Namskaram !
My name is Anjali Nandan and ‘am currently in Plano,TX, USA. I have been learning Bharatanatyam from the age of 6. The learning has mostly been in Mumbai from late Smt. Madhuri Kelkar. I am a “Nritya Visharad” in Bharatnatyam from Bharatiya Sangeet Samiti.
I have got the good fortune to work along with Padmashri Smt. Hemamalini as part of various dance Ballets. It was a Divine experience working in her productions like “Mahalakshmi”, “Savitri” and “Geet-Govind”. She is a graceful and disciplined exponent of Bharatanatyam.
Apart from online lessons her school Natyam Academy in Plano, TX offers Bharatanatyam lessons to interested students in Dallas/Plano/ Frisco communities.
I am not any expert in the field having seen many greats in this art form. This Blog is a humble attempt to provide some information on the dance form as I have learnt it.
Thanks for your help and encouragement along the way!
Note (Updated Sep 21, 2009): Thanks for all the comments, suggestions and encouragement. I truly appreciate each of that. To enable a better format for our discussion, I have added forums to the website. Request you to discuss your questions and ideas there.
Hello Ajith, I thank you for visiting this site. Nice to know about your little dancer at home. May Anusha excel in all aspects of her life and I am sure you will always be proud of her. I wish lots of luck for her exams on 26th. To see pics on Mudras go to my Resources I have linked to sites that show all the mudras. Also I have given meanings and photos of some Asamayukta hastas in this site (check the Index page). A book called “Dance Gestures-Mirrors of Expression” by P.Ramachadrasekhar will be a great reference for her ahead. It is a translation of the sanskrit text Abhinayadarpanam. Visit http://www.giritrading.com, guess you can buy it online. Else there is Abhinayadarpanam by Manmohan Ghosh which is a hallmark Text.
Thank you Anjali for your best wishes. Your response has been of immense help. Thank you once again.
Best Regards,
Ajith Kumar
Hi Anjali,
I am really a bit dissappointed i have asked something on Jan 6th and until now you didnt answer me, I know it is not easy for you to answer each and every silly posts like mine, but for me your answers to my querries are of great importance. hope you will answer me.
My question was
My daughter is being trained bharathanatyam and had participated in some competitions recently, the most comments from the judges were about body shake and the gap between the feet which increases while doing fast swaras and jatis.
can you please suggest something to reduce these. Do you think that she will improve if she does more practice, she is now 10years old.
Hope you will reply this time
We are really greatful to you for your sincere efforts and dedication to familarize bharathanatyam.
Its now my daily routine to visit this site and look for new posts
thanks a lot for all these great help you are rendering to us,
Aiswarya
Hi Anjali, you are doing a great job. Thankyou very much. I am kavya from Germany, I wanted to learn Bharatanatyam right from my childhood, thanks to you that my dream is coming true. The way of teaching is very clear. I have learnt all the steps until now.
Keep uploading. Thanks.
Hi Anjali,
I really appreciate and thank you for your efforts in sharing info about the basics of Bharatanatyam. I am glad to know that there are many people out there who wish to do stuff that are of use to others. Believe me, sharing knowledge can be so difficult, because it is that knowledge that puts us on a higher ground and to be able to share that and let others step up is a huge thing, really.
I started learning Bharatanatyam in the last quarter of 2006. I am currently working and staying in Dubai. My Guru follows the Thanjavur style. But, unfortunately, due to personal reasons, she has relocated to Chennai in Feb 2007, just after a couple of months of my lessons. And since then, I’ve been searching for another Guru to teach me Bharatanatyam. Hopefully, I should find someone, soon!
Which style of Bharatanatyam do you follow? I have seen your instructional videos on youtube and noticed that its a bit different from what I was taught.
Thanks and hope you have a good day!
Kind regards,
Sunita
Hi Ashwaiya, I thank you for the encouraging words. Also nice to know about your daughter who is learning bharatanatyam. I wish her success in every aspect of her life.
