Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dance dress

Both Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam are originated from southern states of India. Kuchipudi is the traditional Indian classical dance of Andhra Pradesh whereas the classical dance Bharatnatyam is originated from Tamilnadu. Bharatanatyam was formed from the ancient art of Cathir which were revived in the 19th century. Cathir was the traditional performing art of the temple dancers (Devadasi) portraying ancient dance forms. Kuchipudi as a classical dance form achieved excellence during the rule of Abul Hasan Qutb Shah of the Golconda Dynasty. The King was very much impressed with this dance form and he gave 600 acres of land to the Kuchipudi Brahmins for the grand presenting of this art form.

Cathir and Bharatnatyam are dance forms primarily inspired by the sculptures of Chidambaram Temple. The name Bharatnatyam denotes BHAvam, RAgam and TAlam. BHAvam means expression, RAgam means Music, TAlam means Rhythm and Natyam meaning dance.

Bharatnatyam is known for its elegance, grace, softness, clarity and sculptured poses. On the other hand, most of the poses in Kuchipudi are brisk, flat-footed, dazzling and overall curved having more rounded poses.

Bharatanatyam Dance dress
The commonly used styles in Bharatanatyam Costumes are the the Skirt (Saree) Style or the Pyjama Style with two or three fans. Dancers wear costumes made of silk sarees with gold kasavu (zari) designs. The pleats in these costumes, which are known as fans, opens beautifully when the dancer forms a particular posture ara-mandi (half sitting) and muzhu-mandi (full sitting). Since the real Silk saree costumes are very expensive, art silk material is also used for making the dress. Art Silk material looks like real silk but is not as delicate as the real silk fabrick. The artificial Silk is a mix of synthetic silk and real silk.

Kuchipudi Dance Costumes
There is not much of a difference between Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi costumes. The cross pleats and the Katcham that comes at the back are the main differences in the Kuchipudi costume.

In short:

1)Bharatnatyam - Classical dance from Tamil Nadu and Kuchipudi - classical dance from Andhra Pradesh.

2)Bharatnatyam represents and brings out inner fire within the human body wheras Kuchipudi expresses mankinds desire to unite with God.

3)The Bharatnatyam costumes have two/three fans of different lengths, the Kuchipudi dresses have a single fan.

Dance make-up

The Indian classical dance makeup should have a graceful look and should be suitable for stage light rather than day light. It also should be equally suitable for dancers with dark or fair skin colors.


Make-up may smudge! Keep your face oil-free. Some dancers become very emotional just before the dance – but don’t cry!!!

Below is the list of Items you need for Indian Classical Dance makeup. This is applicable for Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathak and Kuchipudi.

Note: All the items except the items in the first line are available in any makeup kit available from Wal-Mart or Target

Altha, Sindoor, Kumkum, Bindi (preferably Maroon color)

Black eyeliner or Kajal

Blush
Eye shadow
Facial powder / Talcum powder (inhaling or swallowing talcum powder is dangerous)
Light foundation
Indian dance makeup – step by step procedure:

1. Using a gentle soap wash face and wipe with a soft lint free cotton cloth
2. Apply an oil-free moisturizer. We recommend you to use herbal moisturizer. Remember, chemicals are harmful !
3. Apply a light coat of facial powder
4. Apply the foundation. This can be a nice thick (just noticeable) coating. The foundation color should be little bit lighter than your skin color
5. Over the foundation, apply a coat of facial powder
6. Now apply blush
7. Draw the outline of both eyes using black eyeliner. Make sure the end of the outline is curved so that the eyes appear like a lotus petal.
8. Apply multiple coats of black mascara
9. On the nose, especially on the sides, apply dark foundation to the sides of your nose.
10. Select an appropriate color lipstick with some gloss and apply
11. Place a maroon sticker Bindi in the middle of your fore-head. For round face, use a rain drop shaped bindi. For a long face, use a round bindi

Hair makeup is a different topic and it varies depending upon the dance style. However, irrespective of the dance style, all uses false hair and hair kunjalam. We will cover the hair makeup in a separate blog.

