautiful dance form speaking about her journey right from her early years of training under her distinguished classical dance parents, Raja and Radha Reddy to being the author of a research thesis on the performing arts. She also shared some great insights about Indian classical dancing and the art of Kuchipudi inspiring all the classical dance aspirants at the Lounge. She went on to delight the audience by showing a few dance moves and a few lucky ones also won autographed Coffee Day mugs at a fun quiz on the talented dancer.

Said Yamini on the occasion, "The session was incredible and stimulating, thanks to The Lounge. The crowd was fantastic and it was great responding to the questions of the enthusiastic group of youngsters present today. The Lounge setting was also perfect for this interactive session. I'm pleased to be the first on The Lounge Journals series in Hyderabad.”

Cafe Coffee Day is taking 'The Lounge Journals' across all its 30+ outlets of The Lounge in India. The Lounge Journals are periodic series focusing on several interesting topics including photography, creative writing, painting, animation, and sculpting. Each session is conducted by a leading and renowned expert from the field.

About Coffee Day Lounge
'The Lounge' is a specially created format for the coffee lover who wishes to indulge in the selective art of brewing and drinking coffee which is complimented by the right combination of food, in a totally relaxed and luxurious ambiance. The Lounge offers a range of distinct coffee blends prepared by special alternative brewing techniques, customized world cuisine, personalized service in a plush lounge seating.

About Cafe Coffee Day:

Cafe Coffee Day is a part of India's largest coffee conglomerate, Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd. (ABCTCL), the first to roll out the 'coffee bar' concept in India with its first cafe in Bangalore. Cafe Coffee Day serves the coffee it grows on the 7400 acres of its own estates plus another 2500 acres of managed estates, the group also sources coffee from 11,000 small growers, making its holder the largest individual coffee plantation owner in Asia, this in addition to being India's only vertically integrated coffee company. Cafe Coffee Day's menu ranges from signature hot and cold coffees to several exotic international coffees, food, desserts and pastries. In addition, exciting merchandise such as coffee powders, cookies, mugs, coffee filters, etc. are available at the cafes.

Yamini Reddy was born in New Delhi to noted Kuchipudi dancers and Padma Bhushan award winners, Daughter of Drs. Raja Reddy & Radha Reddy.

She received her training from her parents and gave her first performance in New Delhi when she was only three. She has inherited her father's tandava and mother's lasya, a combination that is evident in her style. Her ability to hold difficult
balancing poses along with her finely honed sense of rhythm is said to easily dazzle audiences.

Yamini has toured the United Kingdom, France, the United States, South East Asia, Russia and United Arab Emirates. In Dublin, the Mayor of Dublin presented her with the golden key to the city after watching her captivating Kuchipudi dance performance.

Apart from giving performances all over the world, heads the 'Natya Tarangini Raja Radha Reddy - Institute of Kuchipudi Dance' branch in Hyderabad. At the institute she trains students of various age groups to master the art of Kuchipudi Dance. As part of the Institute's activities she also conducts annual 'Parampara Series National Festival of Music and Dance' featuring legendary artists of National and International repute. Yamini Reddy is also teaching Kuchipudi at Natyatarangini Dance School, Hyderabad branch.

Yamini's talent is not limited to dance. She has also started experimenting with choreography in her own style. In 2007 she presented ’Harmony' in collaboration with Modern Dancer Leah Curtis from New York which blended the worlds of Kuchipudi Dance and Modern Dance.

She has also authored a Research thesis 'Audience Development for the Performing Arts in India.'

An inseparable part of her existence and a pillar in her life, Yamini Reddy is completely dedicated to the art of Kuchipudi dance.

Here are the awards to her credit:
Yuva Ratna Award
Youth Vocational Excellence award
FICCI young achiever's award
Devadasi National Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for dedication towards
Kuchipudi Dance.