Few tips that I learnt over the last few days that I would like to share.
1. There are two portions to a successful debut/project (as I see it). The memory and the execution. I am assuming that the knowledge is a given. There is little you can do about memory until the actual pieces are learnt. What you can focus now is on execution. Making sure you do good araimandi, keeping the smile intact, doing good hand gestures (mudras). Correcting your posture and your body lines. Treat every practice as a performance because what i find more often than not is that people tend to repeat the same mistakes from practice to stage.
2. On the memory part, don't fret if you don't remember something you learnt 2 years ago. Your aim is those 8 pieces that you are going to perform on stage. It doesn't matter if you don't remember your Natesa Kauthuvum if you are not performing it. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying don't improve your memory. You absolutely MUST. But don't stress yourself out if you don't remember old pieces.
Few tips I learnt in class last weekend (thanks Sharanya)
1. There is no "rest" period once you are on stage. Even when you are standing still you are still performing so don't be sloppy. This is very evident when we "walk back" after a jathi in varnam. Since the jathis are intense, there is a natural tendency to take a breather while walking back in preparation for a sanchari. Take the breather but still stay sharp. Focus your eyes, keep you gaze sharp and your steps clear and crisp.
2. This one has been told by aunty and repeated by Sharanya. Make sure that your movements are discrete (I don't mean discreet) and not a continuous mess. A good litmus test is if the photographer were to take continuous shots of your performing your steps, is each one going to look clean? This is important when doing long korvais, take a moment to pause as you finish your Tha thai thai tha and move into thai thai DDT. Your ability to incorporate these pauses without losing the time signature or thala is what makes you a beautiful dancer.
3. A tip to remember long jathis - split them up. Go line by line instead of trying to learn all at once. That way each line is etched into your muscle memory and you have the ability to pause and pose for a picture because you know where it ends and the next one begins.
1. There are two portions to a successful debut/project (as I see it). The memory and the execution. I am assuming that the knowledge is a given. There is little you can do about memory until the actual pieces are learnt. What you can focus now is on execution. Making sure you do good araimandi, keeping the smile intact, doing good hand gestures (mudras). Correcting your posture and your body lines. Treat every practice as a performance because what i find more often than not is that people tend to repeat the same mistakes from practice to stage.
2. On the memory part, don't fret if you don't remember something you learnt 2 years ago. Your aim is those 8 pieces that you are going to perform on stage. It doesn't matter if you don't remember your Natesa Kauthuvum if you are not performing it. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying don't improve your memory. You absolutely MUST. But don't stress yourself out if you don't remember old pieces.
Few tips I learnt in class last weekend (thanks Sharanya)
1. There is no "rest" period once you are on stage. Even when you are standing still you are still performing so don't be sloppy. This is very evident when we "walk back" after a jathi in varnam. Since the jathis are intense, there is a natural tendency to take a breather while walking back in preparation for a sanchari. Take the breather but still stay sharp. Focus your eyes, keep you gaze sharp and your steps clear and crisp.
2. This one has been told by aunty and repeated by Sharanya. Make sure that your movements are discrete (I don't mean discreet) and not a continuous mess. A good litmus test is if the photographer were to take continuous shots of your performing your steps, is each one going to look clean? This is important when doing long korvais, take a moment to pause as you finish your Tha thai thai tha and move into thai thai DDT. Your ability to incorporate these pauses without losing the time signature or thala is what makes you a beautiful dancer.
3. A tip to remember long jathis - split them up. Go line by line instead of trying to learn all at once. That way each line is etched into your muscle memory and you have the ability to pause and pose for a picture because you know where it ends and the next one begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment