Ah yes! I did do Bharatnatyam for a whooping 12 yrs.Being from a south Indian family my mom enrolled me at the age of 4.Well I continued to dance till I was 15.But then with the board exam stress and pressure I decided to take a break.But erm this break still continues :P.I did complete 6 levels out of 7.The last one is still left.
Bharatnatyam isn't boring unlike the myth that a lot of Bollywood dance lovers spread.Its a form of grace traditional art which only a handful understand.I still miss it.The soothing and the calming effect you get when you dance is unbelievable.
I miss the whole 'dressing up' part before the shows.The extravagant makeup,the over extended eyeliners,those huge gold jewellery,the smell of those ginormous gajras,and the wrap of those half sarees, and the red altas....the whole excitement has a magic of its own.
These are some of my personal favorite collection of jewellery.
This one is called the Laxmimala.It has gold coins with a stamp of goddess Laxmi on it,hence the name.Its a signature favorite of a every Bharatnatyam dancer.This is bought from a shop in matunga where you get all traditional dance accessories.
This one is this traditional Indian wedding type jewellery.But it looks great along with the Laxmimala and silk sarees with golden color border.This again is bought from the shop in matunga.
This is what I call the sun and moon jewellery.Without this the entire outfit is incomplete.Its like a 'must-have'.The sun and moon is similar to lord Shiva,where he wears the sun and the moon on his hair.Bharatnatyam revolves around Lord Shiva as it dances for Nataraja the lord of dance who is an avatar of Lord Shiva who dances to the destruction of the universe.
Ghungrus.Again an indispensable part of the entire outfit.Without having it on its like drinking water without a glass.Ghungrus gives a rhythmic aspect to the dance as well helps audience hear the complex footwork.