Dance Ankle Bells from IndiaMartInUSA.net

Have you ever looked at the different models of Ghungroo we have in our online store? We have almost all the best quality ankle bells available in South India in our website. The Ankle bells are known as “Salangai” in Tamil and “Chilanka” in Malayalam. Basically they are two types – Leather and cloth. There is one more less popular type made of Rexin also. As you know, the quality and confort of these are not well known.
Ankle bells made of genuine leather are very comfortable to wear and knwon to last long – you may get bored with them before they start tear apart. These have cushion pads behind, where it comes into contact with your ankle and so are very comfortabe to wear during hours of long practice or performance. The buckles, once fastened won’t come apart and are worry free. Some dancers prefer cloth type and would like to tie the Ghungroos instead if buckle them up.
The size of the Salangai depends upon the number of bells in each of them. It is appropriate to wear a two line Ankle bell for a seven or eight year old dancer, while adults prefer to have a four or five line Ghungroo. Based on the size, the number of bells in the Ghungroo will change. A good quality Ankle bell will have atleast 10 bells in each line. There fore, a 4 line Ghungroo will have about 40 bells in one pad. The quality of sound depend upon the size of the individual bell. The small size bells make less sound since the ball inside the bell is also small and its movement is lesser than that of a big bell.
Ankle bell coming off from the dancers leg during a performance is considered as a bad sign. Also it is dangerous and may injure the dancer. So it is important to select a good quality Ankle bell and one should make sure it is fastened or tightened properly before the dancer goes to the stage.

Dahthri Real Slim Oil

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Ingredients:
Devadaram (Cedrus deodara),Kurumthotty (Sida retusa), Chittaratha (Alpinia galangal), Kaduku (Brassica juncea), Chukku (Zingiber officianale), Jadamanji (Nardostachvs jatamansi), Manchatty (Rubia cordifolia), Irittimadhuram (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Kolarakku (Coccus Iacca), Gulggulu (Comiflora mukul), Mathalam (Punica granatum), Karimgeerakam (Foeniculum vulgare), Lemon (Citrus aurantifolia), Sesame (Seasamum indicum), Inthuppu (Potassium chloride), Sathakuppa (Anethum graveolens), Karukapullu (Cynodon Dactylon), Castor Oil, Velichenna (Coconut Oil).

How to use:
• Massage Dhathri Slim Oil on your hips, thighs & upper arms / swelling areas for 15-20 minutes and allow it to remain for 30 minutes.
• For better result: Cover the area with hot bag or towel for 10-15 minutes. Apply oil twice a day.
• For measurable result: before applying oil
        A) You just measure the circumference of your fatty area, tummy, hips & arms.
        B) Check your body weight
        C) If possible check your fat percentage & water retention after applying herbal oil.
        D) Check your weight and fat percentage three days onwards and feel the real success.

Bharatanatyam dance dress rental

Dear reader, We have discontinued the costume rental business. You can order your custom made costume from http://www.dancecostumesandjewelry.com/

Sorry for the inconvenience!!!!

There are two different types available for rent - the four piece art silk bharatanatyam costume and the six piece art silk bharatanatyam costume. The six piece set is only available for Indian sizes 32 and below. There is a deposit you need to pay after you place the order. This deposit will be returned after we receive the costumes from you after your use. We collect this deposit to make sure the costumes are received back in a good, clean condition. It is your responsibility to return the costumes clean. You may only hand wash the dress if there is some kind of stain got on the costume while its in your custody. Please DO NOT put the dress in a washer or dryer as this may damage the silk material. We don't expect you to iron the costume before you return it, but please make sure to return it clean.

There is a price difference between the two types of dance costumes we rent. The six piece set is expensive because it is the traditional Bharatanatyam dress and you can even use it for your child's arangettram. This is the two fan pattern. Please see the pictures below. This has a pyjama style pant, blouse, two fans, arapatta and dhavani.

Also have a look at our temple jewelry sets. Our dance jewelry sets have all the necessary ornaments for the complete make-up. We have complete imitation dance jewelry sets with belt, long chain, necklace, bangles, jimiki, nath, head-set, mattil and Rakodi for price ranging from $49.00 to $89.00