You are famous for your stamina & for holding a pose for a considerable

time. Do you take a special diet, do special exercises for that?

I could hold a pose for half a minute. It's an inborn gift to me by God. People
have asked me if I take any special meals for that. I'm a pure vegetarian. I used
to do a lot of stretching and bending exercises. That's how I could do the
Natharmudimel Irukkum Nalla Pambey which is my favorite as well as a favorite
with the audience. very morning! I used to exercise before going for make"up
or shooting! also in the evening after returning from shooting if it was not too
late. #henever I found time! I used to work out for $ or % hours at a stretch.
That's how I developed my stamina.
Do you have any health tips for up and coming dancers?
&iscipline is all in the mind. 'ccidents happen! they can't be avoided. I feel most
dancers do take care. 's parts wear out! problems are bound to arise. No
extremities! never over"exercise any body part to prevent it from being worn out
early.
Bharatanatyam is one of the Indian classical dance form. Practicing it is beneficial for health in
many ways. Find out how.
Veena is practicing Bharatanatyam since five years now. Her mother gives classical dance tutorials at
renowned performing arts institution. She wanted Veena to learn Bharatanatyam. It is her dream to
see Veena performing at state level. Veena herself loves dancing a lot. Veena's mother always talks
about health benefits of different classical Indian dance forms.
Indian classical dances like Oddisi, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi,
ohiniaattam, anipuri and Bharatanatyam are always admired and revered in the different parts of
India and even outside India. !hey are well known for their body movements and facial e"pressions.
Bharatanatyam is an Indian classical dance from !amilnadu. It is a blend of e"pressions, melody and
rhythm. Bharatanatyam is the combination of three
elements Nritta, Nritya and Natya. Nritta highlights body movements and rhythm. Nritya gives
emphasis to dance postures and body movements. Natyagives importance to drama and poems.
#one with complete concentration the dance form is as good as yoga. $ead on to get a closer look at
the countless health benefits it offers.
Improves balance
%ike many other Indian dance forms Bharatanatyam too has different posturesand poses. & performer
needs to elegantly maintain balance throughout the performance. !he different
body movements called Karanas are beneficial to improve balance. 'hile performing Karana a
performer needs to stay in one posture for a few seconds. !he posture can be compared to standing
on one foot for few seconds without losing balance.
Improves flexibility
Bharatanatyam is associated with facial e"pressions and non verbal communication. In this dance
form hand gestures and facial e"pressions are used to communicate and e"press feelings.
Sometimes even props are used to add to the visual element. Various Mudras (symbols and
positions) formulatethe dance form. !he udras work out various body parts and improve fle"ibility.
Improves stamina
Bharatanatyam movements make use of various muscles tissues. (ew hours of practice can give you
a good e"ercise and improve your stamina. )racticingBharatanatyam boosts endurance. oving all
limbs together at the same time, while the eyes follow whatever the hands do, re*uires a lot of
stamina. +etting a single step perfectly correct slowly can take time but it builds stamina.
Increases aerobics fitness
)racticing Bharatanatyam can give you all the benefits that you get by doing aerobics. #ancing is
good for your overall physical fitness. !he rapid bodymovements in this dance form boosts blood
circulation thus helping you live a long and healthy life.
Improves concentration
Bharatanatyam makes the body and even the mind agile. (or any dancer it is very important to
remember the Mudras, Hastas and Karnas to perform the dance well. & performer needs to remember
steps, names of the various steps, different moves, the beats and rhythm of the song. 'ith all this a
dancer has to pay attention if the body movements are in sync. !his hones the mental skills and
builds mental alertness.
Healthy heart
#ance and fitness always go hand in hand. ,ot only Bharatanatyam but any form of dance is
beneficial for the heart. #ancing boosts blood circulation, pumps blood faster and gets you closer to
a healthy heart.
Builds endurance
-very student of Bharatanatyam understands the value of practice. 'ith the lessons
of Bharatanatyam comes a very important lesson of life that ')ractice makes a man )erfect'. It is only
regular dance practice that helps a student rise to a higher degree of performance. !his builds
endurance in a person and makes him ready to pursue perfection. !his can even translate to an
everyday life value. 'hether, it is making an egg, achieving better grades or making a presentation,
getting better becomes a habit.
