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 I’ve been a bharatanatyam dancer for 7 years now and I’ve seen you dance before an you do a wonderful job! I was in Little Rock last week but now i’m back in Tamil Nadu India for a bharatanatyam performance.I’ve been learning kuchipudi too and it’s very hard to do.I hope I’ll see you someday in india!
Shreya Sumudralwar
Hello Raji
Thank you for the encouragement. I shall mail with some details soon.
Hello Shreya
Glad that you liked the site. All the more happy be encouraged by a dancer. I have learnt Mohiniattom for some years, but never got the opportunity to learn Kuchipudi. What a coincidence you were in little rock and we never met. I wish you all the best with your performances and Kuchipudi lessons. Will be in touch and would love to see you perform. Thank you.
Hi anjali! I just finished my schooling last year. i am 17 and from malaysia. i was always interested to learn bharatanatyam since very young. then when i was browsing through youtube, i came up to your video. i really appreciate all the steps that you taught. it was very useful. seeing the way you explain about the steps, i have decided to take you as my Guru. Since i am new to Bharatanatyam, i hope your website does provide the real steps.
thanks a lot by
Shakti
its very useful for learners like me .
Please tell me where should i get more videos like this
regards
Very best luck to you
Do you do any competitions
Hi Anjali,
I loved your step and also i am learning bharanatayam and i love it too .There is also an grader coming tommorow . I really like to do tatta adavu e.c.t – i really enjoy it. Where ae you now and what do you do? Your steps help me to learn more things .It encourges me to do more and more.I am 10 Years old and i think i am quiet good at it but still i will have to learn more.Your infomation isreasly useful fo me Thank you.!
Hello Jimily,
Good to know you are learning bharatanatyam and you are able to learn from the videos. I am in little rock, USA and I provide dance lessons online to my students. Jimily, God bless you and I hope I can see your performance one day.
Mahesh, thank you. I shall keep updating this site. Many learning Cd’s are available these days. Check with kalakendra.com
hi anjali
i love ur dance
i admire u r dance
but u r not answered my question.
iam 25 . i dont know little bit of dance.
can i learn it with in one year
Siri, Thank you. Sent you a mail yesterday regarding your inquiry for online classes. You will not be able to learn entire repertoire of bharatanatyam in a year. But definitely you could complete the basic steps (Adavus) and one or two innovatory dance pieces. There is no age bar to learn something you love. History talks about great dancer Rukmini devi who started learning in her early 30’s. You are still young.
Hi Anjali,
I am 19 years old and I would like to learn bharatanatyam. Do you think it’s too late? I really don’t have much dance experience. Also it’s intimidating to be in a class with students much younger and more experienced than me, but I am really interested and excited at the prospect of learning. I viewed some of your youtube videos, and they’re just getting me more energized to do this. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and videos!
just to let know of a new service called similar, maybe you know already? In case not here is link
http://bharathamonline.com
Hi Anjali,
Kudos on your passion and service. Great website.
My daughter learns Barathanatyam and we are having a little argument on the 2 mudras for ‘sadness’ and ‘being scared’. Which mudras are generally used for these two emotions.
Hello Dee, Thanks. There ‘n’ number of ways to denote bhava-Bhaya (sadness and fears). Few gestures that can be used in this context are Mrigashirsha, Pataka, Dola, Pasha.
Hi Anjali,
Like you, I have learnt Bharatnatyam from Madhuri Tai (Smt Madhuri KElkar, from kalyan, Maharashtra) tto. I did my Arangetaram under her guidance and under the guidance of her Guru, Shree Santhanamjee.
However I havent been able to stay in touch with this art form for the past 10 years. I am planning to revive it in me.
Any advice?
Cheers
—
Nandini
I am sure that having learnt under madhuri teacher, you may not have forgotten the basic adavus and the allarippu, kautukams and similar small items. What you would need is jatiswaram, tillana, padam, shabdams etc. I would recommend you to refer some cd’s and probably start learning by yourself. You could easily do that.
Thanks for the tips. Just that Madhuri Tai was enough a motivation for me to rehearse. Now I kindof have never found a reason to touch the ghungroos…But planning to start now.
Please do stay in touch.
Cheers
Hello Anjali!
