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Marga Nrttam

Indian Dance & Movement from the Nāṭyaśāstra

COURSE 1: NRTTA PURVANGA

Teacher: Samyukta Chillara

Founder, Artistic Director, Nysa Arts

What is Nṛtta Pūrvaṅga?

a movement exploration course based on the Nāṭyaśāstra, one of the foundational texts of Indian performing arts.

Rather than teaching a particular dance style, Nṛtta Pūrvaṅga offers a different approach to understanding and exploring movement — one that can be experienced by dancers, performers, choreographers and movement artists from diverse backgrounds.

The course explores four areas of movement described in the Nāṭyaśāstra:

Chāris

Fundamental movements of the feet and legs, including Bhūmi Chāris (movements where feet are close to the floor) and Ākāśa Chāris (movements where feet are lifted off the floor), exploring weight, balance, direction, pathways and space.

Nṛtta Hastas

Hand and arm movements traditionally used in various Indian dance styles, explored as part of the body's physical vocabulary.

Aṅgas

Movements of the major limbs, developing coordination, articulation and awareness of the body as a whole.

Upāṅgas

Movements of smaller parts of the body, including the eyes, eyebrows, eyelids, cheeks and lips, introducing greater precision and physical awareness.

FROM THE TEACHER

"The course is structured around the movements described in the Nāṭyaśāstra, together with the pedagogy developed by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, which has been passed on to me through my teacher, Vithya Arasu.

This movement vocabulary provides a foundational framework for understanding movement across Indian performance traditions. Its breadth and richness also encompass many principles and movement patterns that can be recognised across dance and movement practices around the world.

Through this course, I invite movement artists to experience this vocabulary not only as part of an Indian tradition, but also as a comprehensive and versatile approach to understanding the moving body"

WHO IS IT FOR?

Nṛtta Pūrvaṅga is open to:

* Dancers and choreographers

* Contemporary and experimental movement artists

* Actors and theatre practitioners

* Performers and movement researchers

* Martial artists and physical practitioners

* Dance and movement educators

* Indian classical dancers

* Anyone interested in exploring movement through a different tradition

No previous knowledge of the Nāṭyaśāstra or Indian classical dance is required.

HOW ARE THE CLASSES TAUGHT?

Classes combine context, demonstration, guided practice and movement exploration.

The focus is on developing:

Body awareness

Coordination

Balance

Articulation

Rhythm

Space

Direction

Movement quality

The aim is not simply to reproduce movements, but to understand and experience them through the body

WHERE DOES IT LEAD?

Nṛtta Pūrvaṅga can be taken as a stand-alone movement course or as a foundation for deeper study.

Participants interested in exploring the Karaṇas of the Nāṭyaśāstra can continue with the subsequent Nṛtta Karaṇas course, designed particularly for Indian classical dancers and practitioners wishing to engage more deeply with this movement tradition.

Nṛtta Pūrvaṅga

Explore the vocabulary

↓

Nṛtta Karaṇas

Go deeper into the tradition

Do I need to know Bharatanatyam?

No. The course is not a Bharatanatyam class and is open to practitioners from different movement backgrounds.

Do I need previous dance experience?

Some experience with movement, dance, theatre, physical training or another embodied practice is helpful, but no previous knowledge of Indian classical dance is required.

Is this a Nāṭyaśāstra theory course?

No. The Nāṭyaśāstra provides the source and framework for the material, but the course is primarily practical and experiential

Can I join if I come from another movement tradition?

Absolutely. The course is designed to welcome movement artists from different disciplines and encourages participants to explore the material through their own physical and artistic experience.

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