Kundan Jewelry

Kundan Jewelry is the oldest traditional form of Indian gemstone jewelry using a gem set with thin gold foil between the jewelry base mount and the gem stone. The gem stone is placed in the mount and secured with gold foil between the gaps. This style of jewelry was originated in Rajastan and Gujarat.

Jaipuri Jewelry is another form of Kundan jewelry in which the Kundan gemstone setting is in the front and enamel designs on the back of the jewellery bits. This is also called as Meena Kundan jewelry or Bikaneri Jewelry. Jaipur is the main source of Kundan and Bikaneri Jewelry in India.
Beautiful Bikaneri Kundan jewelry set. The front of this jewelry is traditional gemstone set type and the reverse side is cute Meenakari designs.

This gorgeous Kundan choker set is going to attract a lot of positive attention wherever you go. It is a unique piece which has been embellished to perfection.

Traditional Indian dresses require complementary ornaments to make the look complete in every way. Matching choker set is going to provide you with the ideal accessory you have been looking for.

• Beautiful Meenakari work present in the back side of each stone settings
• Kundan jewelry set includes necklace with pendant and matching earrings
• Earrings come with a convenient and smooth rubber push system
• Neck line of the choker set is completely adjustable
• Ideal for wearing with Lehenga-choli and party wear sarees

Navadhanya and its importance in Hindu pooja

Navadhanya is an important part of the various Hindu pooja items. Navadhanya signifies the nine

grains (where ‘Nava’ means nine and ‘Dhanya’ means grains) that are an important part of an

Indian’s staple food. These nine grains include Rice, Wheat, Bengal gram, Horse gram, Green

gram, Black gram, White beans, Chic peas and Black sesame seeds.

Usage of Navadhanya as a Hindu pooja item is a ritual followed during specific occasions such

as the Grahapravesam and also during the Navarathri festival. The number nine signifies the

Navagrahas of the Hindu religion and these nine grains are offered to each one of these

Navagrahas.

Use of Navadhanya for Grahapravesam:

The Grahapravesam or house warming ceremony is a ritual performed before someone starts

living in a new house. Sometimes, a Grahapravesam may also be performed if the house or a

portion of the house has been rebuilt, or if someone is coming back to live in the house after

being away in a different place for a long number of years.

The objective of performing this ritual is to invoke the blessing of the gods to grant happiness,

peace, prosperity and longevity to the people who are going to live in the house. During this ritual,

the Navadhanya is one of the essential Hindu pooja items. These nine grains are placed in a pot

filled with water along with a one rupee coin and a coconut is then placed on top of the pot. The

holy man then performs the pooja ritual after which this pot is taken inside the house and placed

near the homam (a temporary fireplace built for the ceremony).

Use of Navadhanya during Navarathri festival:

Navadhanya is also an important part of the Navarathri festival which is celebrated for nine

continuous days in worship of the Hindu goddesses. “Kolu” is a significant aspect of this festival

where different idols are arranged such that they signify different stories from the various epics in

the Hindu religion. Pooja will be performed for the idols placed in the Kolu every evening and

neighbors will be invited to visit the Kolu and sign hymns in praise of the gods.

Each evening one of the Navadhanya will be cooked and offered to the deity and visitors in the

form of “Sundal”. The Kolu custom and evening pooja is incomplete without a sundal made from

one of the Navadhanyas. Apart from the spiritual or religious beliefs of well being when using a

Navadhanya, intake of these grains has excellent health benefits as well!

Performing arts degrees from Alagappa University

Courtesy: http://alagappaarts.com/dance/

Alagappa Performing Arts Academy (APAA) an integral part of the Alagappa group of institutions was founded in 2005 by Mr. Ramanath Vairavan, grandson of Dr. RM. Alagappa Chettiar. The primary objective of APAA is to propagate the exquisite practice of Indian art and culture in their pristine purity and in conformance to tradition.

APAA in its maiden venture has focused on Bharatanatyam, an art that combines artistic expression, vigorous dancing with a sense of spirituality. Students of Bharathanatyam spend years learning the art and perfecting the practice to perform the ‘Arangetram” which is a graduation performance. A student might typically take about 5 to 7 years to perform an Arangetram. If a student were to pursue graduate studies during this time a student should be able to complete post-graduate education. However in pursuit of learning Bharathanatyam, dancers are not awarded degrees or certification for their accomplishment.

APAA in an effort to fulfill this need has developed a structured learning program, using eminent artistes in the field and designed a comprehensive curriculum in performing arts to demonstrate the repertoire of culture that is embedded in these classical arts. The programs have been designed with specific course work and practicals that a student has to successfully complete to get the respective certification. Effective detailed aids have been developed to enhance the learning process with the comprehensive review of the various aspects of the art. From an overview of the various dances in India , to the rudiments of dancing, to clearly depicting the exquisite language of gestures, postures and rhythmical delivery, a student is guided through the various phases of this intricate art with textbooks that concisely explain its relevance and interactive DVDs that vividly describe the precise execution of the art. These valuable learning aids enhance the comprehension and make this a valuable exercise for students to understand the depth and versatility of this art with theory and practicals integrated in a format similar to academic programs.

The teaching aids will initially focus on Bharathanatyam and supplemental aids will be added to other classical dance forms of India such as Mohini Attam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathak and Manipuri. These programs are offered through APAA Authorized Certification Centers (APACs) worldwide to enable students to obtain an undergraduate and post graduate degrees in performing arts. The vision of APAA is to obtain accreditation for this program from renowned Universities in the world, propagate and bring prominence not only to Indian performing arts but also to all other dance and music art forms by offering structured learning programs to students worldwide.