I am a budding Bharatanatyam artist and my goals are to open up a new Baratanatyam school in NJ. Your website has refreshed and summarized all the years of arduous note-taking in from dance class years ago. I thank you for taking your time and helping others out in this wonderful art! This website truly shows your dedication to Bharatanatyam and your humbleness by sharing your knowledge with others. I really look up to you. Take care, keep it up and what an amazing website!
Best of luck in everything you do,
Gayathri
Hi Anjali,
I glad to know your online site with so detailed explaination in step with pics and videos. its very clear to understand and help to every body who is keen to learn detailed. I am also a student of Kalamandalam Sreejaya in Bangalore.
Please can you also include bharatanatyam songs used in arangetram, with the lyrics. which will be very use for learner like me to understand better.
Regards,
Sangeetha
hi Anjali
I have visited your site many time.Its really good medium for those
who want to learn bharatnatyam. I have learn many things from your site.
But now I want to know the process to be your student.
I want to learn bharatnatyam dance.
I checked your site… it is awesome…
Please tell me how can I join the online course…. and little more about mode of teaching…like video/text/conferencing…etc.
I couldn’t get much info about online teaching there…and fee structure of your course
Please do reply… and thanks in advance…
hai Anjali,
i’m very much intrested in learning this classic art. I know some basics like Tattadavu, Kattadavu etc, but never really got hold on further. I need your advice to how to go about from this point. Should i find a guru or is it fine with online lessons?
Hello Shikha,
Glad that this site is helping you. I have sent you mail asking a few details. will let you know about the classes then.
Hello Pratima,
I would say it works just like the regular classes. We meet online and the classes are held. I shall mail you with the details soon. Please fill up the form by visiting this link http://onlinebharatanatyam.com/online-classes/
This is a really good site as i wanted to brush up my memory of bharathanatyam. i learnt bharathanatyam close to 12 years, completed my senior and then caught up with my education, as well i do not have any song recordings with me so could not even practice. So this site is a real help to me . i just had to go through once and i could remember everything .Thanks once again.
Hi Anjali,
Its a request if you can upload any one of your performance… Like any dance item on Krishana or Lord Ganesha.
Its a request.
Tahnks
Soumya
Very soon I shall do it. Thanks
my daughter is learning bharathanatyam. she has completed her steps and just started dance. she cannot do that eye thing properly. and i think she is not that interested in dance or she cant follow it. i love dance. how can i make her interested. the the teacher has lot of students and is not getting personal attenbtion.
Neeta, She is a beginner. It will take time for her to be expressive. Probably when she starts learning the Abhinaya pieces, her teacher will teach them the eye techniques. Lot is based on your daughter’s interest and observation. She will only get better as she progresses.
thank u .
u’r decision is good. i learn bharathanatyam to tis website. one sec more thank u..
Dear Anjali,
I am planning to migrate to Indonesia and I have two daughters, one of them is 9.5 yrs and she has completed 4 yrs of Bharatanatyam. We are looking for some teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia and found one Ms. Janaki to be teaching there. Can I have her coordinates pls.
Regards
Suren Shetty, Mumbai, India (Mobile:+91-9769001800)
Hello Suren,
Thanks for your comments. Will definitly mail you regarding this.
Wow, I have seen ur dance in youtube.com
U r great.. is there a way to see more of ur videos.
We live in NC
How long does it take to learn bharathanatyam…
Thank u
hello.really liked the information you have provided.iam 20 years old.i have been learning bharathanatyam for 1 and a half years now.my guru teaches dance in her house.i want to know how long will it take for a person to do her arangetram?will a person be known as a dancer only if she does her arangetram?how can i find out if my guru can take me a long way in bharathanatyam?
Hello vaishnavi,
Our progress in dance largely depends on our passion and interest for the art form. A good teacher can show you the path, you have to walk the way. You must trust your guru with full faith. Rest will follow.
Regarding the arangetram, it depend on the student or how soon he/she gains angashuddi. Then the teacher decides.