Controls weight
#ance forms like Bharatanatyam makes muscles active. & good performance
of Bharatanatyam re*uires good practice. )racticing dance regularly helps lose and control weight.
!he comple" movements, .umps and taut hand gestures use energy. So while you may be focused in
getting a particular step right you are burning calories and controlling weight.
Healthy and glowing skin
& Bharatanatyam performer uses his eyebrows, eyes, neck and lips to convey an
e"pression. Bharatanatyam performer put forward different e"pressions such as happiness, anger,
surprise, sadness, .ealousy and love. !he constant movement of facial muscles makes facial tissues
strong thus improving thecomple"ion. $egular Bharatanatyam performers have glowing and healthy
skin. !hey even have graceful eyes. !he movements of eyes strengthen the eye muscles which in
turn makes vision clear and healthy.
!his classical Indian dance form is full of health benefits. If you want to trim those flabby arms and
shape/up the thunder thighs then get yourself a pair ofghungroos 0feet bells1 and get on the floor with
your instructor. 2ou will surely dance your way to a lighter and healthier you.
oes your daughter learn Bharat !atyam" o you plan to enrol your daughter in Bharat
!atyam classes" #re you aware about health benefits of Bharat !atyam" iscuss here.
Quality 7# Concentration
Bharatanatyam makes the body and even the mind
agile. For any dancer it is very important to remember
the Mudras, Hastas and Karnasthe to perform the
dance well. performer needs to remember steps,
names of the various steps, different moves, the beats
and rhythm of the song. !ith all this a dancer has to
pay attention if the body movements are in sync. "his
develops the mental skills and builds mental alertness.
Quality 6# Endurance
#very student of Bharatanatyam understands the value
of practice. !ith the lessons of Bharatanatyam comes
a very important lesson of life that $%ractice makes a
man %erfect&. 't is only regular dance practice that
helps a student rise to a higher degree of performance.
"his builds endurance in a person and makes him
ready to pursue perfection. "his can even translate to
an everyday life value. !hether, it is making an egg,
achieving better grades or making a presentation,
getting better becomes a habit.
Quality 5# The Glancing Eye
"he %erfect () *Dissapointment+
'n )anskrit there is a saying called
Yatho Hastato Dhrishtihi,
Yatho Dhrishtisto Manaha,
Yatho Manatato Bhavaha,
Yatho Bhavastato Rasaha.
Meaning;
!here the ,ands go, the #yes should follow
!here the #yes go, the -ind should follow
!here the -ind goes, the #motions are generated
!here the #motions are generated, )entiment arises.
'n the above saying the first two lines are very
important. 't has to be practised perfectly and
sincerely. "his needs a lot of hard work. !hen this is
done, the rest of the . lines comes within ourselves
automatically. nd there arises the life of dance. )o,
the eyes play a ma/or role in dance.
Quality 4# Brahmari movement
0ircling movements or 1rahmari movements are one of
the important leg movements that one should practise.
%racticing all circling movements regularly keeps you
to have a perfect aramandi.
Quality 3# Rehka
2ow, i know you are thinking what rekha means and
how it is related to dance. '&ll tell you. (ekha is an art
of performing the dance on a huge stage. !hen we are
giving a solo perform ens it is very essential to cover
the whole stage and dance. You cant /ust use a corner
of the stage and dance. !hen the stage is going to be
small it is not a problem but when it is big, that too for
a solo perform ens it is very very important that you
move and use each and every part of the stage."here
is also an disadvantage of dancing on a big stage ie.,
while dancing you can ad/ust your self move here and
there and dance but there is one thing to keep in mind
that all the finishings*ending+ of each and every item
should be done in the middle of the stage. )ometimes
while dancing we tend to loose our concentration, we
will be thinking that we are in the middle but when we
look at our photos, we come to know.34+ )o, (ekha is
very very important for a dancer.
Quality 2# Steadiness
't is the ability to maintain the body, or a part of the
body, in a fixed position, or the ability to perform a
smooth movement without any deviations from the
desired course. )teadiness is adversely affected by
muscle tremor and usually decreases as the strength
of muscle contractions increase. 't is an important
component of skills re5uiring very controlled, steady
movements. "he anxiety caused by competition
sometimes results in the loss of steadiness. )o, always
you need to be calm and steady to learn such an art.
