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[Subbaraya Pillai]
[Classes]
[Tanjore Quartet]
Classes for Children:
· Classes are offered for children ages 8 and older who have had no previous Bharata Natyam dance lessons.
· The class will be on Sunday afternoons. Each class will cost $15.
·
If you would like to take
classes please e-mail arulfrancisdance @ gmail dot com
Classes for Adults:
· Beginner Classes are available for adults who have had no previous Bharata Natyam dance lessons.
· The cost is $15 per class. The maximum class size is limited to four.
·
If you would like to take
classes please e-mail arulfrancisdance @ gmail dot com
These classes will
introduce the student to the "adavus" or basic units
of movement in Bharathanatyam.
Classes are held on Sunday
afternoons at a dance studio in downtown San Francisco three blocks from the Powell Street BART Station.
The only requirement for
new students is that they be complete beginners. People with previous
bharatanatyam exposure are not eligible for classes.
It takes eight years for a
dancer to complete their training and perform in a solo debut performance,
called an arangetram.
During the first year, the
focus will be on developing a proper araimandi posture
and a student can continue past onto the second year only if they develop a
satisfactory "araimandi" or half-sitting
posture.
Class Progression After First Year
It takes three years to teach all the adavus. At that time the teacher will determine whether a student can dance the full set of adavus competently from start to finish in an adequate araimandi posture without running out of breath. Students who do not have the physical stamina for this cannot continue past the third year.
In their fourth, fifth and sixth year, students will be taught a jathiswaram and a varnam and students at this level will be required to dance twice times a week for a minimum of 32 weeks in each of these years.
At the beginning of their seventh year, students will have the option of continuing at the same pace as prior years, or else training towards an arangetram. In case of an arangetram, students will have to dance 3 times a week for a minimum of 32 weeks each year during the seventh and eighth year. Students who face other pressures and cannot make this commitment can defer their arangetram for later.