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.
Thanks for very helpful information. can u give give some information regarding dance schools/univesities in india.
I am very impressed by you .Iam very
glad
please suggest me some
Thanks
i have just started learning bharatanatyam.and u won’t believe i clear my doubts watching your videos.i thank ou a lot for this.thankyou very much.
hello mam, i loved ur website , excellent effort.. mam iam 20 years old and live in coimbatore,tamilnadu . i am a bharathanatyam dancer, can you please tell me various programs which take place around so that i can take part in it..
thank you mam:)
Namaskar Anjaliji,
I really appriciate the way you have put dance info. in this site. Its amazing. I have learnt bharatnatyam but I need to recollect everything as I haven’t practiced it for years. I thank you for giving all needed info. It really helped me 🙂 Can you please also put all the items of margam like Alaaripu, Jatiswaram, Shabdam, Padam, Tillana, Kirtanam, Shlokam & Varnam? It would be really appriciated & I would be very thankful to you.
hello mam…
your site is amazing. m trying to knw abt dis dance.. can u plz
gv me informaion relatedd to bharatnatyam dance???
i mean the proper words which r used in dis dance.
i will b very thankful if u guide me
i will wait for yr reply
Hi Anjali, many many thanks to you.today I have joined my 3 yr old in dance class , and I want to know more about Bharathanatyam. I saw your website and I am like wow I felt like I can learn dance too:). your demonstration is really good.
Please keep posting new steps and once again great work.
Hi Anjali,
I am 36 years old and have just begun learning bharathnatyam for the past 2 months – I came across your website when i was searching online about the knee pain that is bothering me so much. I am not able to make out if this something normal and will subside as I continue practising or am I injuring my knees. My children are also practicing for the past 1 year they do not have any such problems. Looking forward for your advise. thanks
@Medha, I shall gradually add all the dances. Thank you
@Sneha, what information are you looking for?
@Lakshmi, Thank you.
@Prashanthi, Slight pain initially is normal, but if it is bothering you in your daily routine pls consult a doctor.
Is there an age limit to performing an arangetram?
@Sheela, No age limit, But the student must have had a training of atleast 4 to 5 yrs before an arangetram.
Hello Anjali,
Thank you so much for your lessons in Bharathnatyam. My daughter is 4.5 yrs. old and I just initiated her in this field. Since I am not a dancer myself, your site is my reference to make her practice at home what she learnt in the class.
I like the way your lessons are structured, your perfection and the humbleness with which you have described about yourself. I am also very glad that you are able to give so much back to the community. Keep up the good work.
Thanks and Regards,
Shobha
Hi Anjali,
I am looking for a beginners DVD in Bharatanatyam for my daughter who is going to be 5 years. I am 30 and I may also learn along with her. Can you suggest a good one for learning from the basic. I found some Learn DVD’s of Smt. Sreekala Bharat when I was searching online. Are they o.k. to start with?
Nithya Jaishankar
hai this is magesh from tamilnadu , i like barathanatiyam,
u r work is very wonderfull, so u keep u r work, with best compliments ,
thanks & best regards
magesh
can we start practicing bharatanatyam in the age of 22??
@Shobha and Mageshwaran, Thank you for the encouraging words. I am happy this site helps mother’s initiate their children into the dance form. God bless!! I owe a lot to readers like you who have accepted and supported this concept.
@Nithya, I have only seen some clippings on youtube. Looks like its good.
@ Priyaa, yes you can if you believe!! I have students above the age of 45 learning with sincere devotion.
heyy didi!!
i started to learn bharatnatyam by watching your clipings in youtube but there are so many advus and hand mudras and i don’t know where to start with……. can you guide me through this???
please..
thank you
Dear Shefali, learn the Adavus in the order mentioned in this link http://onlinebharatanatyam.com/2007/07/21/more-about-adavus. And Hand mudras in the order in these links:
Asamyukta hasta: http://onlinebharatanatyam.com/2008/01/03/asamyukta-hasta-or-single-hand-gesture
Samyukta hasta: http://onlinebharatanatyam.com/2008/02/28/samayukta-hastas-or-double-hand-gestures-in-bharatanatyam
hi am a teacher in bharatanatyam.it has help to clear my small doubts.i am kathak dancer.i am completed 5 years in that.i had done my arangetram in 2000.me learning more bharatanatyam n revising it.i am 22 yr old.i want to perform n be famous and wht more should i do
but which adavus should i learn first so that i can get the basics in my head………..
@ Pooja perform where ever you get an opportunity to. Delve deeper understand the theory. Also try and introspect if dance is what you intend to take up in future. Then you may have to look into option of working towards it.
@Shefali, begin with Tatta adavu on the website and follow the order given there.
hi…….
i studied bharatanatyam 10 years bac….this site really helped me to revise my lessons….thk a lot…………
Hai Anjali,
I am really interested in Bharathanatyam. I have learnt 4 years of this beautyful classical dance but it was not continuously. I used to change Gurus for several reasons and finally stopped learning 5 years ago.(i don’t know why i stopped but i regret a lot now.)
Now i’m living in England and my interest to Bharathanatyam is increasing. but unfortunately there are no bharathanatyam teachers where i live(warrington). so i started browsing on the net and very luckyly i found your website. i am really very happy that i found your site because it is extremely detailed and simply superb!! from today i will learn bharathanatyam from the begining with the help of your videos. so can you please guide me in how i could organize or just give me any suggestions?
thank you very much!
Hi,
This is Meenakshi,I am a lawyer by profession and a Kathak Dancer.Recently I have shifted to Kolkata and I would like to learn Bharatanatyam. If you can please provide me some information regarding Bharatanatyam classes in Kolkata.
