Chitteswaram = Phrases of Swarams that are continuous and Non stop.
Most of the Bharatanatayam items have Chitteswarams in between the song.
Practicing chitteswarams is the most difficult.
When you repeat a set of dance steps continuously ; eventually your muscles will learn how to produce that movement without any Conscious Control like a ROBOT. This is Muscle Memory that is related to your UNCONSCIOUS MIND.
When you dance like a ROBOT - GRACE CEASE TO EXIST BECAUSE OF THE ABSENCE OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS.
Rather than focusing on MUSCLE MEMORY iam trying to learn Chitteswarams by creating FACTS AND LIFE EVENTS. I dont like MEMORIZING.
SKETCHING a Dance step 1 time = PERFORMING the same step physically 100 times.
This is specially true for CHITTESWARAM.
By Sketching and also by writing about Chitteswaram you will be creating a MEMORY OF FACTS AND MEMORY OF LIFE EVENTS. YOU TRY TO BUILD A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE UNCONSCIOUS AND THE CONSCIOUS.
CHITT means CONSCIOUSNESS.
CONSCIOUSNESS BRINGS GRACE IN THE MOVEMENT.
After performing a Chitteswaram CARI BHEDAH is usually performed.
Cari Bhedah = WALKING GRACEFULLY.
Chitteswarams are usually made of Mandala Poses and is complicated to practice.
Walking gracefully after a Chitteswaram will help the dancer RELAX and come back to Equilibrium Position.
Here is a Chitteswaram and i have used Mandala Style to perform this Chitteswaram. After performing Chitteswaram i continued the dance with walking.
Metaphorically it means = "No matter how TOUGH life gets one should continue LIFE GRACEFULLY". I want to bring that DISCIPLINE INTO MY LIFE NO MATTER HOW HARD LIFE GETS.
In Natya Shastra there are ;
8 types of Walking styles (Cari Bhedah) which will teach you how to walk GRACEFULLY.
5 types of Leap / Jumping Styles (Utplavana Bhedah) which will teach you how to take a leap GRACEFULLY.
7 ways to Whirl / Turn around and Move (Bhramari Lakshanam) which will teach you how to whirl GRACEFULLY.
Some dancers chose to perform some Chitteswaram only by walking and leaping.
The same chitteswaram that i have performed above is being performed by Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai only by WALKING AND LEAPING WITHOUT ANY MANDALA.
The above CHITTESWARAM validates that what ever may be your MOVEMENTS OF LIFE ; PERFORM THE SAME GRACEFULLY.
CONSCIOUSNESS ONLY CAN BRING GRACE - OTHERWISE YOU ARE A ROBOT WHO IS ON AN AUTOPILOT MODE RUN BY THE UNCONSCIOUS.
Bhedah's can be best learnt from Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai who does not depend on Mandala pose alone to perform any item ; she brings graceful walks / leaps / jumps on stage.
Transpose everything that is there in UNCONSCIOUS to CONSCIOUS.
GRACE COMES ONLY WITH CONSCIOUSNESS.
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