Very sorry for not answering you. Indeed your question is not Silly. Increased gap between the legs while doing the fast swaras is very common mistake seen among the beginners. Such an act reduces the beauty of the dance. It looks awkward. It has to be corrected every time she does it. Infact she has to be aware of it. So from our part we can only point it out every time the mistake is repeated. Ask her to practice the Teermanam Adavu and the Jati adavu nonstop in the 3rd speed every day in proper Araimandi. The steps in these adavus are used in the fast swaras. Practicing in front of the mirror will help. You have also mentioned about Body shake ie swaying of waist while dancing. That too will stop once she is aware of it and with right practice. This is my opinion….you can also ask her guru for some tips. Thats it…… nothing much to worry about. She has a long way to go.
Dandavats Pranam,
I’m from Spain and started learning Bharatanatyam a few months ago (I’m 28 now). I only get lessons once a week so it’s great to have your site for doubts and so on.
I have been looking for a site like this for long time and I must tell you that this is the best so far. The videos are very helpful.
Thank you very much!!
Regards,
Gopi Kumari dd
Hi Anjali,
i have been following your vids on utube and reading some of your comments, like on jan 20 th you wrote about
….while doing the fast swaras…
As a musician who can play the swaras on his instrument or sing them I often wonder where it is laid down how to perform them with limbs, legs, waist etc. In dance scripture we talk about the rasa of a swara, and one should perform so that the rasa is felt, either song, music or dance. This seems to have been the older way of yore. You seem to have some knowledge, perhaps you can point out some of your instructional vids to me or let me know of coming up vids where I can check this out?
God bless your work
Nigamaa forgot to add:
Check
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1K02ORzWI8
Josiane Sarrazin dite Jyoti dances Bharata natyam
style in front of a shrine dedicated to God, but no
explanation is given what rasa she is depicting, if sringara or santa?
It should be sanata anyhow, since it is a temple of peace!
Hi Nigama, Thanks for visiting this site. I saw the video link. The audio is not very clear. what I understood from her actions was its a song on SriRama. Now coming to your question on which Bhava to use. See while doing a dance we have to constantly change our expression in order to explain the meanings of the lines. But we must be aware of the Central Idea of the song. Like in the dance while showing Srirama…bring out the Santa Bhava. While showing the emotions of love bring out Sringara. It is also important what character are you dipicting. If you have a role of a departed lover show the depression on your face and body language. If you are a goddess at war its the Raudra Bhava and not shanta Bhava. I am of the opinion that expression change as per the situation.
Anjali, thx for following up on my questioning.
The above mentioned BN dancer is using a very sacred spot in a church
usually reserved for a male priest only. If made public to conservative folks,
quite alot people would take this as affront, ecspecially if they knew it depicts SriRam in a place dedicated to Christ. It is like offering a christian sermon in a Kali temple. I think Shanta Ras could compensate for this if made clear? To my understanding dance scriptures are presently researched into and in the future we might get a better picture of how Rasa was defined in the old days, see also the topic here
History of Carnatic Music
http://rasikas.org/viewtopic.php?id=4560
From pondering the subject, to me it appears in the beginning there could have been one sringara rasa, with seven bhava rasas. The themes treated below might be in shanta ? This way the vids below would become very meaningful to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X71AraKVKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vL0pHRTj7I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiINCMdvKzU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7hvVJP3oIA&feature=related
It seems comparatively easy to see rasa in connection with dance or drama, but in the oldest writing this included music as well, so that even shruti and sowith swar had a rasa .
Anjali garu,
In my childhood I had learned basic steps and now when I could not refresh those steps to teach for my 9yr daughter, your web site and videos helped me alot to teach. I had learned in telugu words and I still find these words are easy to follow. One request is, now that my daughter is following all of your steps, I like her to perform these steps on the stage with some music to play all these steps. One request from you is , could you also compose a musical dance with all your steps. So that we can use your steps and dance song and make my daughter do on the stage. Thanks in advance. Very happy with your teaching.
Regards,
Leela
Hi leela
Thanks a lot for your kind word. I donot know how long your daughter has learnt. It is always better to learn classical for atleast 4 yrs before you give a stage performance ie classical based. Only by that time your child may attain perfection in body language. I can understand your concern aswell. I shall try doing something on these lines also. May be I can put up a small music with these steps included. But wait till I finish atleast three more adavus.
