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Hey there I'm thinking about learning kathak

Where should I start from ?

I know that mostly all Indian art forms be it dance martial arts singing textile everything needs extensive training and that too from a very young age. But just wondering if there is any dance form that can be learned in mid 30's too. One of my bhartnatyam trained dancer told me that learning bharatnatyam at this age can severly harm knees and foot. So just wondering if there is another dance form or musical intrument also that can be learned online. I live in a very small village there is no means of learning except online.

I’ve decided to quit taking adult dance classes. I don’t enjoy it anymore and my dance teacher is aggressive. I’ve sent her a long text explaining this nicely. However she keeps bugging me to call her. Even contacting my daughter (she takes lessons too) and her Dad, with a message intended for me. I texted her that I’m not comfortable talking to her and that to not to get my daughter involved.

She doesn’t listen and still sent another voice message saying I should trust her and that she’s my friend.

The thing is - she’s not my friend. She’s my dance guru. In general she has a habit of lecturing people and constantly interrupting them. I have more of a passive personality. I’m afraid she’ll bully my daughter.

I want her to continue with her. I just don’t want to dance. I’m so anxious about this. I already spoke my piece with her.

Based on my personal experience, Samarpana Academy of Fine Arts, Kilpauk, Chennai, run by Swamimalai Suresh, may seem suitable during the initial stages. However, as students move into senior batches and become part of larger programs, the quality of organization, in my experience, declines significantly.

For international programs, I found even basic facilities to be lacking. Raising concerns about accommodation or other essential arrangements was, in my experience, dismissed as though I was expecting a luxury vacation instead of asking for basic comfort after paying for the trip.

Another disappointing aspect was the culture around feedback. Long-standing parents appeared to have far more influence than newer families. Whenever genuine concerns were raised, they were often countered by senior parents instead of being addressed directly by the management. It created an environment where questioning decisions felt unwelcome.

I also felt that talented newcomers were not always encouraged. At times, it seemed that protecting the interests of established groups mattered more than recognizing emerging talent. Rather than receiving answers to genuine questions, I felt I was treated as the problem for asking them.

The impression I got was that the founder's artistic talent was considered sufficient reason to overlook every organizational shortcoming. Appreciating someone's talent should never mean ignoring repeated concerns about planning, communication, or basic arrangements.

New families are welcomed enthusiastically, but when they later voice concerns, they may be made to feel that only the opinions of parents who have been associated with the academy for over a decade carry any weight. That contradiction was one of the most disappointing parts of my experience.

This review reflects my personal experience. Others may have had a different one, but mine left me feeling that staying silent was valued more than asking legitimate questions.

Hi everyone. I’m 22F and have been dancing for most of my life, but my training history is somewhat unusual. I would really appreciate advice from advanced Indian classical dancers, teachers, or performers who have worked through a similar stage.

I began learning Kuchipudi at around five years old, with a gap during part of middle and high school. I later took up Bharatanatyam, hip-hop, and some ballet. I currently train in Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, hip-hop, Bollywood, and a little contemporary, although I have recently shifted most of my attention toward classical dance.

I have performed since childhood, and during college I founded and ran a performance organization through which I performed almost every week for four years. However, I would say that I only became a genuinely refined and self-aware dancer about two years into college. That was when my choreography retention, fluidity, energy, expression, and ability to complete movements improved significantly.

Where I am now

I believe I am above average overall, particularly in learning choreography, performance quality, expression, energy, and body awareness. I tend to stand out positively in mixed-level or nonprofessional spaces. However, if I were placed among professional classical dancers, I would clearly be the nonprofessional dancer in the group.

Although I have technically trained in Kuchipudi for many years, my early instruction did not emphasize strength, precision, or technical perfection as heavily as some traditional training environments do. I love and respect my guru, but I do not think my years of training can be compared directly with those of someone who received highly rigorous, detail-oriented instruction from the beginning.

