Koravanji Nritya

Exploring Similarities in Indian Script/s and Bharata Natyam

Exploring Similarities in Indian Script/s and Bharata Natyam This experiment is an outcome of our ( me and my wife Yogita ) conversation. Under the guidance of my mentor and teacher Prof. Santosh Kshirsagar we could give our thought the current form. We presented our experiment at Typography Day 2011 at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. This paper attempts to illustrate the similarities between the current form of Indian script, Devanagari and the Indian classical dance style, Bharata Natyam. The similarities are explored around the structure, construction and formation in these two distinctly different visual expressions. The linguistic approach can be explored as well; though this paper explicitly explores the visual aspect of script and dance. 1 Indian Scripts Sanskrit grammar has references about creation of phonemes. The phonemes were originated from Shiva hymns . Tradition has it, that when approached by seers like Sanaka, ...

Wonders of Life

Wonders of Life Recently, I heard a story. Kids in a class were asked to write wonders in their life. Everyone wrote different things. Some wrote about parents, friends and so on. One particular girl wrote that the wonders in her life are that she can see, hear, walk, talk, also can experience nature and arts. I was really moved by this story. What is really important in life? Experience! While I was learning classical dance, I always used to have a question. How do you show spontaneity in dance? If I am rehearsing 6-7 hours a day, won't it be too technical when I actually perform it? How can one go to fetch water every single day with same enthusiasm? Teachers used to tell us to imagine our own life experiences similar to the situation in dance. Agreed, but what if we have never experienced this? My mentor and me decided to find answers. If a situation demands for romantic expression, try to remember your first crush. Try to remember the exact situation. The plac...

Indian Classical Dance: Retold

Indian Classical Dance: Retold Indian classical dance, though in ancient times, was supposed to be a way of worship or the way to reach God, it is the greatest form of expression. It is interesting to know that when an Indian Classical dancer starts dancing, a prayer is recited which says, " the whole universe be thy body, the whole literature, your speech, the moon and stars, your ornaments, I bow down to thy who is form of purity (expression). Now as this prayer is recited, it is nothing but a reminder call for an artist to pay attention to all four aspects of the performance that are, body movements, lyrics and music, ornaments and costume and the purity of expressions. These four aspects, when learnt by an artist, are transformed into a full 'performance' or presentation on the stage. The body movements, for each classical dance style are different; but the goal of all is the same- decoration and accompanying the expression. Each and every part of artist's body...

Dance: All About It

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