Currently head over heels in love with classical Indian Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dance costumes

Adanna and Feechi Kamath: The Twins.

I did it!! I finally did it! I wasn’t going to finish these pieces but I did and I’m so happy I chose to! I think they turned out wonderfully! I’m so proud of how they turned out. If you don’t know I drew the three Kamath siblings (Nafi in an earlier post) inspired but the classical Indian dance forms as I have made many connections between Pantoran society and Hindu/ Indian culture. So I took some inspiration! For Adanna I more focused on the Bharatanatyam form, which is more sharp, grounded, and firm. While for Feechi I took more inspiration from the Mohiniyattam form which is more feminine, graceful, and deliberate.

I hope you guys like these as much as I did! And once again if I presented anything or said anything Incorrect in my statement I am open to criticism and correction as well as if you’d like to add anything else!

Okay, hear me out. What if we applied the themes of Yuri!!! on ICE to Asian classical/folk dancing?

First of all, let me just clarify that I think it would be risky applying the theme of romantic love in this instance (whether it’s queer love or not) because... well, unless the guru and their student were around the same age, it would not only be weird, but it’d be downright horrific. Actually, honestly, even if they are the same age that would definitely go against the whole role of the guru to a student. Because, well, the relationship between a coach and their mentee is very different than a guru and their student (and believe me, I say this from experience). While the coach is there to motivate and guide their mentee, the guru is elevated to more of an idol for the student to strive towards. Hence, I don’t think the theme of romantic love would work here. (Not to mention that I feel like it’d just look waaaaaaaay too extreme to especially older Asian audiences...) But there’s so much more that could. I don’t think anyone talks much about the stuff that goes on in classical Asian dance schools. I took Bharatanatyam classes under three different instructors, so I have experience there, but I’ve heard of similar experiences in other art forms too. Experiences of the guru showing favoritism to students, specifically only those that will pour every single last minute of their time towards them, having harsh expectations that their students have to act in xyz manner to be successful, the moms of the students berating the students when they go home because their guru pointed out that they made this mistake, and they are inferior to this student... I could go on and on. All of this usually results in two outcomes. The first outcome is that the student somehow pushes through and is able to complete their passage showing that they’re essentially now a “black belt” of their art form (for lack of better comparison). So, for Bharatanatyam, it’d be an arangetram. The other outcome would be the student becoming so demotivated and feeling so incompetent that they’ll never catch up to their own peers or receive the liking of their guru/their parents that they burn out and drop out and carry the trauma of their incompetency with them. (I was, unfortunately, an example of the second case - which is why I’m typing this now.) But set the scene. A 16-year-old student cries on the way home from their dance class as their mother berates them for struggling to have their hastas in order. Not only that, but they aren’t nearly as emotive as the star student dancing next to them that their guru pours all of their effort into. This student has been dancing for eight years - and while they would have loved to drop out due to not being able to withstand the intense pressure from their guru, peers, and parents, they’re unable to because of that same pressure. They always felt guilty for doing so because they loved seeing the meaning behind each piece. Eventually, the student finally goes to a college too far from their old guru, resulting in them stopping their classes. But they regretted that they never stayed and were never good enough to complete their arangetram, and that they could never live up to the vision their parents/old guru envisioned them to be. Now, in comes another much older newly-minted guru who completed their arangetram years ago and went through the same trauma as the first student (with the only difference being that they ended up making it to the end, of course). The new guru is very well recognized by their dance troupe and the dance community as a whole for their beautiful abhinaya and flow in their performances. And now, they are looking to pass on their learnings to a new student.

The two end up crossing paths somehow, and the new guru sees potential in the student that the old guru never even cared to see. Specifically, the new guru notices the passion the student has to learn the stories behind each piece, as unable as they feel to learn how to express them through dance. The new guru asks the student if they’d want to get back into Bharatanatyam again. At first, the student refuses believing the outcome will be the same as it’s always been. But as the two share their experiences in classical dance with each other and grow closer together as friends, the student eventually agrees to begin practice again, and their relationship grows even closer. After a lot of hard work and effort (and maybe some relationship ups and downs), the student is finally able to perform their arangetram and show the old guru the potential that they never saw in them. Having found their passion, the new guru takes on more students, but with the same amount of love and care as they had when they took on their first. And I’d like to think that the student ended up doing the same. (Or, yanno, they could take the confidence they gained into something completely different. That’d be cool too.) This new storyline would emphasize how important it is to have a loving relationship between a guru and their student for the student to thrive and be able to pass on their experience in a healthy manner to other students. In Yuri!!! on ICE, we see this through the growing romance of Yuuri and Viktor. In this new storyline, we see this through the growing respect and platonic love of the guru and the student. I’m done rambling now, but please tell me I’m not alone in thinking this would be a good idea. (Or maybe I’m just being crazy as usual, lol.)

Murli Manohar | Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje || Ft. Vishrut Doshi & Anushka...

A kathak performance to the Radha Krishna song from Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje.

‘Peter Brook was the force that propelled us’, says Shantala Shivalingappa

My first memory of Peter: early 1990, sitting with him in his office at the Bouffes du Nord in Paris, as he narrated the story of The Tempest and described Miranda’s character to me. More than what he said, I was struck by his luminous presence, his piercing blue eyes and his liveliness. It was the beginning of a new and grand adventure for my 14-year-old self. He opened the doors of a brave new…

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Dola re Dola...

Bharatanatyam Moodboard

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being an Indian classical dancer is so beautiful. you’re an actor who enacts and narrates stories with your eyes and limbs.

but you’re also an instrument with your bells that reverberate in the tunes you wish to compose.

you’re a lover and a traitor, a god and a demon. you are stories and places and elements and kings and maids alike.

you live so many lifetimes amidst the taal of a tabla and melodies curated centuries ago to be passed down to your bells on the stage at that time.

The many moods of little Krishna 🤭

*ੈ✩‧₊˚indian classical dance aesthetic*ੈ✩‧₊˚

to all my besties who are learning indian classical dance, ilyyyyy

Happy Sharada Navaratri

Are you celebrating this Sharada Navaratri? This year the festival is held from Sunday, October 15th to Tuesday, October 24th, for the usual nine nights and ten days. The festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Ashvin – the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar – and is considered as being an auspicious time of the year. On Navaratri, Hindus celebrate the goddess Durga‘s battles…

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Date: 11.12.23

Went to MBA Garden after lecture (more like skipping the last one because I got my attendance done before hand)

Worked on my short story collection, currently on Satyabhama. I think the writing part will take some more time. The outline is ready, but I am not satisfied with the depth, so I am being patient and exploring her more.

I am excited to go home lol after 3 days

And I have left studying a little loose, but I am getting my notes done.

And got my dance exam results. I topped with great scores.

Ohh to be a classical dancer 🫶🏻✨