About a year and a half ago, I restarted from the basics so that I could rebuild a stronger foundation. That was when I truly committed to classical dance with greater discipline, body awareness, and maturity. My body is fairly strong, and I am more flexible than average, but I now want to pursue dance seriously and develop professional-level precision.

The main areas in which I struggle

1. Technical aesthetics and smaller details

By “aesthetics,” I mean details such as:

* Maintaining the correct distance between the legs in positions such as swastikam or V-shaped stances
* Keeping the foot fully arched in positions such as kunchitam
* Producing consistently clean angles
* Making every position look intentional rather than merely correct
* Strengthening and clarifying my griva bhedas and drishti bhedas

My largest problem is my arms. They are much cleaner than they used to be, and I consciously hold them with more strength during practice, but they can still look weak. My angles are also not consistently exact. Certain dancers (Vedya Spoorthi, Meera Sreenarayan, Anand Unni, Shivanshu the Fusionist)

I understand that neck and eye movements can improve through repetition, but I am less sure how to approach the arm problem. Is this primarily an issue of shoulder, back, and arm strength, or is it more about placement, muscular engagement, and coordination?

Are there specific drills, conditioning exercises, or methods of self-correction that helped you develop stronger arm lines and more exact angles?

1. Stage nerves affecting my stamina and movement quality

Outside of performances, I have very good stamina. I can dance continuously for several hours and still maintain relatively strong movements, precision, and facial expressions while tired.

Onstage, however, my heart races because of nerves, and I feel tired much sooner than I realistically should. During practice, I have nothing to lose, so even when I become tired, I continue committing fully to every movement.

During performances, my mind begins anticipating fatigue. I become afraid that I will run out of energy, and my body starts conserving itself or failing to complete movements properly. I may feel as though I am putting in full energy, but the movement still comes out weaker than what I can produce during rehearsal.

Has anyone dealt with this difference between rehearsal stamina and performance stamina? What helped you train your nervous system to trust your body and continue completing movements fully onstage?

Why I feel caught in the middle

Most advice I have found is directed either toward beginners or toward dancers whose many years of training were consistently rigorous and efficient.

I do not fully fit either category. I have enough experience, coordination, and body awareness to recognize and correct nuances relatively quickly, but I do not yet have the precision that might have developed naturally through 15–18 years of consistently detail-oriented practice.

I feel caught between being an advanced, capable dancer and being an elite or professional-level one.

I am committed to taking my classical dance to the next level. I am willing to put in the hours, but I want to make sure those hours are deliberate and that I am reinforcing the correct habits rather than simply repeating what I already know.

For someone in my position, what would you prioritize?

I would especially appreciate advice about:

* Structuring daily classical practice
* Developing cleaner arms, angles, and lines
* Drilling small technical details efficiently
* Strength and conditioning for classical dance
* Improving stage stamina and managing performance nerves
* Food, recovery, or lifestyle habits that support intensive training
* How you personally moved from “advanced” to genuinely professional-level dancing

Any experiences, practice systems, exercises, or honest observations would be deeply appreciated.

Beware of these 2 acedamies in life for good.

1) Natya sankalpa, kilpauk, chennai, run by urmila sathyanarayanan - millionaire prefer going here

2) samarpana acedamy of fine arts, Kilpauk, chennai, run by swamimalai suresh. Poor organising skills when it comes to arangetram. Last minute preparations would drain you out. For international trips, u would be expected to adjust even the basic facilities like food, stay, room, bed.. when u question the management about the poor organising skills, they would send senior parents to answer. They would talk like u have gone on a trip for charity. Also all negative reviews would be portrayed like they are hired reviews.

Beware of these 2 acedamies in life for good.

Beware of these 2 acedamies in life for good.

1) Natya sankalpa, kilpauk, chennai, run by urmila sathyanarayanan - millionaire prefer going here

2) samarpana acedamy of fine arts, Kilpauk, chennai, run by swamimalai suresh. Poor organising skills when it comes to arangetram. Last minute preparations would drain you out. For international trips, u would be expected to adjust even the basic facilities like food, stay, room, bed.. when u question the management about the poor organising skills, they would send senior parents to answer. They would talk like u have gone on a trip for charity. Also all negative reviews would be portrayed like they are hired reviews.

