Your First Bharatanatyam Class: What to Expect and What to Bring
What happens in a first Bharatanatyam class, what to wear and bring, basic class etiquette, how parents can help and what the first month usually feels like.
Journal
Notes on the art.
Practical guides, history and technique from a Pandanallur-style Bharatanatyam school in Porur, Chennai — for students, parents and anyone who loves the dance.
Students & Parents 9 articles
What Is the Right Age to Start Bharatanatyam?
Most children start Bharatanatyam between five and seven, but teens and adults can begin too. Readiness signs, first lessons and questions to ask a teacher.
Salangai Pooja: The Ceremony of the Ankle Bells
What salangai pooja is in Bharatanatyam, when it usually happens, what takes place during the ceremony, and how students care for and respect their ankle bells.
Online vs In-Person Bharatanatyam Classes: Which Is Right for You?
Online or in-person Bharatanatyam classes? Compare the pros and cons, who each suits, how hybrid learning works and how to set up a space for online lessons.
Learning Bharatanatyam as an Adult: Is It Too Late?
It is not too late to learn Bharatanatyam as an adult. What changes after 18, how to set realistic goals, protect your knees and fit classes around work.
How to Choose a Bharatanatyam Class in Chennai: A Parent's Checklist
A parent's checklist for choosing a Bharatanatyam class in Chennai: the teacher's lineage, batch size, curriculum, arangetram policy, fees and red flags.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Bharatanatyam?
An honest guide to how long Bharatanatyam takes to learn: what the first years cover, typical stages up to arangetram, and what speeds up or slows progress.
Benefits of Learning Bharatanatyam for Children and Adults
The physical, mental, expressive, cultural and social benefits of learning Bharatanatyam, and how they differ for children and adults who take up the dance.
Arangetram: The Debut Performance in Bharatanatyam
What a Bharatanatyam arangetram is, when a student is ready, what the performance involves, and a practical preparation timeline for students and parents.
Technique 4 articles
Araimandi and Safe Practice: A Home Routine for Bharatanatyam Students
How to hold araimandi correctly, the faults that strain knees and back, and a 25-minute Bharatanatyam home practice routine with warm-up and cool-down.
Adavus: The Building Blocks of Bharatanatyam
What is an adavu in Bharatanatyam? The main adavu families, sollukattu, the three speeds, araimandi, the usual teaching order and how adavus build into jathis.
The Nine Rasas in Bharatanatyam
What are the nine rasas in Bharatanatyam? Rasa vs bhava, each navarasa with its sthayi bhava, how it is shown, and how students practise abhinaya.
Mudras in Bharatanatyam: The Language of the Hands
A guide to Bharatanatyam mudras: the 28 single-hand and 24 double-hand hastas of the Abhinaya Darpana, their uses, how they are taught and common mistakes.
Music & Repertoire 3 articles
The Bharatanatyam Margam: From Alarippu to Thillana
What a Bharatanatyam margam is, the order of items from Alarippu to Thillana and Mangalam, why the varnam is the centrepiece, and how students learn them.
Nattuvangam: The Conductor of a Bharatanatyam Performance
What is nattuvangam in Bharatanatyam? The cymbals, reciting jathis, the nattuvanar's role in training and on stage, its history and what students learn from it.
Music and Rhythm in Bharatanatyam
How Carnatic music shapes Bharatanatyam: raga and tala, common talas and beat counts, sollukattu, the musicians on stage and how students learn to keep tala.
History & Culture 7 articles
Bharatanatyam vs Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak and Odissi
How Bharatanatyam differs from Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak and Odissi in region, music, movement and costume, with a comparison table and tips for parents.
A Dance Lover's Guide to the Margazhi Season in Chennai
A practical guide to Chennai's Margazhi December season for Bharatanatyam students and families: history, finding dance programmes, etiquette and planning.
Understanding the Pandanallur Style of Bharatanatyam
The Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam explained: its village origins and lineage, its hallmarks of geometry and deep araimandi, and what it means for students.
The History and Evolution of Bharatanatyam
How Bharatanatyam grew from Tamil temple dance and the Natya Shastra into Sadir, survived the anti-nautch years and was revived as a concert art in the 1930s.
Famous Bharatanatyam Dancers Who Shaped the Art Form
Meet the dancers who shaped modern Bharatanatyam, from T. Balasaraswati, Rukmini Devi Arundale and E. Krishna Iyer to Mrinalini Sarabhai and Alarmel Valli.
Dance as Devotion: The Spiritual Roots of Bharatanatyam
How Bharatanatyam's spiritual roots shape the dance: Nataraja symbolism, temple ritual, bhakti poetry in padams and varnams, and the namaskaram in every class.
Bharatanatyam Costume and Jewellery: A Complete Guide
A guide to the Bharatanatyam costume and jewellery: saree and pyjama styles, temple jewellery names, hair, make-up, alta and salangai, with tips for parents.