Classical Indian Dance

Find a range of Classical Indian Dance examination specifications, books, CDs and other materials to help your dance training and teaching.

Our CD resource of music to support the Bharatanatyam syllabus was produced in 2004. Since then there have been revisions to the syllabus. The material on the CD, however, is not outdated. The prepared performances recorded for Grades 1-3 serve as examples for the required presentation in the current format. The korvai for Grade 1, the swara korvai for Grade 2 and the korvai and kuraippu for Grade 3 are longer than the minimum requirement.  Therefore, teachers can feel free to use these in part, edited or wholly.  Alternatively, teachers can just use the format as a model to create their own examination music from other musical sources, bearing in mind the maximum duration permitted for each grade’s prepared performance.  The samples for Grades 1-3 also are indicative of the content expected for each of the prepared performances, including a variety of adavus and jātis.  Taking into account the fact that different bānis may employ different solkattu for the same adavu, in some sections of the recorded examination pieces, jātis have been recited instead of adavu solkattu to allow teachers the freedom to set any adavu they wish to those sections of the prepared performance.

Other items of the Bharatanatyam repertoire found on the CD namely Alarippu, Jatiswaram, Sabdam, Varnam, Kirtanam, Padam, Astapadi and Tillana are all available as resources for teachers to choreograph to and present for the graded and vocational examinations. Again, these may be edited by teachers to fit in with time constraints for each grade’s prepared performance.