Bharatanatyam is a dance form originally practiced by hereditary performers and ritual officiants in Bahujan communities in pre-colonial Southern India. Globally recognized as one of the eight “classical” Indian dances, Bharatanatyam was reconstructed in the early and mid-20th century as part of India’s nationalist movement against colonial rule. In this class, you will have a chance to explore two elements of Bharatanatyam abhinaya (art of expression): hastas (hand gestures) and bhava (the emotional state embodied by the performer). No experience is necessary. Arushi Singh is a Ph.D. Candidate and Teaching Fellow in Culture and Performance at UCLA Department of World Arts & Cultures/Dance. Her research interests lie at the intersection of South Asian performance histories and political economies of cultural production. Arushi is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, with a performance career spanning more than a decade. She has also collaborated on multiple interdisciplinary and intercultural art projects in India and Los Angeles. Arushi is currently a guest editor for a special issue of Race & Yoga, the first peer-reviewed journal in the field of critical yoga studies, entitled “South Asian Perspectives on Yoga.”

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