Bollywood dance and Indian Classical Dance and Music offered in
Foster City, San Mateo
Netra Center for Arts and Culture is a unique Arts Center, based in Foster City, that specializes
in offering best in class training in various forms of Indian Classical dance and
music. We offer weekly classes in the following dance and music forms:
- Traditional dance forms: Kuchipudi, Bharathanatyam and Mohiniattam
- Carnatic Vocal Music
- Bollywood dance
Painting classes are offered for kids and adults. Classes are offered in all mediums of painting and for kids of all ages.
At Netra we strive to teach Indian Classical Dance in the pure classical style as
taught in the Guru-Sishya prampara along with theory and stories from well know
Indian mythology. We are deeply committed to the time tested traditions of teaching,
practice and performance. Yoga will be part of the curriculum with appropriate emphasis
on perfection in the technical aspects of dance.
Bollywood dance classes are offered for both adults and children. The class
for children is conducted in such a way that it is fun for the kids while
also giving them an introduction to the finer elements of dance with emphasis on
fluidity, grace and facial expressions. The class for Adults will include a unique
mix of dance, choreography and cardio activity.
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Classical Dance - "Rome wasn’t built in a day and
neither will your dance practice be. Be patient and loving with yourself and try
to focus on the journey". Indian Classical dance is one of the oldest in the world.
India has a very rich tradition of classical and non-classical dance. The Natya
Shastra, which is the oldest surviving text on stagecraft in the world, spends a
considerable time discussing it. In the old days of the theatre, the dancers would
mime the story while the singers would sing the dialogue. The instrumentalists would
accompany them all. The nature of the old theatre was such that the dancers occupied
a central position. For many centuries the dancers were attached to the temples.
This maintained a strong religious flavour to dance. Even today many of the traditional
themes are mythological in nature. Over the centuries different areas have given
their own colour to the ancient classical tradition. Today the acknowledged classical
styles are: Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali of Kerala, Kuchipudi of Andhra
Pradesh, Manipuri of Northeast India, Orissi from Orissa, and Kathak from north
India and Pakistan. Each of these styles has a strong regional connection and none
can claim to be representative of the entire Indian subcontinent.
Classical Music ( Carnatic and Hindusthani) - The
music of India is said to be one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the
world. It is said that the origins of this system go back to the Vedas (ancient
scripts of the Hindus). Many different legends have grown up concerning the origins
and development of Indian classical music. Such legends go a long way in showing
the importance that music has in defining Indian culture. However the advent of
modern historical and cultural research has also given us a good perspective on
the field. This has shown that Indian music has developed within a very complex
interaction between different peoples of different races and cultures. It appears
that the ethnic diversity of present day India has been there from the earliest
of times. The basis for Indian music is "sangeet". Sangeet is a combination of three
artforms: vocal music, instrumental music and dance. Although these three artforms
were originally derived from the single field of stagecraft. Today these three forms
have differentiated into complex and highly refined individual artforms. The present
system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars: rag and tal. Rag is
the melodic form while tal is the rhythmic. Rag may be roughly equated with the
Western term mode or scale. There is a system of seven notes which are arranged
in a means not unlike Western scales. However when we look closely we see that it
is quite different what we are familiar with. The tal (rhythmic forms) are also
very complex. Many common rhythmic patterns exist. They revolve around repeating
patterns of beats. The interpretation of the rag and the tal is not the same all
over India. Today there are two major traditions of classical music. There is the
north Indian and the south Indian tradition. The North Indian tradition is known
asHindustani sangeet and the south Indian is called Carnatic sangeet. Both systems
are fundamentally similar but differ in nomenclature and performance practice. Many
musical instruments are peculiar to India. The most famous are the sitar and tabla.
All of this makes up the complex and exciting field of Indian classical music. Its
understanding easily consumes an entire lifetime.
Painting - Painting is a mode of expression and the
forms are numerous. Drawing, composition or abstraction and other aesthetics may
serve to manifest the expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner. Paintings
can be naturalistic and representational (as in a still life or landscape painting),
photographic, abstract, be loaded with narrative content, symbolism, emotion or
be political in nature. A portion of the history of painting in both Eastern and
Western art is dominated by spiritual motifs and ideas; examples of this kind of
painting range from artwork depicting mythological figures on pottery to Biblical
scenes rendered on the interior walls and ceiling of The Sistine Chapel, to scenes
from the life of Buddha or other scenes of eastern religious origin. The different
mediums of painting are Oils, Acylic, Watercolors, Fresco, Ink, Spray paint, Gouche,
Enamel etc.
Bollywood Dance/ Folk Dance - Bollywood is the informal
term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, Maharashtra,
India. Bollywood dance was initially taken from the indian movies and today its
turned into a culture where fusion, semi-classical, pop, fitness are all mixed in
to create an exciting, heart-racing and exciting beat which has everybody tapping
to! In Netra Bollywood dance is mixed with semi-classical, fusion, western dances,
fitness and folk. Folk dances - Folk dances will be choreographed to Folk songs
and semi-classical music. Evolving from a fusion of Classical ( Kuchipudi, Bharatnatyam,
Odissi, Kathak), Folk (Bhangra, Bihu, Garba, Lavani, Lambadi, Rajasthani), folk
dances create a visual extravaganza.
Yoga and Meditation - We will be following Iyengar
Yoga, developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, is one of the oldest styles around and therefore
has a well-developed, systematic approach that is often optimal for beginners. Iyengar
focuses on structural alignment of the body in each pose; therefore, teachers spend
time getting students into each posture and often use props to help them attain
correct alignment. Poses, usually held for one to three minutes, provide a solid
basis for any yoga practice, by building inner strength, opening the body safely
and deepening the mind-body connection. The goal is to get the physical body in
line with the mental body, the mental body in line with the intellectual body and
the intellectual body in line with the spiritual body so each are balanced. Each
asana has an optimal line or position - from the head to the foot, from the front
to the back, from the right to the left - without deviation, without distortion.
In over 1000 published research studies, various methods of meditation have been
linked to changes in metabolism, blood pressure, brain activation, and other bodily
processes. Meditation has been used in clinical settings as a method of stress and
pain reduction.
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