BY PREETHI RAMAPRASAD
BHARATANATYAM , a form of dance originating in South India, has rapidly gained a global reputation. With roots in temple ritual and salons passed from generation to generation through the hereditary dance and music community of Tamil Nadu, in post-colonial India, the practice began to attract students and performers from various backgrounds around the world as a performing art. While Bharatanatyam practitioners continue to navigate this history of shifts in performative practice, the art has now gained a serious fan following. With intricate movements, elaborate costuming, and intense training, its spheres of influence have grown to include everything from solo dancers to scholars to global touring ensembles. I’ve loved Bharatanatyam from the moment my tiny feet set foot in my teacher’s studio in Chennai, India. It demands utmost focus from its students and performers, and as a barely seven-year-old girl visiting my grandparents, I was drawn to this commitment. In my early twenties, I was able to move to AN OLD NEW LIGHT FRIEND IN A REFLECTIONS ON COLLABORATION IN BHARATANATYAM
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in dance SUMMER 2021 22
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