About the Blog
Natyakriya is the union of 2 words - Natya (नाट्य ) and Kriya (क्रिया )
Natya means dance
Kriya means performance
Natyakriya, thus means a Dance Performance!
Natyakriya is an interactive blog dedicated to Bharata Natyam, one of the most ancient and beautiful forms of Indian Classical Dance, originating in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Natyakriya (read: Naa-tya-kri-yaa) is my humble attempt at documenting the various aspects of this beautiful Dance Form.
About me... as a Dancer / Teacher
I'm Kavitha Ramaswamy. I started learning the Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatyam at the age of 3 (I started training in Music at the age of 7). I've been pursuing the dance for the past 20 years from my Guru Smt. Sripriya Sridhar (disciple of the Dhananjayans). I've had a penchant for teaching all through my growing years which is also why I've trained a lot of my juniors, choreographed items for various functions and given a number of performances myself. In 2004, at the age of 13, I performed my Arangetram in presence of all my friends and family. The glorious feeling of being on stage performing to a Shiva Thandavam was the moment I knew I would want to show people from all over the world - how truly great this dance form is!
Of course, life got in the way and I went on to pursue my Bachelors, Masters and Chartered Accountancy and also got busy with a job (that I love!). But both Music and Dance stayed with me and I finally decided to find an outlet to share my passion for Bharatanatyam with the world! I may not be good at everything I do, but I wouldn't let that stop me from sharing my experiences! I am certainly not the next Rama Vaidyanathan (I love her!) or Priyadarshini Govind, but I feel like I need to do my part in contributing to this wonderful art form that has given me much joy!
So then, here I am today.... writing about Bharatanatyam whenever I can. I do my research (thank you Google!), however I may not always be correct in what I do or say. If you do find an error, I'd appreciate your feedback so that I can correct myself and have an accurate article for everyone to refer to!
YouTube
I recently started uploading videos on YouTube whenever I can. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to get updates. While it isn't the most ideal way of learning Bharatanatyam, it will be really helpful if you have the passion but not the access to a teacher for this dance. It will also help for you to revise / practice steps, items etc.
P.S: I'm not following a systematic schedule since I travel a lot and don't have access to high speed internet all the time. But I'm hoping to work out something regular soon!
Online Bharatanatyam Classes
I also offer classes for a Fee. Due to work and time constraints, my internet and other tax charges are pretty high. So I'm able to offer classes at a rate that would cover all my costs. As a cheaper and more feasible alternative, I also give you the option of Video lessons, where I would send video tutorials along with theory / audio material to give you a holistic learning approach to Bharatanatyam. In case you are interested in learning Bharatanatyam from me, please CLICK HERE for more information.
Thank You for stopping by...
Thank you so much for stopping by! If you find my blog useful, I'd love to hear from you, coz it motivates me to do better! You are also welcome to contact me regarding any queries you have or just drop in to say hello! I appreciate all your comments and feedback! :-)
#Random Fact About Me
I'm a big Foodie! I also have a Food Blog where I have over 450 recipes with step by step pictures (and I upload fresh content regularly!) - www.foodomania.com
If you're into that kind of stuff, do stop by and say hello there! :-)
Hi Kavitha,
ReplyDeleteCongrats....good attempt.
HELPFUL to starters like me:-)
thank u
Keep Going.
Thanks for helping us learn Bharatanatyam . Please keep posting videos on youtube. Your dedication is commendable.
ReplyDeleteThanks very good Job ! It helps me a lot ....
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Kavitha..Its a very good start..Am a beginner to bharatanatyam.The method in which you teach is really really useful..:) Keep up the good work. Hoping to find more videos soon. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again..
Best Regards,
Sushma
good job..
ReplyDeleteto be frank.....i'm learning more from your videos than my teacher..
thank you...
swarnambiga.
@All - Thanks so much, guys! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen you say one of the most ancient , what premise are you basing that on?
ReplyDeleteYou do know what's called Bharatanatyam was created a little less than a century ago, don't you? Those who sculpted the magical sculptures at the Kailashanathar temple would not have recognized the word 'Bharatanatyam'.
hi kavitha...iv a daughter who loves to dance...shes 8...and I learnt in ur admission form that ur student shud b 10...but my baby just doesn't want to wait...im from Bangalore settled in Faridabad Haryana...wen in blore I had been to kalakshiti which was very close to my place n they said my daughter has to turn atleast 8 n she was five then...iv been promising her to find a dance guru...I saw ur videos on youtube...they r ammmmazing...thank u so much...I will guide her slowly thru ur videos...thank u so much...
ReplyDeleteis there any way that I can send my daughters videos as she finishes each lesson .. so that u cud just chk...
thank u once again...God bless you.
@Yeshaswini Pavankumar - Please send me an email using the contact form.
ReplyDelete@Arka - Indeed I do. :) I've been researching quite a bit in the past year and have come to know more about Bharatanatyam and its previous forms too.
ReplyDeleteI however am not trying to trace the history of the dance here. I merely wrote what I've read and heard about the dance for many years without really finding out if it was true or not! My mistake. Thank you for pointing it out!
You seem to be a Bharanatyam enthusiast. I'd love to know more from you - if you don't mind sharing.
Hi Kavita, my name is Laveena Iyer. I chanced upon your blog when I googled for free online sessions. I learnt the form of Bharatnatyam as a kid for six years but as academics became strenuous and I couldn't manage my time well, I quit midway. I spent a year for my PG Diploma in Chennai where I would go every weekend to Kalakshetra to watch a free show or to just admire the dancers practicing. I've been wanting to go back to the dance form ever since. I want to brush up my basics before I decide what to do next. I hope to do that with the help of your videos. Given the unpredictability of my job timings I can't sign up for a class but I intend to practice at least on the weekend for starters. Just wanted to say "thank you" for the initiative. This blog can bring a new sense of learning the dance form for people like me.
ReplyDelete