How to learn bharatanatyam for beginners?

For a complete beginner from Bay area, learning Bharatanatyam can be completely new. It is difficult to learn any Indian classical dance form just through videos. You need complete guidance from a dance master to fix your mudras and learn adavus the right way. Students usually start by learning a bit about the origins of Bharatanatyam. Then the teacher usually delves into performing the art form. For a beginner, you need nothing more than a willingness to learn bharatnatyam online. It can be quite painful to practice adavus, which are the foot movements initially. But in 3-4 months, students will enjoy the process thoroughly. At ipassio, our teachers take classes 1 on 1 and customize the sessions according to the student's skills.

Why take bharatnatyam online classes from ipassio?

At ipassio, only world-renowned experts of this ancient Indian art form take classes for the students. Some of the teachers have trained professionally at Kalakshetra college and have been honored with several distinguished awards and achievements. For beginner dance students, our format enables them to learn their adavus directly from teachers online. They can ask questions and get their movements corrected instantaneously by these dance gurus. The scope of learning is much faster in this format. When it comes to payments, there are no long term commitments. Students can sign up for as less as 2 classes at a time.

Topics to be covered

Courses begin with understanding the origins of Bharatanatyam and its three basic elements: Nritta, Nritya, and Natya. Meanings behind several movements will be taught which includes hand gestures, eye movements, foot positions and many more. Several rhythm patterns which are necessary for every Bharatanatyam class will also be covered. Basic physical exercises and poses before moving on to basic tattadavu and Sarikkal adavu. Several other adavus will be covered during the entire duration of the course. There will be several other lessons that include techniques and practices such as krithi and thillana, Carnatic music compositions and their accompanying movements. Students will also be briefly taught abhinaya, the Indian art of aesthetic expression.

History of Bharatanatyam

The theoretical structure of Bharatanatyam, which is known as 'Sadir' can be traced back to Natya Shastra. Lord Brahma is believed to be the creator of Bharatanatyam who performed it to Bharata. In South Indian temples, devadasis (dancers dedicated to the Lord who are also the servants) used to perform Bharatanatyam. During the British rule of India, they considered devadasis as disgraceful and ordered a ban on them. Later, several people have fought hard to revive this wonderful classical dance form.