Thanks
Anjali
dear anjali,
thank you so very much for your blog! it is so helpful – especially for people like me, who are just beginning to study the dance. keep up the good work!
best,
wenti
Hi Anjali,
This is an incredible site – I was surfing the net to find diagrams/pictures and explanations of the mudras to help my 5yr old daughter with her Bharathanatyam practice. You have exceeded my expectations. Your site is clear, informative, well-organised, culturally rich.
One question – since my daughter is studying Kalakshetra style, will there be much difference in the basics as I would not want to confuse her from what her teacher explains?
Also, Priyanka Prashanth had asked about practising during the “monthly period” times. I am studying Ayurveda and my understanding is that traditionally women fully rested during the first 3 days of this period, not exerting themselves at all as it is the body’s natural way of cleansing itself to maintain harmony and balance in nature (our prakruthi) which explains why our ancient women aged gracefully and lived long and quality lives. Today, our busy modern lifestyles do not give time for rest and we suffer the consequences in our post-menopause years having all sorts of physical, emotional and cognitive ailments. I hope this helps and hope I have not contradicted anyone.
Hey Sheila, thanks for your kind words. Also you have explained Priyanka’s query quite well. This kind of tradition is still followed in our culture. I appreciate your concern. Now coming to your question…there are bound to be difference in the sequences of Adavus and their variation. I would advice you to follow her teacher while practicing. But the Mudras and the theory stuff would be common. You can refer this site for some extra tips and guidance. Keep visiting and adding you valuable comments
Hi Anjali,
This site is a wonderful piece of work from your side and I’ve been reading your posts for almost 4 months now. I’m sure atleast a few of those with enough passion but less time and resources to continue their proper lessons would benefit from this site.
I’m also glad that you enjoy reading my blogs.
Will be in touch. Take care.
Cheers,
Arv.
[Arvind Padmanabhan].
Hi Anjali
I do not have any words to say thanks about your wonderful job, but still thanks so much,
you have written about ADAVUS, there i have a confusion, please tell me the difference between – position of the legs and the posture of the legs. please let me know as soon as possible.
THANKS-GOD -BLESS YOU
hi anjali
i am a person that who interested a lot to classical dance (bharata natyam). i am very much impressed by this site and got happy. its very nice anjali..please be keep it up.
it is the most useful for the students who wants to learn the natyam online.
all the best,
smily regards,
– jyothi.
Dear Mam,
I dont know how to be thankful to you. My name is Kavya and I always wanted to learn Bharatnatyam since my childhood. I am very thankful to you for teaching me all this. You are my guru now. And please continue to teach me further.
Thanks
Kavya
Jyothi, Kavya and Ramya thanks a lot for your kind words. May god bless you all.
Hi Anjali,
My sincere congratulations and appreciation for your efforts !! I am currently residing in Saudi Arabia and am 28. I want to learn bhartnatyam. But donno how to begin. I donot have access to any schools or gurus here. I came across your website while searching and its really very good. In addition I also came across these DVD’s- Dances of India – Bharata Natyam Arangetram Dances DVD(Dancer: Padma Chebrolu, Directors: David Morrison) and Dances of india, learning bharatnatyam(Dancer: Padma Chebrolu, Directors: David Morrison) from this website- http://site.voila.fr/dancerindiana/Bharatanatyam_Bharatnatyam_Bharata_Natyam_DVD_VCD_Odissi_Bharathanatyam_Indian_Dance_yoga.html
I wanted to know your opinion before buying these DVD’s. I want you to advise me if these will be helpful. If you can recommend some dvd’s for beginners it would be a great help.
The country I am living in makes it difficult to get hold of things , so I have to resort to learning online or through CD’s.
Pls guide me on how to start and mode of learning. I would be ever grateful.
Thanks in advance and All the best,
Deepa
Hi Deepa , thanks a lot for your appreciation. I am impressed by your strong desire to learn this art. My heartfelt wishes and good luck to you.
Yes this Dvd of Padmaji (learning bharatanatyam)is quite educative and good for a starter. I would also recommend you to buy “Bharatanatyam Adavus – the depth and diversity” by Swathi soft solutions. It is an hour presentation of Adavus in a very stylized manner. Here you can see grace and expression of the dancers. This will also help you to improvise on your movements. You need not buy the Arangetram DVD now.
