By Aayana Dance Company spans two and a half days

Each day focuses on a vertical with a keen specificity:

Day 01: Shareera

A vertical that focuses on physical conditioning of the Dancing Body. How can we prevent injuries? What exercises do we focus on to build stamina in the Mārgam? How do we strengthen, sustain and secure our muscles? How do we find alignment in our postures? A deep dive into all of the above questions and their possible solutions, aimed at equipping the dancing body with the healthy efficiency it needs to unlock its potential.

Venue: Sama Studio

Day 02: Nritta

A foray into the world of ‘pure dance’ as Nritta is popularly, if not incompletely, described.

A vertical that focuses on articulating the grammar of Bharatanatyam with intention and clarity.

How do we personalise Nritta? How do we build Stamina? How do we find silence and musicality in our dance? How do explore movements ‘beyond’ the ones we are familiar with?

Excepts of the evergreen Brindavani Thillana will taught in tandem with these explorations, to help the dancers apply these principles in practice.

Day 03: Abhinaya

A day spent exploring the colourful world of poetry, emotion and expression.

How do we find our voice in an Abhinaya piece? How do we ‘warm up’ for Abhinaya? What are the possibilities within traditional compositions to reflect the moods and tendencies of the present?

Students will learn an Abhinaya piece: ‘Pi’s Lullaby’, as a crucible to apply everything that we explore together on that day.

This workshop is over 3 days;

Session 1 Aug 4: 6.30PM to 9.30PM

Session 2 Aug 5: 2PM to 7PM

Session 3 Aug 6: 9AM to 3PM

Workshop fees includes:

1. Certificate of Completion

2. Opportunity to showcase on stage on 12th August 2023.

In this 2 day repertoire workshop by Aayana Dance Company, students will learn a traditional composition, and through it, explore verticals of technique, storytelling and musicality.

Students must be familiar with Bharatanatyam vocabulary, and 1-3 years of prior learning would be beneficial.

This workshop is happening over 2 days.

Session 1 Aug 5: 10AM to 12.30PM

Session 2 Aug 6: 9AM to 11.30AM

Workshop fees includes:

1. Certificate of Completion

2. Opportunity to showcase on stage on 12th August 2023.

An evening of dance in loving praise of Hanuman.

Only from darkness can there be light, only from fear can we emerge courageous, only by embracing our weakness can we find Strength. Dhruva is an intensely personal song of gratitude, offered to everything that gives us Strength: both the Divine and the utterly human.

Direction: Krishna Manognya Balaraju

Choreography: Aayana Dance Company

Music: Rohit Bhat

Light Design: Surya N Rao

Be uplifted and enlightened by the puranic stories and rich texts of Bharatanatyam that Shankar Annah will share.

During the Q&A session, ask your burning questions as our beloved mentor-guru for GDA, Shankar Annah will guide and navigate you through the most profound complexities of dance in a simple and palatable manner.

For those seeking a deeper understanding and connection to your dance initiatives and practice this talk is not to be missed!

Poetry is to words as dance is to movement. Explore the aesthetics that poetry lends into dance bearing ebb and flow, transversing into a rhythmic patterns.

Ignite your creativity with poetry as an instrument to heighten emotions evoking the Rasika's interest and imagination.

Dance and Poetry, a deep dive into poetry in motion ornamented with rhythmic word play. Dr. Elavazhagan Murugan will share his ideas on this relationship and its confluence.

Lecture Demonstration 01:

Yoga for the Dancing Body by Kalpana Sarvaisparan. Yoga is known as "food" for the dancing body. Deep dive into specific Asanas that will enrich your practice and performance as a dancer.

Lecture Demonstration 02:

Flow with Kalari Payattu by Kalari Academy Learn the history and relationship between Kalaripayattu, Silambam and Adimurai and the difference in movements contrasting to the classical dance forms. Try a practical session of these different martial arts forms and explore ways to add it to your existing repertoire.

Lecture Demonstration 03:

Tala 101 - An insight into the world of South Indian rhytm with Sai Akhileshwar & Sai Vigneshwar

Tala is a fundamental concept in Indian classical music and rhythm. It refers to the rhythmic framework or time cycle that forms the backbone of a musical composition. Through this session, participants can get a brief insight into the world of Indian rhythm and it’s application.