Thursday 29 November 2012

Health Column - Warm-up for Bharatanatyam dancers - Veena Basavarajaiah

There are hardly any references to warm-ups in our mythology. We do not hear about Lord Krishna doing surya namaskars before dancing on Kalinga sarpa or Lord Nataraja doing a few Pilates before his thandava nritya nor do we hear about them suffering from any injuries for not having done any exercises before a performance. The divine beings who danced slaying demons or saving the world obviously never felt the need for a warm-up. Looks like they functioned on magical powers and could always rely on mortality. Unfortunately, for us mere mortals, a warm-up is quintessential before any performance, practice or rehearsal. 

Do Bharatanatyam dancers have to do a separate warm-up when they do so many adavus to prepare their body? This is an excellent question but, is the body really ready to start a
thattadavu from the word go? Thattadavu, though considered a very simple adavu is very demanding on the body. A warm-up then becomes essential to prepare the body for these adavus. It prepares the limbs for a good araimandi and ensures that the lower back, ankles and knees are ready for the impact of thattadavus. Besides, how many of us do adavus before a rehearsal or performance? A good warm-up before starting adavus will make sure that you do not have any cramps or aches while doing them. 


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5 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post, Veena. I have another question related to this. How do you stay hydrated during the performance? I sweat a lot during my performance & towards the end, my legs become stiff due to dehydration. How do we take care of this?

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  2. Sweating is directly proportionate to the body fat percentage and is related to the diet. If you can run 5 km in 20-24 min, you legs will not become stiff during the performance.

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  3. Hi veena,
    I m a 37 yr old mother of two kids, starting to learn the divine dance form of Bharatanatyam, due to my interest in the same. I have started with sutral adavu and I practise daily to get it correct. My intention is to perform someday. Would I be thinking very late in life or u have ppl doing well inspite of starting late, like me. Just want your expert opinion and encouragement.

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  4. This really helped me get a rhythm with my warm-up. Also, I really enjoyed reading about other styles of dancers and how they perform. Thanks for the tip about warm clothes during make-up and before.
    Thanks again

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  5. Such a wonderful and useful read...Thank you Veena

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