Hi Anjali, I think that by publishing the bharatanatyam basics video in your blog you give a great gift to all dance students and lovers. And they seem to be very clear and well explained. I would like to do something similar with kuchipudi one day! 🙂
Good job. Carry on with it!
Thanks a lot Marzia. Kuchipudi is very vibrant and elegant with its fast pace. Infact I feel fortunate to be receiving such words from dancers like you. Looking forward to some kuchipudi lessons from you.
Dear Madam,
I absolutely am thrilled to find this website! I am currently in the States – I learnt Bharatnatyam for just 3 months, then my work at office got too hectic and I couldnt continue. I still love this dance form and havent found any place here in States where I could continue it. This site is simply too good to be true. I hope I can learn the remainder from this site – at least I can practice it out!! Thanks Again!!!
I really enjoyed exploring your site. I have limited knowledge of bharatanatyam, having seen it only a few times in performance; I have never taken a class. It’s really informative and your site would be a great resource to a student.
Dear Anjali, please have a look at the 2 videos I’ve freshly sent to Youtube.
Here are the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pWpAuM0Br8
Feel free to leave a comment and don’t hesitate to criticize it if it is the case.
hi,
i was just wondering,
about this type of dance, only i want to base it as my theme for my gcse choreography?
instead of being a normal 8 beats is it 9 and a half?
id like to no some information if thats ok?
Anjali,
It’s beautifull all that you have done for disseminate bharatanatyam,
i want to deeply thank you.
Thanks a lot Daniela for your kind words. Your support and wishes will only help the site grow. Good luck!
Hi Anjali,
Thanks so much for this wonderful website ! I am 30 years old and have been learning bharathanatyam for 4 years. I am very serious about bharathanatyam and would like to do this professionally. I am wondering how to improve my form. I have heard that practising adavus daily for atleast 1 hour helps (vs. practising complete pieces like thillans and varnams). What is your experience. How much practise would you recommend on a daily basis for an advanced student who is really serious about bharathanatyam. Thanks much in advance for your response.
Sincerely,
Rekha
Hi,
It has been my lifelong dream to learn bharatanatyam, but since I’m a guy, dance wasn’t encouraged for me and I learned Carnatic music instead. I’ve learned some of the basics from your videos and I’m really happy for that. I will not perform for anyone and nor do I want to, but I’m excited to learn for my own satisfaction!! Thank you for making my dream come to fruition.
N
Thanks Mr N. Its good to know that Dance has been your passion and this site is helping you get closer to it. May god bless you.
Thanks Rekha for your appreciation. If you wish to be a professional dancer you must learn further. You must be a full time devotee of this art. It must be your first priority. A professional dancer spends altleast seven hours a day practicing for their performances. One hour of dance will help you to keep in touch with your basic and to be fit. Think about it. Decide your priorities and make a right choice.
Hi
I’m going to teach my friend’s sister bharatanatyam and i’m not a teacher,i’m a teen and i want to teach her bharatanatyam.Since I haven’t taught anyone i dont know where to start and what order to follow.so can you please help me?
Hi Anitha, thanks for visiting the site. I assume that you are a trained bharatanatyam dancer.
The right age to start learning bharatanatyam is 5 yrs. First class is only an introduction and breaking of ice between students and teacher. Then Begin with introduction to Samapada and Araimandi positions. Some basic warm up exercises. Give them a brief introduction about Bharatanatyam and lord Nataraja. From the Second session onwards recite the Angikam bhuvanam Shloka. Teach the Namaskar. Explain to the kids the importance of namskar. Revise the first session. From the third session onwards start with reciting Angikam bhuvanam sloka, followed by namskar and warmup. Then introduce adavus. You can follow the adavu as you were taught or can follow the order on this website. Every session revise the earlier steps taught. Do not move ahead if the student is not clear with the previous session.
Feel free to mail me if you need any help. Good luck.
