tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77185313094592979792024-03-07T20:01:27.604-08:00Bharathanatyam and MeAngikam bhuvanam yasya Vachicam, sarva vangmayam Aharyam chandra taradi, tam vande satvikam shivam.Sharkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988390811396242179noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7718531309459297979.post-74285498683472058122007-07-12T21:41:00.000-07:002007-07-12T23:05:30.109-07:00My First Class - Introduction of Adavu<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">It was a rainy day. Rain, as they say is a carrier of prosperity. Little did I realise that day, this rain would prosper my dance life!</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">My first <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bharathantyam</span> teacher's name was <strong>Ms.<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Subhadra</span></strong>. She was conducting classes in a small garage. I was hardly 7 years old then.. but still that first day is etched in my memory. She made me hold some gestures in the hand (Gestures are patterns made by fingers.. remember the shadow stories on the wall?) and taught me few steps. I did as I was told, and lo! I was certified "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">learnable</span>" :)</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">To be very frank, I didn't even know what I was doing. To me, dance class was fun.. there were lot more girls of my age and we would laugh and dance (learn) together.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">Saturdays were more fun, she used to teach us <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><em>Kolata</em></span>, or some other folk-dance which was really enjoyable as it was to be done as a group.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">Thank you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Subhadra</span> miss, for sowing the first seeds of dance in me. If your classes were not that fun, I am not sure I would have continued :)</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">As a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bharathanatyam</span> disciple, I first learnt STEPS. The initial steps use only legs; no hand or neck movements. These "steps" in technical lingo are called as "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Adavus</span>". There are 64 basic <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">adavus</span>, which can be categorised under 9 heads</span></div><ol><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><em><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ThattAdavu</span></strong></em> - Stamping on the ground with your complete feet. Starts with one beat each with your left and right leg, then continues with 2 each, 3, 4 , 5, 6 and 7.</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">NaatAdavu</span></em></strong> - The complexity starts now, these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">adavus</span> are a combination of heel beats, complete feet beet and toe beats!</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">PakkAdavu</span></em></strong> - The dancer starts "moving" with these steps; Moving towards sides, front or back while doing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Adavus</span>.</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">KuditthamettAdavu</span></em></strong> - This one is a combination of a small upward movement and then a normal beat on the ground. </span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">MandiAdavu</span></em></strong> - Now the dancer starts using his/her knees. This is the most difficult part for a y<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">oung</span> student. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">adavus</span> make the knees slide on the ground, or hit the ground with the knees (it's not as dangerous as it sounds.. it's a small slide and a slight hit). After few steps the knees ache badly... and also it's an effort to get up from the kneel-down position. Ah! How many times I have been scolded for not getting up gracefully ...he..hee...</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">SarikkalAdavu</span></em></strong> - The merry-go round starts now :) The dancer is first introduced to making circles. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Incidentally</span>, in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Kathak</span> form of dance, this is the the-most-important part. I have heard that students are made to just practice circular steps for hours! Their heads must be reeling after that ;-)</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">UthpluthaAdavu</span></em></strong> - The jumps start here, the interesting part is not the jump, but the "balance" after the jump :). The complexity reaches it's heights when you have to do a circle in the air as you jump....</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">ThattumettAdavu</span></em></strong> - The the most complicated of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">adavus</span> in terms of technicality. These <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">adavus</span> are programmed for a specific number of beats and it will be a combination of 2,3,4,5,6,7 beats per leg.</span></span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#cccccc;"><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">TheermanaAdavu</span></em></strong> - The "final" ones. These are not only the final <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">adavus</span>, but it is like a full stop in an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">English</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">sentence</span>. i.e The words are combination of other 8 steps and full stop is this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">adavu</span>. Every small piece of dance is supposed to end with this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">adavu</span>.</span></span></div></li></ol><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">It takes a fresh dancer <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">atleast</span> 2 years to completely master all these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Adavus</span> to perfection.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">The initial dance class days are physically tiring, every nerve of your leg aches and it's difficult to even walk properly. Hence it is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">advised</span> that a person takes to dance at an early age when the body is more flexible and the energy levels are also high. The later you start, the more difficult it gets.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#cccccc;">With the mention of leg pain, I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">invariably</span> remember my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Pati</span> (Grandmother), she suffered from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">arthritis</span> and I used to press her legs in the night almost everyday before sleeping. But the days I had dance class, she used to do that for me :-)</span></p>Sharkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988390811396242179noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7718531309459297979.post-41293473533477772772006-11-01T20:25:00.000-08:002006-11-01T22:03:31.107-08:00What is Dance?<div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Technically, Dance is just movement of your limbs. I will try to refine the definition. Dance is an artistic form of communication. Dance is when you move your hands and legs to the tune of something. Even walking is a kind of dance step.<br /><br />When we start to know about any topic, the first thing we look for is a book. Like there is Barrons for GRE, Let us C - Yashwant Kanitkar for C programming, Complete reference for Java.... there is Natya Shastra for Indian Classical Dance. This one book encapsulates everything about dance, drama, music. This book was originally written by Bharatha Muni in Sanskrit. There are now lots of interpretations of this book available in the market.<br /><br />There are 7 major forms of dance. They are<br /><br /></div></span><ol><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Bharathanatyam</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Kathak</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Kathakali</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Kuchupudi</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mohini Attam</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Manipuri</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oddissi</span></div></li></ol><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There are lots of other dance forms, but it is beleived that they are interpretations of one of these "major" forms.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My expertise (if I can call that) is limited to Bharathanatyam. Though I have learnt a little Kathak and Mohiniattam as well. So this blog will concentrate mainly on Bharathanatyam and my life associated with it.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was 7 when I was introduced to this wonderful world of dance! Thank you amma, for making me do this. All my relatives were saying to my mom " Why do you have to make her learn dance? Atleast if she learns to sing she can get good grooms!". As if the sole intention of learning an art form is to get a good groom! My mom is an artist (carnatic classical musician), and she knew the value of art.</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">She made me join dance class, veena class and of course she herself used to teach me to sing. She was not imposing too many things on me.. she just wanted to know what I would be "actually" interested in. Little was she to know that her darling daughter would be interested in everything :)</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Coming back to the main question: What is dance?</span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dance is:</span></p><ul><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A rhythemic movement.</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">An artistic expression.</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When you can depict a complete story with just few hand and leg movements.</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When you get into another character completely... body and soul.</span></div></li><li><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Entertainment with a message.</span></div></li></ul><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p>Sharkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08988390811396242179noreply@blogger.com22