Uma Rama Rao

K. Uma Rama Rao (born Uma Maheswari; 4 July 1938 – 27 August 2016) was an Indian Kuchipudi dancer, choreographer, academician, research scholar, author, and teacher. She was a prominent figure in the field of Indian classical dance, known for her lifelong dedication to Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. She founded the Lasya Priya Dance Academy in Hyderabad in 1985, which became a significant institution for training dancers in classical dance forms. In 2003, she was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contributions to Kuchipudi by India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.