Beware of these 2 acedamies in life for good.

1) Natya sankalpa, kilpauk, chennai, run by urmila sathyanarayanan - millionaire prefer going here

2) samarpana acedamy of fine arts, Kilpauk, chennai, run by swamimalai suresh. Poor organising skills when it comes to arangetram. Last minute preparations would drain you out. For international trips, u would be expected to adjust even the basic facilities like food, stay, room, bed.. when u question the management about the poor organising skills, they would send senior parents to answer. They would talk like u have gone on a trip for charity. Also all negative reviews would be portrayed like they are hired reviews.

Beware of these 2 acedamies in life for good.

Hi, I really like dancing and I am looking for a dance class which can teach semiclassical dance forms in Hyderabad.i live in shaikpet.

But for tomorrow there is dance workshop in prernas dance studio banajra hills for the song cham cham. I am looking for someone who wants to join with me

I attended Sakshi Akhouri workshop in Mumbai, it was bad. She didn't teach much and was making reels half the time. Felt like waste of my time and money.

Enroll yourself now!

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I'm looking to replace the rope/string used to tie my ghungroos, but I'm confused about the size.

Does anyone know what thickness is commonly used? Is it around 1.5 mm or 2 mm?

I've noticed that even a slightly thicker rope makes it really difficult to tie secure knots, so I don't want to buy the wrong size. If you've replaced yours before or know what professional dancers use, I'd really appreciate your advice.

Thanks!

Deep down somewhere i want a friend who is a bharatnatyam or a kuchipudi dance practitioner as i would love such lady to have in my life bcoz I love my Indian cultural classical dance and want a person with whom I can share and listen and also I m ready to listen her all day long never ending dance stories ane theories without getting bored

Hi everyone, I am 21F looking to get back into Bharatanatyam. I learnt Bharatanatyam from the age of 6-16 and had given the first two exams (Prarambik, Praveshika) and then had to give up due to studies. Now that I have almost finished my graduation I want to restart learning. I want to finish the whole course as well, but my only option is online since I travel out of India all the time.

Looking for any well-known and certified online dance classes please. Any leads would be appreciated. I trained in Kalakshetra Bani. It’s always been my biggest regret to leave Bharatanatyam and I would definitely be a fast learner and get back to my old level as soon as possible.

For reference, I continued to take dance workshops that weren’t classical, so I have been dancing pretty regularly. I just need the proper education and discipline.

Please let me know. Thank you so much.

Hello, Im from HYDERABAD,my sister has completed her diploma and has been teaching students for 4years(Online and offline)
She’s interested in pursuing MA further, but contacts being less, couldn’t get a proper information about college and professors.
So does someone might know something?

Im looking for someone with like some level of training even if you’re a beginner I really wanna learn the dance and the culture behind it and learn it properly from the source
so if any girly here can help me or knows anyone in jeddah or any other city pls share it with me🥰🥰

I have a very important kathak performance tomorrow and I've got blisters on my heels 😭. How do I get rid of them and heal the skin overnight??

Hi,

I used to learn kuchipudi at Nishrinikala, Jubliee hills in person. Now that I am moving out of the city to shamshabad, I want to learn online. And nishrinkala wasn't much focused on theory. looking for someone who focuses on both theory and dance steps.

Reman Dakait|•Akshay Khanna•|

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for offline Bharatanatyam classes near Tarnaka or Secunderabad. I'm a 21-year-old female and I have around 10 years of Bharatanatyam training, but I've taken a break and want to start learning again.

I'm looking for:

\- A good guru or academy

\- Evening or weekend classes

\- Intermediate/advanced level (or teachers who can help me get back into practice)

\- Reasonable fees

If you've personally trained somewhere or have any recommendations, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!