Bharatanatyam World

So today I just wanted to take a moment to get the word out about bharatanatyamworld.com...

For all of us non-resident Indians, (and non-Indians) finding somewhere to purchase dance costumes, accessories etc. is a nightmare. In short, you cannot get it them the UK, trust me I've tried! You can find the jewllery sets here, but they can reach up to £200, which I am informed is more expensive than real temple jewellery in India. But I have found a solution! Having no family in India, making a quick phone call to my aunty's son's wife's sister in Chennai wasn't an option, so I scoured the web and came across Bharatanatyam World

I have used this site myself, so yes they are real and yes they are a very good option. I ordered a tailor made costume, full mens' jewellery and ghungroo. All for £120 including p&p. I think if you can make it to India then do that, but this site allows you to make up your own sets for Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi jewellery and they will cater to your every need. Traditionally men perform shirtless in Bharatanatyam, but not being a John Abraham (Bollywood hunk, worth looking up.) I didn't want to do that so they made me a custom-made top and a scarf too at very little extra cost. 

The only thing I would say is that with the jewellery the strings break easily, but at such low prices, it's totally worth learning to use a needle and thread. Also if your ankles aren't the size of barbie's then you may need to punch an extra hole in the ghungroo buckle, but that is easily done! 

They cater for Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak and Bhangra dancers (yes Bhangra is actually a dance form, not just what your Punjabi uncle did at your uncle's sister's wedding last friday.) They also sell a fantastic selection of dance related products (CDs, DVDs etc.)

Here are some pictures of my purchases...

Jewellery photo credit: Ben Willoughby

So go check out bharatanatyamworld.com !

Namaste

Well, hello to whoever is reading this! I figured it would be sensible to explain what this blog is all about. Pour la joie de la danse is French and means “for the love of dance” and in essence that’s what this blog is going to be about; my love for dance. My hope is to write a blog about all of my experiences and inspirations as a dancer. I hope to write about performances I’ve both given and seen, those funny moments that only dancers will understand and basically how I’m trying to work my way through this fabulous and complex world that is dance.

So a little about me will help you understand why I write what I write. I’ve been learning Kathak under the guidance of my Guru, Anuradha Chaturvedi since 2008 and I’ve been studying Bharatanatyam under the guidance of my Guru, Ananya Chatterjee since 2011. I’m interested in a lot of different styles of dance but my passion, and subsequently what a lot of this blog will be about, is Indian classical dance. Something I’d like to bring to this blog too is the fact that I’m not Indian. I often find that we non-Indian Indian classical dancers fail to grasp a lot of small things that just seem second nature to most Indians. For example what is the significance of the moon and the sun that makes part of the Bharatanatyam dancers head piece? And why do some Kathak dancers touch their ghungroos to their heads before they wear them?

If this blog takes off then perhaps I shall get guest writers from amongst my dancer friends to come and share their stories, I might perhaps do some interviews with my gurus or other dancers. The possibilities are endless as they say. I shall also endeavour to include some quotes I like that either have to do with dance or spiritually, and today I shall leave you with this quote…

Image Credit: Project Moves Dance Company