Every dance form has a base unit. Ballet has its positions. Bharatanatyam has the adavu. It is a complete little unit of footwork, posture and arm movement, done in aramandi, the half-sitting stance that gives the form its shape.

Why they matter

There are families of adavus. Striking, stretching, jumping, turning. Together they form an alphabet. Short sequences are the words. Full dances are the sentences. Skip the alphabet and everything built with it wobbles.

This is why the first year looks repetitive from the outside. It is repetitive. So are piano scales, and for the same reason. Repetition is how the body learns to be trusted.

The honest aramandi

Ask any trained dancer what they were corrected on most. The answer is the same. Sit deeper. The aramandi is the first thing to fade when a dancer gets tired. It is also the first thing an audience notices when it is real. We guard it from the first class.