You need to be very fast and 5uick while dancing at
the same time very steady too.
Quality 1# Agility
't is the state or 5uality of being agile6
nimbleness.
gility is the ability to change body position rapidly
and accurately without loosing balance. 't is the basic
component of physical fitness. lthough its exact
nature has not determined, it depends on muscular
power, reaction time, co4ordination, and dynamic
flexibility. 't can also be told as a component of
physical fitness that describes changing the body&s
direction with speed and precision. )o for being
flexible you need to exercise daily have a healthy diet
and to practice dance daily.
10 Essential qualities for a dancer.
%osted in 1haratanatyam, dance, "he 78 9ualities of
1haratanatyam on pril 78, .88: by )hreenidhi
"raditional dance forms re5uire some common
characteristics to be exhibited during the learning and
exercising processes3
7. ;'<'"Y.
.. )"#D'2#)).
=. (#>,.
?. %(0"'0# '2 1,(-,(' -@A#-#2".
B. ",# ;<20'2; #Y#.
C. #2DD(20#.
:. 0@20#2"("'@2.
E. D#A@"'@2 * Towards the art +.
F. )%##0, * Clear +.
78. ;@@D )'2;'2; %@!#(.
'n the next few posts ' am planning to explain these
essential 5ualities of a dancer.
MAJOR CONSTITUENTS
OF BHARATANATYAM
1haratnatyam is the 0lassical Dance style of "amil
2adu.
lthough we have a very ancient dancing tradition
behind us, the form that we see at present with
the new nomenclature is only about B84C8 years
old *1haratnatyam was still called as)adir+.
1haratnatyam can be thought of as4consisting of .
segments
Form *;rammar+
0ontent *-essages 0onveyed+
@n stage, a dancer has about 7 to . hours to
express herself. )he performs about C4: pieces
where she conveys a certain grammatical
framework.
"he artist may want to convey a range of
emotions G pathos, happiness, love,
disgust *1hava+ and tell some intresting
mythological anecdotes *)anchari+ G grammer of
conveying this is bhinaya.
ll work and no plays makes /ack a dull boy. ll
emotions and stories and no breaks can make a
programme dull. "he breaks are the davu.
"hus, adavu is very important for dance. !ithout
adavu the dance cannot be completed.
ADAVU
-uch as it is true that the term davu is transalated as
foot work, adavu is not a presentation limited to usage
of the feet. #very single limb of the body is
coordinated in a certain style. "he hands, legs, head
etc constitute the ma/or limbs. "he simplest defenition
of davu would be, basic unit of 1haratanatyam
involving the whole body.
't is pretty easy to say that there rae about CB adavus
involving a range of movements. "his would only put
offan eager leaner for he or she might feel that the
adavus are too many in number to be grasped easily.
<et us have a brief look at a few core aspects of
adavus that appear in almost every adavu.
<#; %@)'"'@2)3
1. R!M"D! # ,<F )#"#D %@)'"'@2.
'f this is mastered, half of 1haratanatyam is masteredH
2ow, this is no exaggeration because to master the
right araimandi is 5uitean arduous and time
consuming process. 'nitially, one will experiance a lot
of pain in the knees and thighs but that will slowly
settle down. ,ere are few points to remember.
1ack straight *bending or stooping can crete a
hunch4effect+.
,eight reduced by atleast 7I=rd.
Feet pointing to the opposite sides a nd placed
horiJolly
,ands firmly and and neatly placed on the hips.
#yes straight.
)tudents can start off by standing like this for 78secs,
.8secs, =8secs and gradually improve it to 7min,
7.=8secs etc.
.. $M%DM # <#;) "@;#",#(
)tanding straight, legs /oined, eyes straight, hands on
the hips. "his may sound easy, but it is very important
for a dancer. !hen a dancer is given rest in between
the dance heIshe should be in this position.
=. M"D! # FD<< )#"#D %@)'"'@2
"his is a full seated position G perhaps the most
painful one to grasp and reproduce. @ne tends to trip
and lose balance many times in the initial stages. 1ut
it settles down slowly. ,ere too, the eyes must be
focussed straight and the back is to be erect.
