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.
Hi Anjali Chechi
@Hello Milan hope you are practicing well 🙂
thanks. anjaliji i am just starting learning bharatnatyam , your website is very good for me, thank u very much for the guidance
hi anjali,
how are you, i am very impressed with your website, i have attended bharathnatyam classes for 8 years durring my teenage but could not continue as i had to pursue my engineering, and later i started working for the television as an host and actor, i am 25 years old and in america from past 8 months after marriage, i wanted to revise my bharathnatyam skills so i was looking for a website and found yours, i have all the time now to get a degree or do a course in bharathnatyam, could you please suggest something, i live in baltimore, maryland,USA. it would be great if you can mail me.
Namaskar Anjali,
I am siri, I have learnt bharathnatyam and Carnatic vocal for 6 years in guru shishya method in Bangalore but due to academics I could not continue during college, after my engineering I discovered my love for dancing and acting, I worked for the television industry for three years, recently I got married and moved to USA , I was looking to do something in dance now, and came across your website, your website helping me revise my bharathnatyam skills, I am very impressed and greatful to u for providing such a wonderful website, can u please guide me on how I can learn more from you and what would be a good certification course for me, can i pursue masters or phd in dance here? I am very interested in making dance my profession here in America. Please give me details about your online class and fee structure.
Thank you
Regards
Siri
hope you are having a lovely day
@Siri, I have mailed your the details hope you got it. Thanks.
love this site
Great Work Ms Anjali. Infact i have learnt dance in my childhood and stopped at the age of 8 and due to tremendous passion to dance i have started again and your website is really really helping people like me. Thanks and Appreciate your effort to transfer your knwledge to the passionate dance students
i started junior class last month its wonderfull. when i am 8year its my dream to learn classical dance now its become true now i am 28…i got one of the best Guru i dedicate all my efforts to become and good artiest. …thanks for sharing your idea.
Hi Anjali
Iam also student of late smt Madhuri kelkar at Kalyan my name is geeta . I love watching your videos they were very helpful and I also joined in school as a dance teacher and I refered your videos please post some videos of varnam shabdam and padam and reply whether you are same anjali who was my best friend in kalyan during dance classes I have completed my nritya visharad in1990
@Geeta, nice to hear from yet another student of Madhuri Tayee. Will update the dances soon. Geeta, I am from Thane. So not the same Anjali 🙁
I really appreciate your affort to maintain thi swebsite. I have a 4 year old daugter who has been learning Bharatnatyam here Des Moines from a very good and accompalished Guru. I, myself, do not know anything about Bharatnatyam. My daughter like to watch the steps that you demonstrate. It also helps me to practice with her.
NICE THING
DONE A AWESOME JOB
THANKS A LOT ANJALI
Thanks a lot for providing such a good website. which helps me to fulfill my wish. Good start to go… Heartful thanks to you Anjali…
Hello Anjali,
First thing first, I want to thank you for making this website and maintaining it for amutures like me.I love dancing and learning bharatnatyam is my dream, I m based in Dubai now can u pls suggest me a teacher here??
Looking forward to your reply
You seem like a very kind person lending you time to teach us what you know about the dance. I appreciate many tips that you have taught me and they are very important for a dancer like me who isn’t taught these important details in the regular class which only covers most main details which is still important. I am very grateful for being able to have you here to aid us pre mature or professional dancers.
Thank you
Hi Anjali,
i’m 24yrs now. I was a good expressive dancer from childhood but never had any structural training in bharathanatiyam though i used to perform steps in the same with much grace.
But now i strongly decided to pursue bharadhanatiyam and i joined 3yrs diploma course in near by institute.
Till now i had 4 classes and in my very first class when i did my adavus mu guru was appreciating me for my abinyas and postures. she told its very rare to see such abinyas in the begining level.
now she strongly belive i can do arangtram in coming nov month which has only 6 months left and i was asked to pay 1.5lakhs.
Please advise me, if i can go ahead with arangetram under my gurus training.. is ths 6 month will be sufficient for doing an arengetram?? need your valuable suggestion.
Thanks But I am 18 and do u think I can become a dancer by learning at this age?
Hi Anjali,
I love to see you dance. I have started learning dance now at the age of 37. Looking forward to see more dance videos of yours.
Thanks & Regards,
Prita
@Priya, I have not seen you dance hence cannot comment on that. If you think and feel that the school has a good reputation in the past, then go ahead. Ask the senior students and parents about their experiences. If you are a beginner, then it takes almost a year to the learn only Adavus. I feel an Arangetram in six months is too early.But a program or a performance could be a great boost to confidence.
Hi, I would like to enquire, what is the relation between Navarasa and Satvika Abhinaya? Also, is Navarasa Mohana a name of a dance?
@Angela, Satvika Abhinaya is something that comes naturally without efforts. Example you could show you are sad , but tears coming out is when the Satvikas aspect is highlighted.
hi madam,i have completed adavus and mudiras……within how many years i can complete the barathanatiyam?
Hello,
I learn baratha natyam for approximately 10 years (I have now 16). You explain very well about dance.
This year, I am going to pass the grade 5. I have to make a kind of book (“oppadai”) summarizing the baratha natyam. However I don’t know how to do it. Would you have advice?
NB: I hope that you understood me, because I am not English but French.
Thank you.
hi anjali,how r u?im learning barathanatiyam nearly 8 months..how 2 practice neck movements?
