Although the Karanas are a series of body movements (as opposed to the popular notion that they are mere poses or adavus) and have to be performed in accordance to the interpretation of their Sanskrit texts, they all derive their names from a single source which gives each Karana its unique name. Hence, each Karana […]
In the Indian classical dance tradition, hand gestures or mudras are widely used to convey everything from emotions to objects to happenings to living beings to situations. Mudras are used skillfully with facial expressions, poses and dynamic movements to convey stories in Bharatnatyam. As we had written earlier there are two kinds of hand gestures, […]
Touch, to me, has always meant love, compassion and support. It reminds me of my mother, who was and is, a constant in my life. It means friendship, it means easing away pain and sorrows. The greatest healer in life can sometimes be just the human touch. Touch is a symbol of an unbreakable bond […]
It’s the first week of September, with two significant days for me personally, the birthday of Smt Vijayalakshmi Krishnan, my Guru for Carnatic music and of course the Teacher’s Day. So, today’s blog is dedicated to Smt Vijayalakshmi Krishnan, the Guru who inspired me and scores of others to take up Carnatic vocals. Kind and […]
Anga of Rupaka Talam with Talalipi of all Jatis The Rupaka Talam of the South Indian Tala System has only 2 angas- the Dhrutam which has 2 beats (symbolised by a 0) and a laghu which has variable beats according to the jati (symbolised by l). Hence in talalipi, the symbol of Rupaka talam is […]
In Bharatnatyam dance endless stories are depicted through pure dance and emoting by male and female characters. The male lead is the Nayak or the hero who can have various shades to his character. Nayika, the female lead, is also presented in her many moods and hues. Before we go into the details of Nayak […]
Tala means cyclic rhythms of beats. According to some scholars, it is derived from ‘ta’ (referring to Shiva’s Tandava aspect) and ‘la’ (referring to Pallavi Lasya). The union of these two or of the right and left hands produce tala. The smallest unit measured in tala is one akshara kala. There are mainly three angas […]
The South Indian Talam System has primarily Seven Talams. These are as follows: Ada Talam Dhruva Talam Eka Talam Jumpa Talam Matya Talam Rupaka Talam Triputa All of these talams consist of different parts or angas, which can be a few or all combinations of Laghu, Dhrutam and Anudhrutam. The Laghu is expressed with a […]
In India, Classical dance is broad term used to refer to a group of dance form which can trace their origin to the Natya Shastra, the ancient text for theatre and drama. Classical dance forms are well developed in terms of their technique, grammar and execution and are formally taught or learnt through the Guru-Shishya tradition through […]
From Thanjavur came the great Kandappa Pillai in the late 20th Century, with a lineage to boast of. Guru Kandappa Pillai was himself the inheritor of a great tradition. For over six generations, the family were nattuvanars and dance teachers. Kandappa’s great great great Grandfather Gangamuthu must have been a contemporary of Papamamal. Two generations […]