Beginner students, ages 4 to 9 years old, will focus on the basics of Bharatnatyam. Students should wear comfortable clothes that allow freedom of movement, hair should be tied up in a pony or bun and water to drink available. Also please make sure the area to dance is clean and there is plenty of space to dance safely . In this Classical dance form,
- Week 1 :- Students will be building strength and rhythm through introductory dances with a focus on feelings, rhythm and story telling. Stories using ‘mudras’, or hand gestures, are also incorporated into this class.
- Week 2 : Focusing on Nritta Which means pure dance steps or dance sequences that are performed rhythmically. These movements and gestures do not convey any mood or thought. Their sole purpose is to create beauty. Adavus – which are the basic steps in Bharatanatyam- form the basic component of Nritta.
- Week 3 focus : Nrittya involves interpretation and is the mime that corresponds to the song accompanied by music and song. This aspect of Bharatanatyam involves showing emotions, sentiments and to convey a message through steps, movements and gestures.
- Week 4 focus on Natya is the art of storytelling through dance. Natya is the dramatic representation and the technique involved here is called “Abhinaya”. The dancer through steps, gestures, movements and expressions, As mentioned before Adavus are the initial steps in Bharatanatyam which form the basic component of Nritta.
- Just like how alphabets mean a lot to a language, Adavus mean a lot to a Bharatanatyam dancer or student. They are steps that are combined to form a dance sequence and are done in synchronization with the syllables. An Adavu is a combination of – Sthaanam ( The position of the legs) Mandalam (The position of standing) Chaari (The movement) Nritta hasta (The hand gestures) Before we discuss the Adavus, we would like to shed light on some of the most important components Posture Training will be taught in every class Posture training is a prerequisite to any dance style. In Bharatanatyam, we focus on maintaining a strong and focused stance which further adds up to the beauty of our movement. Some things to keep in mind for a perfect posture- Make sure that your back is absolutely straight, Shoulders are thrown back, Keep your chin straight. It should not face up, droop down or sideways. Hands are on your waist and you sit in the Araimandi position or the half-sitting position.