Bharatanatyam for Beginners: A Parent’s Guide to the First Year

Bharatanatyam is the classical dance of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest dance forms still performed anywhere in the world. Its roots lie in the temple dance of South India and in the Natya Shastra, the ancient treatise on drama and dance attributed to the sage Bharata. Today it is taught in Bengaluru, Chennai, London, New Jersey and Singapore alike, and for many Indian families it is the first art form a child is offered.

If you are thinking of starting your child, the questions are usually the same. What age is right? What will they actually learn? Is it too strict for a small child? And can it be learned online? This guide answers them in the order parents ask.

What does the word Bharatanatyam mean?

Natyam means dance-drama. The first part is linked to the sage Bharata, and a popular teaching explanation splits it into three syllables: bha for bhava (expression), ra for raga (melody) and ta for tala (rhythm). Whether or not that is the word’s true origin, it is a very good summary of what the dance asks of a child: to feel, to listen and to keep time, all at once.

You will also see it spelled Bharatnatyam, Bharathanatyam, Bharata Natyam or Bharat Natyam. They are all the same dance.

What age should a child start Bharatanatyam?

Five to seven is the most common age to begin. At that age children pick up rhythm easily, copy posture without self-consciousness and enjoy the stories. Younger children can attend if a class is pitched for them, but most teachers wait until a child can follow a sequence of steps and hold their attention for a full class.

Older beginners are not late. A ten or twelve year old usually moves through the early material faster, because they understand counting and can practise on their own. What they need is more deliberate work on the aramandi, because flexibility is easier to build young.

The first few months: namaskaram and aramandi

Every Bharatanatyam class begins and ends with a namaskaram, a short prayer of respect to the earth, the teacher and the audience. Children learn it in the first class, and it quietly sets the tone: this is a practice, not a playtime.

Then comes the aramandi, also called araimandi or ardhamandala: a half-sitting position with the knees turned out and the heels together. Almost every movement in Bharatanatyam is danced from it. It is hard on young legs at first, and good teachers build it gradually rather than demanding a deep sitting position on day one. A child with a strong aramandi at the end of the first year has done very well.

Adavus: the alphabet of the dance

Adavus are the basic units of movement, a combination of footwork, posture, arm position and hand gesture danced to a rhythmic syllable pattern called sollukattu (for example, tai ya tai hi). They are grouped into families: tatta adavu (striking the foot), natta adavu (stretching the leg), visharu adavu (sweeping the arms), mettu and kuditta mettu (jumping and heel work) and several more.

Each adavu is learned in three speeds, first, second and third kalam, so that rhythm is built into the body from the start. Most of a beginner’s first year is spent on adavus. It can look repetitive from the outside, but this is where the dance is really learned. Items danced later are simply adavus strung together with meaning.

Mudras: the language of the hands

Alongside the footwork, children learn hastas or mudras, the hand gestures of Bharatanatyam. There are single-hand gestures (asamyukta hastas) and double-hand gestures (samyukta hastas), and each can mean many things depending on how it is used. Pataka, the flat open hand, can be a cloud, a forest, a blessing or a river. We have written a separate guide to the main mudras and their meanings.

First items

Once the adavus are steady, children learn their first full pieces. In most schools that is the alarippu, a short invocatory dance that literally means a flowering, and often a jathiswaram, a pure-dance piece set to music. Some teachers start with a simple shloka or a short song about Ganesha or Krishna, because younger children love dancing a story.

What to buy before the first class

Very little. Comfortable clothing that lets the knees bend fully, such as a salwar or practice pants with a fitted top, and hair tied back. Children dance barefoot. Salangai (ankle bells, also called ghungroo) are usually bought after several months, and traditionally only after a small salangai pooja. A practice sari or dance costume comes much later, if at all, in the early years.

How much practice does a child need?

Fifteen to twenty minutes a day is plenty in the first year: a few rounds of the adavus being learned, held in a good aramandi. Daily practice matters far more than long practice. A child who dances a little every day will be noticeably stronger after three months than one who practises for an hour the night before class.

Can Bharatanatyam be learned online?

Yes, if the class is live and small. The teacher needs to see the whole body, so the device goes on a stand far enough back to show the child head to toe, on a clear patch of floor about two metres square. Wood or a rug is kinder on the feet than marble. With that set up, posture and footwork can be corrected in the moment, and thousands of children outside India learn this way.

The first year of Bharatanatyam is mostly invisible work: posture, adavus and patience. Everything beautiful that comes later is built on it.

Learning Bharatanatyam with us

Our Bharatanatyam classes run live online and in person at our HSR Layout centre in Bengaluru, in the Kalakshetra style, in small batches for children from age five. Group classes are ₹3,100 a month in India. See the Bharatanatyam class page for the full syllabus, or enquire and we will suggest the right batch for your child.