Oral Histories

When the Eyes Follow the Hands

With Anya Aiyer, co-captain of the collegiate bharatanatyam dance team at Duke University. In this recording, Anya reflects on how coordinating the eyes, body, and emotions creates unity in dance.

The Foundations Beneath Expression

With Anya Aiyer, co-captain of the collegiate bharatanatyam dance team at Duke University. In this recording, Anya discusses how foundational movements and stances build the groundwork for emotional expression.

A Lesson That Extends Beyond Dance

With Aneeta Bala, a student learning Bharatanatyam in Chennai, India. In this recording, Aneeta explains how the teaching that the eyes should follow the hands has shaped her focus, perseverance, time management, and dedication in everyday life.

From Movement to Feeling

With Laksmi Kumar, a student learning Bharatanatyam in Chennai, India. In this recording, Laksmi reflects on how her guru's corrections about eye and hand coordination taught her that attention and emotion are essential to conveying rasa.

Every Movement Must Have Intention

With Kria, a Bharatanatyam dancer in London. In this recording, Kria reflects on how her first guru's emphasis on intention taught her to approach movement, performance, and everyday life with greater mindfulness.

Learning Expression Through Observation

With Ria, a Bharatanatyam student in Los Angeles. In this recording, Ria explains how watching her teacher and older dancers use their eyes taught her the expressive importance of following the hands with the gaze.

The Meaning Behind Yato Hasta Tato Dṛṣṭi

With Rohitha, a student dancer in Chennai, India. In this recording, Rohitha reflects on discovering the Sanskrit phrase behind a familiar teaching and how it helped her recognize the intention and meaning within each movement.

What Repetition Teaches the Body

With Usha, founder of a student Bharatanatyam communal meetup group in Austin. In this recording, Usha discusses how repeating compositions reveals the relationship between the body and movement while teaching self-awareness, patience, and self-critique.

Patience and Perseverance Through Practice

With Usha, founder of a student Bharatanatyam communal meetup group in Austin. In this recording, Usha reflects on how repeated practice taught her to develop patience, discipline, perseverance, and honesty with herself.

Consistency Over Perfection

With Samvita, a student dancer in Chennai, India. In this recording, Samvita explains how Bharatanatyam taught her to trust consistent practice and provided confidence, community, and a break from academic pressure.

Learning to Enjoy the Journey

With Allyna, a Bharatanatyam dancer in Chicago. In this recording, Allyna, a dancer who began learning Bharatanatyam in childhood, recounts leaving and later returning to the form, reflecting on how her experience changed when dance became enjoyable.

Cultural Stories Beyond the Classroom

With Krishna, a Bharatanatyam dancer in the Philippines. In this recording, Krishna, a dancer raised partly in India, describes how Amar Chitra Katha books and stories shared by family members shaped her understanding of the cultural narratives connected to Bharatanatyam.

Dance as a Holistic Practice

With Navia, a Bharatanatyam dancer in Australia. In this recording, Navia describes how Bharatanatyam's physical, emotional, and intellectual dimensions have helped her rediscover herself and her relationship with others.

Carrying a Tradition Across Places and Teachers

With Kria, a Bharatanatyam dancer in London. In this recording, Kria, who moved from Italy to London, discusses how learning from multiple teachers within the same bani shaped her understanding of Bharatanatyam's history, philosophy, and artistic expression.

The Meditative Quality of Practice

With Sheela, a Bharatanatyam practitioner in Wisconsin. In this recording, Sheela describes how the precision and rhythmic complexity of pure dance create a sense of focus and freedom while reminding her that learning continues beyond the Arangetram.

Finding Cultural Connection Through Dance

With Sanvi, a Bharatanatyam dancer in Oklahoma. In this recording, Sanvi describes how her Arangetram, cultural involvement, and experiences in different communities deepened her connection to Bharatanatyam and her immigrant-family identity.

Progress Without Comparison

With Shreya, a Bharatanatyam practitioner in Italy. In this recording, Shreya reflects on how her teacher encouraged her to stop comparing herself with other students and instead focus on personal improvement and attention in the present moment.

Dance as a Place of Calm and Connection

With Siya, a leader of a community Bharatanatyam meetup group in Singapore. In this recording, Siya, who returned to regular practice during college, describes how Bharatanatyam became a source of peace, physical challenge, and connection with like-minded people in different places.

Growing Into the Philosophy of Dance

With Usha, founder of a student Bharatanatyam communal meetup group in Austin. In this recording, Usha explains how the cultural and spiritual meaning of Bharatanatyam became clearer over time through watching teachers and experienced dancers.

Making a Tradition One's Own

With Kavya, a Bharatanatyam dancer from London. In this recording, Kavya, whose mother is a Kalakshetra graduate, reflects on how her mother encouraged her to respect Bharatanatyam's traditions while creating choreography that speaks to contemporary issues and personal beliefs.

Bharatanatyam as a Language for New Stories

With Mia, co-captain of the collegiate bharatanatyam dance team at Yale University. In this recording, Mia reflects on how using Bharatanatyam to communicate stories beyond traditional narratives transformed her relationship with the art form.

Adapting Tradition to Communicate Meaning

With Mia, co-captain of the collegiate bharatanatyam dance team at Yale University. In this recording, Mia discusses using Bharatanatyam to address issues such as caste and domestic violence while adapting movement to communicate a story's message.

Technique, Discipline, and Authenticity

With Mia, co-captain of the collegiate bharatanatyam dance team at Yale University. In this recording, Mia reflects on the importance of structured training, technical precision, and continually questioning whether one's movements remain true to the form.

Discovering Bhāvam Beyond Movement

With Myra, a Bharatanatyam dancer in Chennai, India. In this recording, Myra reflects on how learning bhāvam helped her move beyond executing steps to understanding a composition's meaning and expressing its emotions.

Creating Together Within Tradition

With Kaaya, a Bharatanatyam dancer from Delhi, India. In this recording, Kaaya describes how group choreography brings together individual knowledge and imagination while allowing creative exploration within Bharatanatyam's structure.

Learning Tradition Through Stories

With Laksmi Kumar, a student learning Bharatanatyam in Chennai, India. In this recording, Laksmi describes how her teacher's explanations of mythological stories, devotion, and her own guru's teachings passed cultural knowledge across generations.

Expression, Rhythm, and Embodied Understanding

With Aarna, a student learning Bharatanatyam in Gujarat, India. In this recording, Aarna explores how developing abhinaya deepened her emotional connection to performance and how learning nattuvangam changed her understanding of rhythm.

Understanding a Dance Through Its Story

With Ria, a Bharatanatyam student in Los Angeles. In this recording, Ria describes how her teacher explains each composition's characters and story before teaching it, helping her understand its cultural meaning and express its emotions.

Folk Dance and Tamil Identity

With Raasya, a Bharatanatyam student in Seattle. In this recording, Raasya reflects on how learning folk dances such as karagam alongside Bharatanatyam strengthened her connection to her Tamil identity.

The Encouragement That Kept Dance Alive

With Kaaya, a Bharatanatyam dancer in Delhi, India. In this recording, Kaaya, whose mother was her first mentor, recalls how her mother's encouragement helped her return to Bharatanatyam after childhood disinterest.

A Dance Passed Down Through Recording

With Kaaya, a Bharatanatyam dancer in Delhi, India. In this recording, Kaaya reflects on how a video of an earlier Jatiswaram rehearsal continues to teach later groups while allowing her to recognize her own growth and expressive preferences.