I’ve never taken a dance course nor have been interested in learning dance technique. Although I’m not too coordinated and I don’t remember steps easily, that didn’t stop me from signing up for a Kuchipudi dance class.
Kuchipudi dance originates in the state of Andhra Pradesh and it is a classical dance form. The hand and facial gestures all carry meaning. It’s a graceful dance that involves feet stomping as well as a wide range of hand gestures.
Learning it has been difficult but also fun. My thighs are killing me because the dance requires me to bend my knees all the time. It’s also hard to make hand gestures, bend the knees, and do the appropriate body moves all while looking graceful.
In my class we also look at other classical dance forms from India. I included a link at the bottom for a video of Kathakali. It is a classical dance from the state of Kerala. It is a dance and also a form of theater. The costume, make up colors, and gestures all have meaning. If you watch the video pay close attention to the dancer’s facial movements. They can move every single muscle in their face and it usually takes a person 8 years to learn how to do it properly. Their makeup alone takes several hours to apply. It is an exaggerated dance and every single move the dancer makes is language to tell a story that it related to a Hindu god.
This is what a Kathakali dancer looks like.
