Karana, a Sanskrit word which meaning ‘doing’ is basically transitions in the classical Indian dances. It is described in the Natyashastra as “hastapaada samaayogaah nrttsya karanam bhavet”. It is a combination of three elements, namely nritta hasta (dance movement of the hands), sthaana (a dance posture for the body) and a chaari (a dance movement of the […]
Carnatic music is the life and blood of Bharatnatyam dance form and Taalams are the backbone of Carnatic music. Also known as Taalantainmah, derived from the Sanskrit word tala which literally means a clap, it is basically the rhythmic pattern or repetition of any composition. In Carnatic music this regular repeated rhythmic phrase is primarily […]
Gati is a word which denotes the graceful gait enacted by the dancer in the Bharatnatyam dance. Gati Bhedas or the different types and speeds in walking as described in Abhinaya Darpanam, are ten in number. These are all based on the specific style of various living creatures, often used by the dancers to portray these creatures or convey […]
In the past we have uploaded many dance items from various shows on our website, face book page as well as the you tube channel, Jatiswaram being one of them. Today I thought of writing about the concept, the rules it follows and its structure, though most dancers would already be familiar about it. Jatiswaram […]
Natyashastra the originating source of all classical dances in India, details out body postures, neck movements, eye movements, hand movements or mudras etc. Today I want to talk about the various kinds of standing postures a Bharatnatyam dancer has to learn. I like my students to learn these and be conversant in it as soon they […]
Today’s blog is actually in continuation of an earlier one where I spoke about the various kinds of Abhinayaas detailed in the classical scriptures. Abhinayam, as mentioned earlier is four folds- Angikam, Vachikam, Aharyam and Sattvikam. In this write up I will detail out Angigam Abhinayam, which is the expression through the body and its limbs. […]
As you all are well aware our organization, Kalyani Kala Mandir is named after my Guru and mentor of almost 30 years, Guru Srimati Kalyani Shekar. It is my attempt to honour her and express my gratitude to her for teaching me everything possible about Bharatnatyam dance, its nuances and importance. The credit for all my achievements as an artist, a dancer, […]
The modern Bharatnatyam dance as we know it today has various styles which vary in nuances. At Kalyani Kala Mandir we practice and teach the Dandayuda Pani Pillai School or style of Bharatnatyam. K.N. Dandayudapanipillai was born on July 14, 1921 at Karaikkal in a family of musicians. Dandayudapani studied music under the guidance of […]
A typical bharatnatyam recital or a complete performance routine is called a Maargam. It consists of the following Items: The programme begins with a Pushpanjali which is an offering of flowers to the gods. This is usually set to Raga Naatai or Gambhir Nattai. The Pushpanjali is usually followed with a Kauthuvam. This is an invocatory piece in which […]
Nattuvanaar is perhaps the most important person in a Bharatnatyam orchestra. Simply put the person who plays the nattuvangam is a nattuvanaar. However in reality it is so much more complex. Nattuvangam, also known as Thalam are a pair of metal alloy cymbals, one being flat, hard and base while the other being small, cup-shaped and shrill, which […]