Thread: Indian dance instructional videos?

The market is flooded with bellydance and tribal fusion DVDs, but are there any that teach any of the Indian dances? I got a taste of it at an Ansuya workshop and now I'm really really interested in working further on it. So does that kind of instructional video exist?

You just missed a sale I had. I was selling 2 Bharat Natyam DVDs. But yes, they exist.

http://www.akashaproductions.tv

this is from a bhuz ad......

"Indian dances" is about as general as "European dances".

What is it you would like to learn?

Classical Indian dance? Which one?
Folklore dances? There are hundreds...
Bollywood dance?

Personally I would not recommend anybody to learn a classical Indian dance style from video. You need an instructor to correct you. Especially in Bharata Natyam - if you move the wrong way you can hurt yourself, especially the knees.

If it's Bollywood style that you are after, I can help
Bollywood Dance Instructional DVDs

MEISSOUN

ITA with Meissoun about learning Bharata Natyam via real teacher. The DVDs just filled in gaps in my memory but I would not have been able to learn it as a beginner from DVDs.

I have these 4 ... bought after a Bollywood workshop with all good intentions... but no time to deal with a new dance form at this time. One is opened the rest not. Purchased for 80 plus shipping will sell for 50 and include shipping.

http://www.akashaproductions.tv

As far as an intial exposure or follow up exposure to Indian dances I recommend Meera's Akasha Production DVDs and Meissoun's choreography DVDs.

There are some other instructionals out there too however most recognized Indian dancers agree that dance can not be learned through visual and verbal learning only. We have a long history of NOT sharing notation or taping presentations of "current state of devotion" to our dances.

Typically - you are going to have a very hard time finding a "good" instructional video on Indian dances, but the two mentioned are of good quality and cater to the general market out there with the intent of giving you at least something to "worry about" :)

* the dancers are very capable dancers past the abilities displayed in these videos btw.

i
d put a vote in for Colleena Shakti's Odissi videos, but agree w/ meissoun about having a guru. I feel I only 'get it' with the DVD because I had 2 gurus in Indian Dance that I studied with in person...:)