New! Bharatanatyam for Adults I (Beginners)

The classes will cover the basic Adavu (movement technique) and theory of dance that include components such as the Hasta Bhedas/Viniyogas (hand gestures and their usage), Angalakshana (categories and movement of major and minor limbs), Paada/Mandala Bhedas (feet and leg positions), Thaala system (musical rhythm and form), Abhinaya (introduction to emoting) and Rasanubhava (aesthetic experience).

Students will prepare their body and mind for learning this intensive dance technique using a series of combinations that encompass breath, Indian traditional martial arts and Hatha Yoga Asanas.

Participants will practice core exercises as part of their warm up and cool down sessions according to muscle groups contextualised to the Bharatanatyam practice. They will also learn the importance of safe dance practices in the studio.

About the trainer
Durga Mani Maran is the founder of Tripataka danceLab Singapore, and holds a Master of Arts in Arts Pedagogy and Practice from Goldsmiths, University of London, a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts with a Dance major from Deakin University Australia and a Specialist Diploma In Arts Education from the National Institute of Education Singapore. Durga also serves as an adjunct lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts.

Durga advocates for an autonomous and critically engaged approach to dance education, emphasising the importance of fostering independent artistic growth. She is interested in transforming practice through research and dialogue to make effective the learning and embodiment of Bharatanatyam while investigating identity and memory as bodily praxis in performance making.

Durga’s Gurus were the late Smt Neila Sathyalingam and Smt Krishnaveni Lakshmanan. She trained in Navanritya at the Dancer’s Guild in Kolkata. Durga is an independent researcher and actively presents at conferences and conducts workshops locally and overseas. Her paper ‘How do I communicate Sringara Rasa through Pulaneri Vazhakku’ is published in  special issue Nritta-Nritya for the International Review of Social Research, a journal by the University of Bucharest, Romania. Durga’s training and works have been supported by the National Arts Council for the past 25 years. She also facilitates the learning of children with special needs in the arts under the National Arts Council’s Artist-in-School Scheme.