,2D %@)'"'@2)3
?. ,ands to the sides with a slight curve. #lbows to be
erect and not to droop. "his gesture is difficult causing
5uite some pain in the elbows. 't is again practice6
more importantly, practice with a positive mind that
K ! am going to master this& K.
B. ,ands in the front of the chest. #lbows firm, eyes
straight.
't is these = ma/or leg positions and . hand positions
on which one builds on.
)o, the next time you are watching a 1haratanatyam
performance, ' am sure it would be very easy to
identify these B aspects that occure repeatedly.
)tarting from any of these as the base position, the
adavu involves well4coordinated movement of the
body.
)ince this is intended to be a concise volume in
understanding the form of bharatanatyam, let us stop
our discussion on davu presently and move on to the
next concept. !e shall certainly take on a detailed
study of adavus later.
What is Bharatanatyam about?
!elcome to my new blog on 1haratanatyam *sweetly,
shortly 2atya+.
'n olden days *before 'ndian 'ndependence+, this
dance was practised only by girls dedicated to perform
before the kings. <ater, people from society&s high
class were allowed to learn it. Dr. (ukmani Devi
rundalewas the person to introduce this dance as an
art form to everybody. )he started learning dance at
the age of =B. )he is the founder of >alakshetra*>ala4
("6 shetra4%<0#+.
'n ancient times, 1haratanatyam was called as "atya,
which means KdanceL. 'ndeed, it was Dr. (ukmani
Devi who coined the nameBharatanatyam *bha4
1,A-6 ra4(;-6 tha4",<-+. 1ut they also say
that the name was coined from )age 1harata
-uni who is the uthor of the 2atya)astra.
The Abhinaya Darpana has a sloka that describes Patra
Prana Dasha Smrutaha - the ten essentials of the dancer:
Javaha (Agility! Sthirathvam (Steadiness! "ekha (graceful
lines! #hramari(balance in pirouettes! Drishti (glance!
Shramaha (hard $ork! %edha (intelligence!
Shraddha(devotion! &acho (good speech! and 'eetam
(singing ability(
The prevention against injuries workshop for dancers was held at
the Rukmini Devi Arangam of the Kalakshetra recently. The event
was part of the Rukmini Devi Birth Anniversary celebrations
organized recently by the Kalakshetra Foundation. Sports medicine
specialist, Dr. Kannan Pugazhendi, conducted the workshop on two
successive days.
Here are some focus points from the report that appears in The
Hindu ..
At the inaugural session, Dr. Pugazhend, a medical ofcer and
lecturer, YMCA College of Physical Education, and Director of
SPARRC (Sports Performance Assessment and Rehabilitation
Research) Institute,specialised in sports medicine, with a masters
in the subject from Australia, pointed out how avoiding injury is a
major problem in dance. It has come to be accepted that a dancer
will sustain injuries but will continue to dance because of will
power. No stress fractures are sustained in Bharatanatyam thanks
to the sound postures that have been adopted for many centuries.
Though dancers bang their feet it never results in a fracture.
The doctor pointed out how it was important for dancers to train
regularly irrespective of whether one has a performance scheduled
and how de-training afects the body. Young people may be able to
recover soon, but this is not the case for those above 30. They need
more exercise because the metabolic rate of their body is dropping.
It is necessary to have not only a warm up but a warm down as
well. This can be achieved through yoga or an ice rub, weather
permitting. He demonstrated exercises for the head, neck and
limbs. Later he explained to this correspondent about his
involvement in the subject. The vulnerable areas for Bharatanatyam
dancers are usually the knee and the foot. A balanced diet was very
important and the South Indian diet containing adequate
carbohydrates, fat and protein was ideal.
Hydration is very important for dancers. Hydrate yourself adequately
before the dance.
* Add only two teaspoons of glucose to one liter of water to get the best
efect.
* Ensure a carbohydrate snack one hour before the class or an hour
later.
* Losing weight by not eating properly will be deleterious as one will lose
muscle mass.
The doctor believes in a holistic approach, integrating sports medicine,
yoga, martial arts, physiotherapy, pranic healing and acupuncture for
ftness and sports rehabilitation, management of ailments such as disc
prolapse and obesity as well as degenerative conditions such as osteo-
arthritis and spondylitis.

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