Bharatanatyam

My Dance Journey so far!

      'Dance is a great way to express yourself ' -Darcey Bussell

Yes, I totally agree with that statement! Why? Because I have experienced that myself!

Since I was a toddler, I was more of an introvert. I had many thoughts in my head, but I decided to keep them to myself because I wasn’t able to convey these thoughts in the right manner ☹! 

My thoughts were just like a cloud,  full of evaporated water, but just wasn’t able to shower its rain in the right way; it could either give light rains in a controlled way to bloom and nourish the flowers, but it was so full, that the only way was to burst open, therefore, it stayed motionless and stagnent (like toddler Avni 😞!)

Just as Dr. Ananda says- ‘Everything should be done at the right time, at the right place, for the right purpose’ That’s what I started to follow, and this very thing has helped me follow my cause in this world- my Dharma! In the same way, this is definitely something you should take away after reading this, and apply it at every moment of your life!

I joined a new school in 3^rd grade, and I was introduced to my dance teacher, Reena Ma’am! She always has new and unique ideas for every annual day/festival! She was the first one who instilled the passion of dance inside me! Eventually, I started to open up, step by step, dance by dance!

My sister, Niyati, is my exact opposite. She was born to dance from the day she entered this world! I was inspired by her and she has  definitely played a huge role in my dance life! 

We both tried Jazz, Modern Contemporary, Bollywood, Hip Hop, Ballet and Bollyhop, all from professionally trained and elegant teachers, such as Palak didi, Shreyans Bhaiya, Upasana Ma’am, Acash Shetty, and from Chetan Danza! Typically, they all are allrounders and  amazing teachers!!

In November 2020, we also joined Bharatantayam along with Yoga at Yoganjali Natyalam! Niyati and I were keen to try out a new dance form from a different culture which we weren’t aware of!

From the 1^st day itself, we both fell in love with this graceful and divine dance form! We are blessed to learn from extremely graceful and experienced teachers, such as Devasena Miss, Krishnavenni akka, Dhivya akka and Vidya akka!

Some great pictures I found from YOGNAT'S Dance Dramas, by my extremely talented teachers!

I have been learning a number of things, which I was fully unaware of and ignorant about before joining these classes! Not only from the Bharatanatyam classes, but from the Scintillating Saturday sessions which are held by Dr. Sir! 

Here are some of the littlest things that I absorbed by listening to these inspiring teachers, maybe you can take a few thing with you too, so that this knowledge given by my teachers can be passed on to each and every person, which started from the Nataraja; Lord Shiva, continued down to my teachers by their gurus, and now you can be the one to continue the chain!

Did you know?

1. Bharatanatyam connotes a dance that harmoniously expresses/is made up of the syllables:

BHA- Bhava (Emotions)

RA- Raga (Music)

THA- Thaalam (Rhythm)

2. This is a dance which is dedicated to the Nata (Dance) + Raja (King) = Nataraj, who is none other than Lord Shiva himself!

Before, I used to dance for me, for my benefit, but now that mindset has completely reversed, and at present, through my dance, my Bhakti is offered to the God, I am slowly going on that stage where I will dance for the Lord himself, the King of Dances, the Nataraja!

                                      

Recently I heard of this quote saying, 'Dance like nobody is watching, because they are not, they are all checking their phones!' And that's so right! Nowadays, especially in the lockdown, many people have their faces glued to their phones. So, the only person who will surely be watching is God! So, leave all the tension, all the stress, and dance freely for the source himself! 

I have learnt many more things, but that's for another time!

As Ammaji-… says, ‘Ignorance is bliss’! and Yes it is! Before I knew my real level of knowledge, I thought ‘I know everything about dance……..!’ Now I’m like, ‘No, I need to learn a lot more! Really!’

All of this is because of our egoistic minds, which surprisingly also had hit my 8 year old mind a few years back! Maybe we can call it the 'Egoistic disease' and the only vaccine is understanding the real knowledge! (Personally I have to work on it too... I'm still infected with that disease, but I'm sure, with association with my great teachers, I will change!)

In Bharatanatyam class, Devasena Miss asks everyone such questions, that they roam around our mind, day and night, so that we can answer her correctly in the next class! She has built up everyone’s awareness so sharply! We are constantly being imparted an ocean of wisdom and knowledge, every second, every minute! We learn so many adavus, shlokams, that now our memory power has increased, and our alertness, has brushed up! All thanks to all our teachers!!

Looking forward to a great journey with my teachers in the future!

Sharing the link of a glimpse of my Bharatanatyam Journey with Niyati!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2E_NQ-gXnDxK0dtbJ8q0qNjNlmg3zuhL