Bharatanatyam Namaskaram | The traditional way to start a Dance Practice | Natyakriya Episode 01

Namaskaram (नमस्कारं ) is the traditional way to start a dance session. Before and after every dance practice, we do a Namaskar as a way of offering our prayers to the Lord, the audience, our Guru and Mother Earth - for letting us dance on her.


Namaskaram is usually the same for most styles of Bharatanatyam, with minute differences, if any.

The way to do a Namaskaram -

1. Initial Position >
- Stand erect. Feet joined, stomach tucked in & back straight.
- Place your hands in front of your chest - join index and middle finger with your thumb and stretch out other two fingers (katakamukham gesture)

2. Movement >
- In this initial position, hit your right leg and then your left leg.

3. Change > 
- Keep a thumbs-down hand gesture above your shoulders
- Open out your arms and stretch them out in from of you. (thumbs in opposite directions)

4. Sitting position >
- Sit in Muzhu Mandi - heels joined, toes in opposite direction & thighs strecthed out as much as possible. {Hands will be similar to (3) }
- Touch the ground with both hands. (place your thumb under three fingers that are slightly bent. Let the little finger stretch out)
- Touch your eyes.

5. Final position >
- Stand up straight with the "Namaste" gesture.

That's all. Please watch the video tutorial on how to do Bharata Natyam Namaskaram.
Make sure to do this before and after every dance session.

See you soon in the future episodes! :-)

{P.S: This is my very first video. Please excuse the awkwardness, rapid talking and bad camera presence! I'll learn soon enough!}