Regards,
Meenakshi
Hi Anjali,
I am lavanya, im very much interested in learning bharatnatyam from basics. Due to my family suituation I was unable to go to the classess. But its my life long desire to learn bharatnatyam. Can u please help me in this regard to learn bharatnstyam through online. Hope to receive your reply soon. Thanks
hai anjali!!!!
i m soooooooo happiee that i started learning Bharathanatyam again after 3 years gap… I m soooo muchhh excited … thank u… thank u… thanku very very muchhh!!!!!!!! got no words 2 express my gratitude….
well! 4got 2 introduce myself.. i am veena vijaya babu, 17, doing my first year in engineering.. a resident of Kerala ……….n how r u???
GOD bless u!
take care!!!
Hi Anjali,
What a wonderfully compiled Blog!
I have always wanted to learn classical dance, but never found the opportunity. Now, I’m 24 yrs old – too old to start learning Bharatanatyam. But I can at least give it a try. Thanks a lot!!
Can you give me any links on the syllabus/certification structure for the students?
hi anjali,
i too started learning bharatanatyam from this site. I am from australia and there was no source to learn the dance. I started learning from a lady and am practicing from your website. thank you for this. and wish u all the very best,
Anne
dear Anjali,
thank you for your great commitment in this marvelous dance form, your help is very useful for those who do not have the fortune of being in India! I have a question for you or for the other followers of this website: I have trouble finding the text of a Pushpanjali dedicated to Siva Nataraja in Nattai Adi, I have the meaning but not the correct lines/traslitteration in the original language. can anybody help? thank you very much
Giuditta – Italy
hey, im 13 years old and im I’ve been dancing bharatanatyam for 10 years… i live in south Africa and im close to becoming a kumari, will you please put up down loadable songs that comes up in the graduation.
Bhavana check kalakendra.com for down loadable bharatanatyam songs.
Hi Anjali
Your effort and idea to provide this information online to the world is simply superb.
I had and still have a great love and passion for bharatanatyam. I am now 28 yrs old unfortunately i dint get an oppurtunity to learn it until now. I have a 3 years old daughter. She has interest in dancing. And hope she has the blessings to learn Bharatnatyam. Can you please let me what would be the right age for her to start learning bharatnatyam. I was looking for information on basics to learn on bharatnatyam and indulge my kid as well. I found this website quite useful and a good start for beginners. I have no words to say .. This is an amazing work. I have now words to appreciate your work… Thanks for all the effort you have put which will be a great gift for people like us.
Dear Uma, Thank you. I would think the right age to start a formal training can be 5 and above.
Hai Anjali ….
I’m a final year engineering student form Bangalore. Since my childhood I had a great interest and love towards Bharatanatyam but I couldn’t learn because of my family financial conditions. I would like to learn now …. I dont think it is late …… Can u please suggest the places in India where free Bharathanatyam classes are conducted ….. planing to do MS …… So also provide the information about about the free classes in US ….. Plz help me with your valuable reply …….
I am a student of Bharatnatyam. Thankyou for this website. I am a great fan of Hemam malini and mythili Prakash. They are my Bharatnatyam role models. Thats so nice that you have dance in hema ji’s ballets. Are any ballets coming to dallas,Texas
I am learning from one of Shri Deepak Majumdar’s first students, Ratna mehta
Hi Anjali, I want to ask u something that i m interested in learning “BHARATNATYAM”.i m 23 yrs married girl.so my question is can i start learning this dance at this age.I have learnd bollywood dance in ahmedabad.But mostly i’ve deep interest in bharatnatyam dance form.right now i m in seattle(USA).
Waiting for ur reply,
Anjali Vasani.
Dear Anjali, you can sure start learning the dance at this age. You commitment and interest matters.
hiee…
i liked ur site a lot…!!..m pursuing bfa(bharatnatyam) so it helpd mee a lot in completing my journals…on specific topics…
thnx…!!
hiee
can u allso plz advice me is chitra abhinaya and samanya abhinaya r same or different topics..??
Dear Anjali, Now iam 31 yrs old. Still longing to learn Bharatanatyam at this age too. How long it will take to learn it completely ? I mean basics. Hope it will be endless for learning it.Can you guide me where to start from ? what are the basic things i have to learn .pleaseeeeeee reply me. Thanks.
I love your website. i learnt it for 7 years and now i am teaching it to couple of students in Australia. I refer to your website all the time for the info. but I couldn’t find Nadai Adavu….can you please include them?
@Mythili you can start in the order of videos put up in video section on the index page. Also hand gestures under the Mudras and bheda section.
@Krupa, nadai adavu is another name for jati Adavu. it is also called pancha nadai.
Dear Anjali didi,
I saw your website and now I am gone mad, I am longing to join your dance class. Dance is my passion, though I am a GNM nurse now I am not interested to do any other work expect dance. My parents cannot effort to send me for a class, my mother has learnt a little bit in her childhood, I thank you from the bottom of my heart through me operating the computer my mother is learning from you and conducting classes as an income because my father is ill and not doing anything. May God bless you for reaching out to people and making life easier.
God bless you too. I am glad that the site helps your family. you are welcome.
how much is the charge for online?
Hi
Could you advise me. I have been having pain in my knees and feet. What can you recommend? Also Does a dancer need to keep fit and what sought of exercises do you recommend.
regards
nazley
Hi
can i have the basic gestures for grade 1 dance
@ Nazley, Dancer needs exercise for warm before you begin dancing and flexibility exercises like splits and stretches. may be done with care and at a slow pace. For beginners there will be pain in the thigh, calf and feet, but if the pain persists for long and disturbs your routine, please see you doctor.
@ Meri, I have sent you a mail in this regards. Thank you for your interest.