Bhartnatyam

The space we have here in Govindpuri Gvindpuri Kalkaji 1466/13 is where we do everything for Bhartnatyam. It’s basically just a big hall with some mats and a few mirrors on the walls so students can see their posture. If you walk by in the late afternoon, you’ll probably hear the sound of the ghungroo bells and the heavy wooden stick hitting the floor to keep the beat. It gets quite warm in here during the summer months, but we have a couple of fans that we keep running. Most of our students live nearby in the Kalkaji area, so they just walk over. We don't have a receptionist or anything like that. Usually, one of us is just sitting near the door marking attendance in a register or talking to a parent about the next performance. We spend a lot of time going over the same hand gestures and footwork because that’s what this dance is. It takes a lot of patience. Sometimes the kids get tired and we have to give them a break to drink water. We’ve had this spot for a while and the walls could probably use a new coat of paint, but the floor is solid and that’s what matters for dancing. It’s just a regular place where people come to learn something traditional without any extra fuss. We try to keep things organized but sometimes the schedule gets messy and we have to adjust.