Classical Dance Club Report

The Zeal Club Classical Dance activities were conducted from July 3rd 2021 to 25th September 2021, with 13 sessions planned accordingly. The plan was to teach the children two dances based on classical songs, and make them present at the end of the season. 

We had students who were absolute beginners to the classical dance form. So, the first session had to start with an introduction to the form.. Basic postures, standing positions, hand gestures, prayers, namaskaram and exercises which are specific to the Bharatanatyam form were taught, to acquaint them with the form.  From the next class onwards, the choreography ( which was designed specifically to suit the beginner's ability) was introduced, with very simple movements. This approach enabled the children to pick up the movements and dance according to the choreography. 

Every class had two sections. One to learn the choreography, and the other section to learn the hand gestures and their meanings, so that the children knew what they were doing. The meanings of the songs were explained as and when they were taught, and the meaning of the movements were also conveyed to them. Since the songs chosen were all in Kannada, the kids were able to relate to their meanings and enjoy the renditions. 

All the kids were given assignments which were specific to the learning done in that particular class. They uploaded pictures of the gestures they had learnt and recorded the video of the bits they had learnt in that week. 

 

The first song they learnt was a Kautvam on Krishna's Kalinga Narthana, composed by Vid. Dwaraki Krishnaswamy. The second song was Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma, composed by Purandara Dasaru. The completion of this song coincided with the Varamahalakshmi Festival, for which kids were asked to perform at home during the festival in front of their family members, in full costumes, and upload the videos. The kids were very enthusiastic . They enjoyed the assignment and actually performed at their homes. 

At the end, the virtual exhibition of classical dances was presented before the parents, which was a wonderful closing event. All the videos and pictures of the event as well as the edited recordings have been uploaded in the specific shared drive folders assigned to the classical dance zeal club earlier. 

It was a challenging and yet wonderful experience teaching a tough classical dance like Bharatanatyam to beginners and making them perform in just 12 sessions. I would like to specially thank Divyashree Ma'am for being such a great support throughout the sessions. 

~Ms. Nagaranjitha Sidramaya