Hi Anjali,
I wish to learn Bharatnatyam. I am based out of Bangalore. Couple of years back when I was in Bangalore you had given me a number of a teacher in Bangalore. She is located somewhere in ISRO layout or Kumarswamy layout. I have missed her number. Can you please share her number again with me? I really want to start learning Bharatnatyam again. Awaiting your revert.
Thanks!
I am christian. Some people say bharatantyam is not for christians.
I would like to learn. Burt I don’t wan’t to be false for my religion.
It’s nice to read about you…
This is a topic which is near to my heart… Many thanks!
Where are your contact details though?
hi anjali,
your steps are different fromthe dance my daughter learns . what should i do.
@Hana, Yes the step will vary from one school to the other. Keep practicing the way your teacher has taught you and take this as reference or additional learning.
hi anjali,
i am a 38 year old gynecologist from india, and i have restarted bharatanatyam now -since the last 6 months.luckily ,i got an incredibly supportive and encouraging teacher, who lets me learn at a realistic pace(even as she puts me through my paces-since i have 30 years of dancing to catch up on.)
your this website has been one of the reasons i found the courage to start dancing again-thank you so much for the videos and audios.there must be so many people who have benefitted from your dedication, knowledge and talent-and the hard work it took to put up such a lovely site.
your reply to a previous comment, that age did not really matter as long as flexibility was there, helped me make my mind up.and i can make out the difference in my body movements myself,compared to when i started.every word you said is true.
thank you once again.
@gynec, good to know you have gotten back to learning natyam. Wish you all the very best.
hi ,
anjali
plz provide the link to download dance septs .
i’m waiting yyour response.
thanks………
@kim, sure we will soon be ready with our DVD of steps, you will be notified through the blog post. Thanks for your interest.
Hi Anjali,
Great Blog! I am a great bharatnatyam fan and have been interested in it since childhood but never got a chance to learn it. I am interested in learning it now at 30. I just moved to schaumburg. Do you by any chance teach bharatnatyam here in schaumburg. I travel for work and am only available on weekends. so it will be great if you have some availability.
hi mam anjali i saw ur videos on youtube you are amazng i am 20 yrs i knoe i m late in learning bharatnatyam . i read ur profile i would like to know is there any school or guru in jaipur as i belong to jaipur i want to learn bharatnatyam please guide me in this i will be obliged thanks . nishtha dadhich
ma’m thank you so much. because of you i will clearly understand various movements in this barathanatyam.thank you so much
Hi Anjali,
I am so much fascinated by your website to start learning Bharatanatyam. I am 28 Years now. I want to start immediately with you as my guru.I have been practising for a while with your videos. I have danced during my school days. Please do let me know how to contact you. Actually i have registered with your online class link. But i haven’t got any reply mail from you. Please do let me know about the classes and other details. I am in USA. Waiting to start my classes soon and to fulfill my desire.
Hi Anjali: I am overwhelmed by your initiative and effort in teaching Bharatanatyma online. I have a Bachelors degree in Bharatanatyam from the Allahabad Univeristy, India which I received when I was 20 years of age. I am 27 now and moved to Toronto (Canada) for higher studies in academia (Science) soon after I finished my degree. It is unfortunate how I lost touch with my first love (dance). Recently, I got a strong feeling of resuming what I had left behind years ago. I feel that I have forgotten everuthing and need a solid revision. I am confident I will recollect everything soon. I will appreciate any videos/DVDs that you can share for me to be able to practice the basic steps up until the end for a complete revision. I look forward to your response. Thanks greatly.
hi anjali thanks very much your bharathnatyam basic adavu. my daughter learning bharathnatyam and i always looking the steps from ur site. keep uodating some more adavus and steps. its really useful for people like me. lots prayers from bincy
Hi, I am 24 years old and never got opportunity to learn dance before. I love classical dance and want to learn it now. Can I do it?? Am I too old for this ??
Hi Anjali,
First of all thanks a lot for such a nice blog. I have started learning Bharathanatyam recently. so your blog is really helping me in practice. Can you please add a video of ‘Mooshika Vahana’ slokam?
Thanks & Regards,
Divya Menon
Thank u mam….
dear Anjali,
I like the site and all videos which are very helpful for beginners to skilled dancers. I had love for this dance which really helps maintain a healthy spirit. I being male it generally tough to get admittance from family. I joined classes but with years gap and then rejoining them .this does not help. Now I once again plan to join and learn . My age is 28 so can I pursue. Further I have enquired for classes where there are all females and the number os students per batch is around thirty but two days a week.Another class is for less number of people but only once a week .They are ready to enroll me . Both are female gurus along with few assistants they teach.please suggest what to choose.
I am a classical dance teacher (Master degree in bharathanadiyam ) I was so happy to see your video . It is good to learn people around the world. But few things wrong like adavu and item please make sure u did the right things before you upload the video. Because people doesn’t want get wrong things
@kavila, you are welcome to add in your thoughts into the space. Please specify which portions you think does not match your style. I would say the differences are because of changes in style.
@Rahul, I would suggest enroll yourself where you feel comfortable. I dont think 28 is too late. You may want to take trial sessions with the teachers and find out what suits you best.
@Aditi, there are many videos available on sites like kalakendra. Go through and find out what meets your needs.Appreciate your positive comments. Thanks