#Happening #Workshop #Tagore International School

Kuchipudi is performed to classical Carnatic music and shares many common elements with Bharatanatyam. Here is a quick peek of the exciting workshop held by Ms. Padma Ragini Puttu, in Tagore International School, New Delhi along with her Russian students. Kuchipudi is a team performance, with roots in Hindu religious festivals. The drama-dance involves extensive stage movements and exacting footwork, wherein the underlying drama is mimed by expressive gestures of hand (mudras), eye and face movements. TIS students enjoyed watching and performing Kuchipudi along with Ms. Puttu.

#Happening #Workshop #Delhi Police Public School

Ms. Padma Ragini Puttu, holding a workshop of Kuchipudi dance form in Delhi police Public School, New Delhi along with her Russian students. Ms. Puttu shared the history and origin of the dance form. The workshop was very engaging and the students were made to understand a few signature steps in Kuchipudi dance as well. Kuchipudi  is one of the ten major Indian classical dances,  originating in Andhra Pradesh. It is a dance-drama performance art, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra.

#Happening #Workshop #Dev Samaj Modern School

Ms. Ruchi Gupta conducting workshop of Bharatanatyam at Dev Samaj Modern School, New Delhi. Bharatanatyam is a major genre of Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring regions. Traditionally, it has been a solo dance that was performed exclusively by women, and expressed Hindu religious themes and spiritual ideas.

Indian Classical Dance

Nature & Music: One cannot exist without the other!

Music is so deeply ingrained in our everyday lives! We may just be listeners with no head & tail knowledge about the rhythm, tone or melody, yet it touches us in so many ways. The sound of waves, the whistling of the winds to the chirping birds, we are surrounded by natural music! 

Music has a distinct quality of being magical & mystical. Music is a part of our religion, sacred and spiritual, bringing us closer to divinity and is a means of pure entertainment as well. It has a unique quality that appeals to the hearts and minds of people. Indian music especially is deeply rooted in nature; from the morning sun rise to the rains we have ragas and rasas for all.

In Indian mythology,  the saptak, the seven notes of the scale or the swaras are associated with the sounds of birds & animals:

SA - the peacock’s cry
RE – the cow calling her calf
GA – the goat’s bleat
MA – the heron’s cry
PA - the cuckoo’s song
DHA - the horse’s neigh
NI - the elephant’s trumpeting

#Happening!! Fun!! VIRSA!! Workshop!!

Eminent artists Fareed Ahmed Khan & Firoz Khan conducted a lively session involving more than 300 students from Him Jyoti School and PYDS, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Routes2Roots, under the project VIRSA conducted this wworkshop to create awareness about Indian Cultural Heritage among children and to make them appreciate these art forms. 

Music & Dance in the Vedic scriptures

Indian performing arts date back to 1 BCE or older. The Vedic scriptures also expound this knowledge. Bharat muni's 'Natya Shashtra', one of the oldest text on performing arts in the world, is considered as the 5th Veda. Till date it is recognised as the most important work on Indian aesthetics.

Natya Shashtra binds music, dance, drama & painting in a very close relationship. There is an interesting folk tale about it. Once a King went to the sage to learn sculpting as he was keen on making statues of God's. However the sage told the King that he could not learn the art of sculpting without understanding the laws of painting. The King, adamant in his task requested the sage to teach him laws of painting as well. However, the sage explained that it would be difficult to gain knowledge of painting without learning the art of dance, for which he would have to know the principles of instrumental music. The King, headstrong about achieving his endeavour, insisted upon learning the principles of instrumental music. The learned sage, explained to the bereft King that it was not possible without a through study of the vocal music as it is the source of all arts. The king begged the sage to instruct him in vocal music also.

Vocal music has been emphasised upon since ages as it is believed that all the musical notes were first produced by hum.an throat, and all man made musical instruments imitate the human voice. Indian music has followed this principle and has developed within its framework a highly complex and sophisticated system of music.

SING!! DANCE!! ACT!!

These days children turn to the digital media for all their queries, Routes 2 Roots, together with the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, has come up with a unique program of teaching performing arts though online classes. VIRSA is an effort to promote cultural heritage through digital learning. The use of internet enables us to reach and connect to thousands of students all over India at the same time.

In a culturally diverse nation like India dance, music & theater form an integral part of our society. It needs to be inculcated in our education system as it seeks to expose students to ways of conveying ideas and emotions that cannot be expressed in language alone. It is essential to promote knowledge and understanding of the world around us and encourages:

• Thinking out of the box
• Problem Solving
• Building confidence
• Perseverance & Discipline
• Focus & Dedication
• Non-verbal communication
• Collaboration & teamwork
• Accountability
• Appreciating nature 

Last but not the least it teaches us to have fun and enjoy the spirit of life.

So, jump aboard and get set for a lot of fun & exciting sessions on music, dance & theater with the VIRSA team.