Hi Ma’m,
I am Ammu. I’ve studied Bharatanatyam for 8 yrs. But unfortunately, i couldn’t complete it. I couldn’t continue the dance with only one Guru. I learned it from 4 different teachers & got different styles of bharatanatyam. Now I don’t have touch with the classic at all. I just do cinematic dances now. I want to continue my studies on bharatanatyam… I hope your website will help me. Your style is entirely different from mine but would like to catch yours. I am 19 yrs old. I’m afraid if it’s too late to learn the bharatanatyam. I would be pleased if I can get the video for Alarippu, shabdam, pushpanjali, jathiswaram & varnam. Thank you and all the best for your future.. God Bless You.
Hey Anjali,
I wrote earlier and still waiting for ur response.. Is there a website to look at good arangetram dances…
what is the order in which arangetram is done…and how many hours is that?
God bless you for all ur work.. I am ur fan….in youtube.com
Madam, I find your webpage as one of the very few active sites of Bharatanatyam. I am looking for good quotes on Bharatanatyam or classical dances. Can you help? Thanks in advance.
hello, i have watched many of your videos and they are simply GREAT!! i started learning Bharatanatyam when i was young then i moved country so i had to leave it and now i want to learn it again..and when i saw your Natta Adavu videos you had 13 variations.. is there any more variations for Natta Adavu??
Thanks Anjali for all the videos on you tube and just happened to see this site.
My daughter is 5 and with just one class a week, I am able to correct my daughter’s steps by watching your steps
Rgds
Sunita
I am very much interested in bharatanatyam from small. I am now 33. When I saw this site . I am very much happy. thanking you for creating this site and I am sure I can learn it completely. thank you.
hi anjali…
i have learned bharatanatyam for 2 years and i had to stop my classes because i went abroad to study..so now its been like 5 years i havent got involve with bharatham stuffs…not dancing or either classes….i am really interested in and looking forward to learn dancing back and i hope you can help me out….
-prathebba-
Pratheeba, i have mailed you the details of the classes.
I cannot put in words my appreciation towards your effort in making this website available with all the information and videos you put together. May god bless you Anjali.
Thanks Vinishri for the appreciation. God bless you.
Hari om,
I like to know what is the right age to start bharatnatyam.i started my 5yrs daughter bharatnatyam last 3months .What do you suggest.
Thanks,
Gita.,
Hari Om Gita, 5yrs is just fine to start off. Good luck!!
Hi Anjali… I am Pushpanjali…. 26 Yrs old… I always had a liking towards Bharathnatyam……. I also had been to classes for around 2 yrs when I was in my High school… but due tio some reason i had to quit it…. But I am interested to learn now also… Can u please guide me how to proceed…… Right now I am working in Chennai… But by August I will be back to my native and will be searching for a new job there. So I would like to utilize this period to begin learn dance also….. What would u like to suggest me….. Waiting for ur valuable suggestions……. Thanks in advance……..
Hi Anjali,
I am krithika Natarajan. I was a student of Padmasri Shobana Chandrakumar while I was in india. I gave a number of dance performances. Now I am in Swiss , Geneva. I have passion in teaching for begineers as well as advanced students in dance.
I congratulate you on your site. It is very interesting. As a dancer myself, I am able to appreciate your time and dedication in this field. Your videos would sure prove useful to everyone who is interested to learn classical dance.
Do Keep up with your good work. Keep in touch @ my email id
Thanks
Krithika
Hey Pushpanjali,
Currently you are in a place where you would find number of eminent dance gurus who can guide. Think of taking two months guidance from teachers there before you leave Chennai. Secondly where is your native? if you let me know that I can suggest teachers from my network.
Hi Karthika,
Thanks for the appreciation. Happy to know you have been a student of Padmashri Shobana. Will be in touch with you.
Hi Anjali,
It is actually difficult to go to classes in Chennai for me because of my working hours and more over i travel to my Native Bangalore every weekend……… So if u please suggest me in Bangalore to whom to contact for the classes it will of great help. And how about learning through online…… Shopuld i begin it learing with ur help online and then join???
Thanks 🙂
Dear anjali,
thanx for a gr8 site…I’ve learnt bharatnatyam for 6 yrs, howeevr due to my studies had to quit.I was unable to practice my craft for 10yrs now. I desperately need to brush my memory for all the syllabus and continue with the dance as I’ve not practiecd them for last 10 yrs now.I’m looking for a guru in thane,maharashtra. hope you could help me with the same…
thanx and keep up the good work.
Gauri