Theory 

The Salutation



Salutation/ Pranam

The salutation in Bharathanatyam is called Thatti Kumudu (to tap and salute). The  ancient practice of performing the salutation before and after dancing is observed in all parts of India.

1.The salutation is done by tapping the feet in samapada (feet together) with the shikara hasta in both hands, in front of the chest.

2.The practitioner then turns out her toes ,sits in full mandi and brings the hands (in shikhara hasta ) from the shoulders, touches the floor and raises the palms to her eyes, paying her respects to Mother Earth.

3. Then he/she performs the three namaskars:-

On top of the head- To salute the God
In fornt of the forehead- to salute the Guru
In front of the chest- to salute the audience
It is also a pratice to to pay respects to the  thattukazhi​

(rhythm block and stick) or the cymbals.

Adavus

The simplest definition of Adavu would be, basic unit of Bharatanatyam involving the whole body.

It is pretty easy to say that there are about 65 adavus involving a range of movements.



An Adavu is the combination of :



• Position of the legs (Sthanakam)

• Posture of our standing (Mandalam)

• Walking movement (Chari)

• Hand Gestures (Nritta Hastas)

All the four done in synchronization with Rhythm or Tala is Adavu . Every Adavu will have certain number of steps and would have a BOL or Sollukattu or Syllable like "Tai Ya - Tai Hi"

LEG POSITIONS:

      1. ARAIMANDI – HALF SEATED POSITION.
If this is mastered, half of Bharatanatyam is mastered! Now, this is no exaggeration because to master the right araimandi is quite an arduous and time consuming process. Initially, one will experience a lot of pain in the knees and thighs but that will slowly settle down. Here are few points to remember.

• Back straight (bending or stooping can create a hunch-effect).
• Height reduced by at least 1/3rd.
• Feet pointing to the opposite sides and placed horizolly
• Hands firmly and neatly placed on the hips.
• Eyes straight.

Students can start off by standing like this for 10secs, 20secs, 30secs and gradually improve it to 1min, 1.30secs etc.

2. SAMAPADAM – LEGS TOGETHER
Standing straight, legs joined, eyes straight, hands on the hips. This may sound easy, but it is very important for a dancer. When a dancer is given rest in between the dance he/she should be in this position.

3. MANDI – FULL SEATED POSITION
This is a full seated position – perhaps the most painful one to grasp and reproduce. One tends to trip and lose balance many times in the initial stages. But it settles down slowly. Here too, the eyes must be focussed straight and the back is to be erect.

HAND POSITIONS:


4. Hands to the sides with a slight curve. Elbows to be erect and not to drop. This gesture is difficult causing quite some pain in the elbows. It is again practice; more importantly, practice with a positive mind that “ I am going to master this! “.

5. Hands in the front of the chest. Elbows firm, eyes straight.

It is these 3 major leg positions and 2 hand positions on which one builds on.

Let us explore on Adavus a little more. The word “Adavu” means basic step. Adavus forms the ABC’s of pure dancing(Nritta) in bharatanatyam. Just like a combination of alphabets give words and thereafter sentences, adavus are combined to form a dance sequence in Bharatanatyam.

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