An all time favourite, very popular piece in Mohiniyattam - Variga variga. This was usually Preethy's piece when we were growing up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_HfmAiL7OQ&t=48s

So week three and four have already been slacking - so going to cheat and post videos from past. But on the upside, joined salsa classes. So may be a salsa video soon!!

Odissi, I find the most evolved of the three dance forms I have learnt. Managalacharan, though can equate to the alaarippu, is evidently way ahead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2foA5Q1oUkU

Don't Procrastinate

Late by a day, since I put off recording to the last hour possible, yesterday and that didn't work out and had to be redone this morning.

Mohiniyattam this week. I think the gurus who put down the structure for this said to themselves - let's load the first piece with everything. So the cholkettu, which I think is the first piece taught in most schools, has almost all the steps in Mohiniyattam's repertoire.

This video probably shows how not to do it 😛. No bending, not sitting enough. But it is a tough 11:45 minute piece. The fact that I can even finish it without my knees buckling is a good thing at this stage!

https://youtu.be/jC9kVd_aEJc

Do better

If I can do better, I should. If I do love dance at all, it is high time I did something about it. So here goes - Julie and Julia style - 52 dances in 52 weeks. I am taking up learning / re-learning one dance every week, in 2019.

Will start with the first one of course, Alaarippu.

It is most commonly done in the thishram, but can also be done in chatusram and khandam

Here is a good video on the choreography of an alaarippu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZahOHQVvis&t=845s
Guess the struggle with the taala is part of the learning. But helps if you know the panchanada.

Tha ki ta,
Tha ka dhi mi,
Tha ka Tha ki ta,
Tha ki ta tha ka dhi mi,
Tha ka dhi mi Tha ka tha ki ta

And my alarippu, at obscene number of kilos!! Of course, I have to leave my trademark, at least one mistake. Find where the mistake is and it is not where I loose balance in the sitting sequence.

https://youtu.be/hoqtCHcEVgg

Bhuoomi pranaam

Thari               kita               dhi            dhala
anga                tath               dha            -
tath                 dha                thaka        dha
tath                 dha                thaka        dha
tath                 dha                thaka        dha
tha                  dhomtha         kadthak    gadhiin
dhin                thinakadhini    tha          


Sabhapranaam

(Dhai                -                      Dhai              -
Thadhi             kidathaka         dhai              -     2)
Dhai                 dhai                 thadhi            kidathaka
dhai                  dhai                dhai                dhai
thadhi               kidathaka        dhai                dhai
(Dhinda              Atha               atha                dhinda  (3)
dhinda               atha                tha                 dhai - 2)
thinkthere kitethaka nathere kitethaka
(tha                     thomtha           thai               kitathaka- 2)
tha                     thomtha             thai
kidatha dhai kidatha dhai
kidathaka
dinna kidathaka (4)
dheigida             dhinda                kite               thaka
thaka                   -                     gadhi               gine
tha                      -                      kitetha             gadhigine (3)
thaathomtha
kidathaka gadhigine dha (3)

Tripathaka hasta viniyoga

Mukute - crown
Vrikshabhaveshu - tree
Vajre - lightning
thadaravasave -
kethaki kusume -
deepe - lamp
vanhi jwaala - fire
vijrumbane -
kabothe - pigeon
pathralekhaayam - writing a letter
baanardhe - arrow shooting
parivarthane - change difference
yujyanthe thipathakoyam kathito bharatotamiyihi 

Being in a Nrityagram Choreography

there is the gurukul and the surrounding area that makes you want to stay there forever - and the trepidation i feel as i enter anticipating the yelling that's definitely coming at me in that day's class - its somewhat like being in an abusive relationship - one that i cannot give up. at 40 it really hurts to see how much the body has forgotten or probably never even learnt - the difference being aware of what muscles i was using to hold a particular pose, can make to that pose - how i could feel perfect but there is still another level of corrections that there is. i am not giving up. how feeling like a tree yourself can actually make the audience believe you are a tree - how there is no one among the 13 of us on stage that is not being seen at any point of time - "not on my stage" - how this will NOT do - how every single person is uma putra even if someone else is depicting uma and putra - how thandava priya putra is absolutely different from that - how much making a connection with the person next to you can actually help you balance your own pose - how none of this makes any sense unless you are there, going through it yourself!!