Nayana will be teaching four weekend workshops in Bharatanatyam at Probehaus Gnigl for dancers at all levels of training. The workshops will focus on an extensive practice of rhythms, studying the various temporalities and clarity of the physical form. 

About Bharatanatyam:

Bharatanatyam, originally known as Sadhir, is a living cultural practice, evolved and influenced by centuries of knowledge-sharing through hereditary practitioners in India. It is one of the eight classical dance-theatre forms of India and originates from Tamilnadu, with a traceable history of at least 12 centuries. This practice was developed and kept alive for most of that time by the members of Isai-Vellalar community, who performed this art form in the temples as well as the courts for centuries before its practice was banned by the colonial British government in India in the early 20th century.

The dance form saw a post-colonial revival in the mid-20th century outside of the Hindu temples by non-hereditary performers, which continues till date as the form that is mostly practised and recognised all across India and in the diaspora around the globe. However, through this revitalisation, the form was also fundamentally altered in its content and style, with the legacy taken away from the very people that kept it alive for centuries.

The vocabulary of this dance form is a complex mix of pure dance, characterised with geometric lines and forms; narrative elements through intricate hand gestures and facial expressions; all weaved together with rhythmically tight musical compositions.