More Mohiniattam

Hi!

Here's a video of a basic adavu in mohiniattam.

As you can see, this dance form is much more graceful and swaying. The basic stance (arramandi, akin to the plie in ballet) has legs placed much further apart as compared to Bharatanatyam. Hope you enjoy this video! I sure enjoyed taking it.

~Prithvi

Mohiniattam

Hello!

So I'm back from my week in Chennai, and did all my actual work. It was a week full of interviews (and extreme humidity induced insanity). But it was a crazy enlightening week, that probably gave me way too many ideas. My first interview was with Ms. Gopika Varma, a Mohiniattam expert and renowned performer. I had the luck of sitting in on her class and asking her a few questions. I'll elaborate on that in the next post, but I noticed that while Mohiniattam and Bharatanatyam share a base, they differ significantly in execution. The goal of Mohiniattam is for the performer to sway gracefully and hypnotize the audience. The footwork involves a lot more heel and toe work, and lacks the rigidity thats characteristic of classic Bharatanatyam.

I have an awesome video that I took in the class (multiple actually) but the wifi here is spotty at best, so I'll post them when I return next week! Off to pack :/

~Prithvi

Madras Madras!

So I'm finally in Madras, and now begins the bulk of my work. This week, I'll be meeting with dance professionals and conducting Interviews (with a capital I for some added importance). I've spent my train ride composing my questions so here they are. This is purely a base skeleton and I'll ad lib depending on the progress of the interview. Feast your eyes:

1. The major schools of Bharatanatyam are Kalakshetra, Vazhuvoor, and Pandanallur. What is it that sets [insert style name] apart from the others?
2. What are the stylistic components used in choreography that are uniquely [insert style name]?
3. How would you characterize the nritta in [style]? (ie: rigid, flowing, etc.)
4. How would you characterize the abhinaya in [style]? (ie: subdued, dramatic, etc.)

These are my basic questions. I start all this lovely business tomorrow, but right now I'm off to the beach! Ta :)

~Prithvi

Tales of Travels

Hola!

Yes, I am indeed doing some major blogging catch up. But between travel, catching a nasty stomach bug, and sending Natasha back off (loneliness...), it's been a bit crazy. As for our travels themselves, they were glorious! The rich history, the beautiful architecture (meh the blazing hot weather in India's hottest state),
 and the regional arts were fantastic. This post features a bit random and tangential facet to my research. When we were in Agra, obviously we went and saw the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, etc. Cue brief picture interlude.



Gorgeous aren't they? So whilst touristing it up at the Taj, we stumbled upon a dance drama called Mohabbat the Taj. This dance was a series of scenes depicting the saga of love - the true and immortal love of Shajahan for Mumtaj Mahal- his beautiful wife; the lavish lifestyle of mughal era; epic hardship of the artisans for 22 years that created the most precious specimen of craftsmanship. As far as the dance goes, this drama had a definite Bollywood theme (like, it smacked you in the face). But I enjoyed picking out the pieces of Kathak dance implemented. And the ending piece paid a tribute to thre various dance forms of India (oh look...it's my project). So this dance was special in that it showed the wide
spread influence of classical dance, especially in the prevalent culture of Bollywood today. Here's an excerpt from the performance:

Notice the frequent spins - this is an integral part of Kathak dance. However, it's integrated with a cinematic flair that's undeniably Bollywood. 

So that's all for now! More traveling tomorrow...at 4:30 in the morning. Adieu!

~Prithvi

Still in INDIA

Hello! So we've been in Bangalore for three days now. Leaving on some epic travels tomorrow! Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Bombay/Mumbai. Come at me world. We've been pigging out like no other since we got here, and the moments not eating food are spent either shopping, researching, or drinking large amounts of tea. So in my last post, I talked about how I would post a second subpar picture to show one of the Ashtanayika. (Props for the pseudo-artistic lens flare and lighting? Thanks Natasha!) Here we go -

This is the classic pose of a Vasakasajjika (The dressed up heroine who awaits her lover). Clearly, I'm failing a bit on that dressed up front. But the vasakasajjika usually is looking over her shoulder yearningly, posing in wait. This pose combines a feminine stance with abhinaya (expression) to convey the heroine's situation. 

So currently that is all. A delicious luncheon awaits me :) I shall excuse myself for that very valid reason! Adieu!

~Prithvi

Hello Homeland!

I'm in India guys! It's so exciting (and crazy hot) :) All I do is stuff my face all day long and shop with Natasha. And read my books obviously. So to put the stuff I've been talking about into a little context, I tortured both Natasha and myself (mainly her) to have a mini photoshoot. So here is one example of mudra usage in a pose. (Side note: This was done on the balcony of the house whilst we were racing against the setting sun. It is very rough.)

So here, one hand is holding the alapadmam murdra, and the other is depicting bangles being put on the hand. Together, they create decorative pose that is also showing a motion. This is only one of hundreds of uses of the alapadmam mudra, which is used in both nritta and abhinaya. So next post, I will use another subpar picture to show one of the Ashtanayika. Off to explore some temple architecture!

~Prithvi