Indian Dance for Beginners

Indian dance is a dance of wisdom, a dance of the soul, where every movement carries deep meaning and strong energy. If you've decided to take up this art form, you must understand that Indian dances are not overtly demonstrative (many often confuse it, for example, with belly dance, which is intended to show off skills to the public).

This does not mean that this style excludes performances. The difference lies in the main task of the performer in terms of presentation: the goal is not to amaze the audience with their talent directly.

The main goal is to convey the meaning of the dance, powerful energy, emotions, and the core message as vividly as possible. A professionally performed Indian number immerses the viewer in a state of deep thought, helps them find and understand themselves, relaxes and mesmerizes.

To achieve this effect, you need to spend a lot of time working on yourself, your sensations and body, and also fully feel the power of Indian dance and the connection with the mysterious culture that gave birth to it many years ago.

Choosing the format of classes
After the first stage, you should move on to another, equally important aspect – choosing the style and format of classes. Indian dance has many different directions, each with its own philosophical concept and a set of characteristic features.

But despite this, all these types are united by the presence of a basic set of standard Indian dance movements. Therefore, if you are a beginner, you don't necessarily need to worry about choosing a direction: most likely, during training you will encounter most of them. As for the format of classes, there can be several.

The most reliable one is to enroll in a special Indian dance school, where an experienced trainer will teach you all the subtleties, as well as different styles, from classical to modern. There is also an alternative method – to study on your own (at home or in some hall). This option is preferable for those who already have some background in dance and can, if desired, properly master the movements and nuances. Beginners, in turn, are not recommended to practice at home, because without experience it is very difficult to correct their own mistakes and see flaws.

The language of gestures – the foundation of Indian dance
As mentioned above, every movement in Indian dance has a specific meaning and interpretation. Thus, a composed number is a kind of 'monologue' of the dancer to the viewer (in case of religious nature – to the Gods).

You should start your classes by learning this language of gestures, and it's best to first master the typical ones, and then delve into the subtleties. Ideally, standard movements should be honed to automaticity: these skills form the foundation of learning Indian dance.

Moreover, this can include not only movements of the hands and feet, but also facial expressions. For example, a fixed gaze means love feelings, a downturned lip means angry envy, and raised eyebrows mean doubt.

Also, the body itself can have a symbolic set of movements (bends, belly rotations, etc.). Not to mention how many different gestures can be performed with the hands!

The most difficult part in learning Indian dance is to combine a large set of necessary symbolic movements, adding additional choreographic elements. This ability is considered real mastery and is valued among dancers.

Thus, Indian dance is a rather difficult dance variety to learn, requiring special training, diligence, and patience. However, if you practice with full dedication and pleasure, you will definitely succeed! It's all in your hands!