Request Lanaguage
A week from Sunday I have my first dance performance with my new school! I love dance, partly as exercise and partly as a spiritual experience. I guess dance for me is what yoga is for a lot of people.
I dug up some pictures of myself from my previous dance school. This is a classical south Indian style called Bharat Natyam. It tells stories about the gods mostly. You use your hands and face to express the story and your feet keep rhythm. Most of the dance is done in a squat position like a ballet plie (no idea how to spell that, sorry!). You'll see me squatting in these pictures, but not nearly as much as I should be. It's tough on the legs. To emphasize the stamps of the feet, we wear anklets that are covered in bells. The squat looks particularly nice with the costume, where you see the layers of fans going down the front.
And here are some YouTube examples of other people doing Bharatnatyam (i.e., people much better than me!)
One of the spectacular things about this dance is that it involves every part of the body. Where your eyes are looking is very important. The eyes follow the hands usually. There is a saying that goes, "Where the hands go, the eyes go; where the eyes go, the mind goes; where the mind goes, the heart goes. There love arises."
I've been wanting to learn Natyam for very long but there aren't any schools where I live which is a shame. How long have you been learning for? But you look fantastic. I have saree with the exact colorings of your red and white Natyam costume. Maybe when I eventually go and live in India, I may pick it up since age is of no bar.
ReplyDeleteP.s your blog is so addictive, it's the first thing I open up in the morning! =)
I requested Hindi levels 4 and 5! Now will you share the month-by-month list you referenced on my blog? Pretty please? With cherries on top?
ReplyDeleteLol, Sara. Of course, although I think it might only be relevant to me! I've sent it to the yahoo email address on your blogger profile. Let me know if you don't see it.
ReplyDeleteDhurga, do you mind if I ask where you live? I'm amazed that there aren't teachers. Other classical dances I haven't been able to find, but bharatnatyam is pretty popular. Have you tried this website: http://www.narthaki.com/bhnatyam/bh2bbt.htm ? That's where I found my teacher. If you go back a layer, there's listings of schools in many different countries too.
Word of mouth is the best way to find teachers, though. Ask around to any Indians you know and someone might know someone whose sister teaches dance!
Savitha Sastry's dancing is TOO Good!!.
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