Dear , Anjali i am also from pune i have lerned bhartnatyam from different different places and may be because of that i found my own style of dancing bhartnatyam is different rather than the kalakshatra actuly i want to learn more and more about this beautiful dance form you can help me in that
please mail me about your classes
and help me in that
Regards
ARTI
Hi Arti, thanks for visiting this site. Style and differences does not matter as far as the dance is beautiful. Finally a dancer has to go beyond techniques to explore the art. I will be going to US for a year now. Therefore some well known teachers form pune are
Sucheta Chapekar , Mrs. Shashikala Ravi, Parimal Phadke, Uma Tilak, Geeta Nair. Just google and search their names, you will get their contact. You will find lot of other teachers too. Meet them, decide and Good luck.
Hi Anjali,
Do you teach ‘Bharatnatyam classes’? If so, which style do you teach? My daughter will be in Pune in July and August. She is learning Bharatnatyam of ‘Kalakshetra’ style. She would like to join the classes. Please let me know.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Pratibha thanks for visiting the site. I shall mail you with the details.
Hi Anjali
I am living in Vancouver, Canada, I am looking for a guru in vancouver , Canada , Your blog so impressive and I hope you can help me to find a Guru for my daughter to learn bharatanatyam , If u have any information please mail me ,
Thanks
atia
Hi Anjali,
I teach Bharatanatyam at Jakarta, Indonesia. Found your website really interesting and a wonderful resource for students.
Thanks
Janaki
Hi Janaki, It feels nice when you are appreciated by people who are in the same stream. Your words are a great motivation to do better. Thanks a lot.
Hi Anjali,
I just discovered your website and I think it is absolutely fantastic!! I learned Bharatanatyam for around 6 years but I was very young at the time. I had to stop because the classes werent very effective as new students kept joining. Now all these years later I wish I had never stopped. I am keen to get into Bharatanatyam again and will soon see if I can find a teacher in London (where I reside). Your website has enabled me to teach myself the steps again. As I have already learned it before it is coming back very quickly. I think its great that you have created this website demonstrates all the steps and handmovements! I have already spent 3 hours practicing today (after 15 years!!) because I enjoyed it so much!!! 🙂
I am trying to re-teach myself the Alarippu dance. I remember most of it but I have difficulties getting the last fast part of the dance right. I was wondering if you could demonstrate the steps for the Alarippu?
Thank you so much for this website!!!
Regards,
Nisha
Wow, Nisha thats great !!! This show your interest. Hey Nisha, thank you so much for those encouraging words. Actually I have not yet thought about putting in dance items as online lessons. Not sure how that will work out. As of now I am concentrating on gestures and adavus. But yes I shall look into your request closely. Thanks again.
Hi Anjali! I have just completed all your videos and realized that most of the fast part of the Alarippu are the TattiMetti Adavu steps which you have demonstrated. So this is very helpful. I hope you carry on adding more videos so I can practice at home until I find a guru in London. Thank you so much again for this website!!! You really have done an amazing job with this. Many thanks!
Regards,
Nisha
Hi Anjali,
Thanks for putting this blog and your great videos online! It helps me learn a lot!
I wanted to ask you which of the DVDs on adavus you would recommend – there are 4 different DVDs on http://www.jayq.org , and I am wondering if you have watched any of them.
Thanks!!!!!!!
Regards,
Sumathi
Hi Sumathi. Thank you. Yes It is “Bharatanatyam adavus-the depth and diversity”. It explains the steps clearly, shows a few variations in three speeds. Also the dancers have perfect body language and expressions. Also the Cd “Bharatanatyam- percepts and practice” is good for hastas and bhedas. Others I have not gone through.
Hi Anjali,
I realize you are a great dancer.
I have a great love for Bharathanatiyam .My 6 year old daughter is learning Bharatanatyam . May I know which song will be best for children for stage performance.
If will help if you can suggest me a few songs good for Bharatanatyam and easy for children.
Hi Anjali,
You’re indeed doing a wonderful job by promoting Bharatanatyam. I wanted to ask your opinion about teaching the dance to my daughter who’s just turned 3 years old. Is it too early to start? And if not, could you recommend any school near Reading, Berkshire which might be teaching this beautiful artform?
Thanks a lot!
regards,
Monika