Different styles of Bharatanatyam dance

Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest known classical dances that have been handed down over the years, along with the Indian tradition. It is a form of dance that integrates three major aspects namely Bhava, Raga and Tala. “Bhava” means expression of emotions, “Raga” means music and “Tala” means rhythm. All three entwined together emerge into the vibrant Bharatanatyam dance. Witnessing this classical dance performance with the dancer properly clad in a Bharatanatyam costume, jewelry and make up is truly a sight to behold. It is sure to create an impact and remain etched in your memories forever.

Bharatanatyam dance finds its origin in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and is dated back into centuries. Over the years, this dance has evolved into variants based on the region, culture and religious beliefs and hence manifests itself into different styles.

Some of the styles that root back into the centuries are:

• Thanjavur
• Kancheepuram
• Melattur
• Vazhuvoor
• Pandanaloor
• Mysore

Each one of these styles has its own special significance and differs from the rest in the way in which the major elements of Bhava, raga and tala are utilized. Bharatnatyam itself is ingrained into the Hindu mythological scriptures and most of the dances try to portray those scriptures by means of the dance. These dances use rhythmic movement of the eyes, head, hands, body and legs along with apt expressions. Certain styles of Bharatanatyam may provide more importance to vivid rhythmic movements alone, while some follow a slower depiction with varied facial expressions. Some styles adopt deep-sitting positions while others follow the half-sitting positions.

In the recent years other styles of Bharatanatyam dance such as the Kalakshetra and Balasaraswathi styles have also become prevalent. These are combinations or variations of one or more of the earlier styles of the dance. While the styles of the yester years give more importance for solo dancing, the contemporary styles provide more room for group performances.

Whatever may be the style of dancing; the Bharatanatyam costume and jewelry is extremely important and adds great value to the dancer. Modern day trend presents the Bharatanatyam dress in two different forms: one is the saree or skirt style with the pleats all ready. This needs to be draped appropriately by the dancer. The other is the pyjama style that can be easily worn by the dancer. Both costumes excel in quality and grandeur. Dancers can choose their costume based on the dance style they patronize and the comfort level that they feel for each of these costume styles.

Dance costume stitching

For Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak dance forms

Stitching a Bharatanatyam dance costume or any other classical dance dress for your child has become such a cumbersome process nowadays. Especially if you live outside India, spending time to search for the correct color saree and finding a nice tailor is at least one full day’s work. The cloth shops in India are extremely crowded no matter what the season is and tailors are always busy. Unless you know the tailor personally, getting a dance dress stitched in couple of weeks is a herculean task. Needless to explain the process of taking measurement at the tailors place!

How about doing all this without leaving you house at your convenient time, and get the costume of your choice delivered to you within 5 weeks? This is exactly what you can do from our online store http://www.DanceCostumesAndJewelry.com. We have experienced tailors in Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Cochin and Delhi to make the costume of your choice at its own authenticity. Most of our Bharatanatyam dresses are stitched from Chennai or Coimbatore and the Mohiniyattam dresses are stitched at Cochin. We have tailors in Hyderabad and Delhi for making Kuchipudi, Odissi and Kathak dresses.

How does the process of stitching dance dress online works? Ok, we will explain the process of ordering your own custom stitched dance dress from beginning to end, in the following paragraphs. First you need to create an account in our online store. Creating an account is very important and has many advantages. Once you create an account and enter your shipping address, our store remembers it and you need not enter your address each time. However, for security reasons, we do not store your credit card number. You have to enter it each time you process an order with us. This gives you the flexibility to use any card for your order. We accept all major credit cards – VISA, Discover, MasterCard and American Express.

Before you place an order to stitch your dance costume, please open this page and see all the different types of dance costumes we stitch. Then click on the appropriate costume type. For example, if you want to stitch a Bharatanatyam dress, you would arrive at this webpage. You will see two pictures associated with this product - a line drawing and a photo of the dress. Open the line drawing and go through the measurements and the numbers associated with each measurement – for example the measurement number 8 is the sleeve size of your blouse. If you are the dancer, you need another person’s help to take the measurements. If your child is the dancer, you can take the measurements for her/him. Decide the color you want for the costume. We always ask for two choices because the sarees of a particular color and type may not be available all the time with our saree vendors.

When the dancer is ready, use a flexible tape to take the measurements and start in the order given in the website. Please see our YouTube video before you start. The first measurement you take will be height of the blouse. Please call us anytime if you have a question about how to take a measurement. You need to fill in all the columns before you click on the “add to cart” button. There is an option to mention the style of the dance costume. In this column, enter any comments you have such as – full covering blouse, 2 fans only, three fans etc…Also at the end of the page you will see the material type. The cost of the dress varies according to your selection. If you select the art silk material, the dress is less expensive and the Dharmavaram silk is most expensive. Make sure you selected the correct material and verify the price.

Once you completed all the measurement entries and clicked on “add to cart” the order will be placed on your cart. Nothing will happen until you pay. Since you are logged in, this will stay in your account, even if you log out of the system. You can come back next day and then place the order. When you are ready to place the order and have the credit card ready, go to your cart and “Proceed to check out”. You need to enter the credit card info in the next page. After entering all the necessary information, proceed to complete the order and you are done. Please make sure you have received an email from us confirming the order. If you have not received the email, check your spam folder. Please note the order ID and write down it in a safe place. You need to mention this number if you need to call us to enquire the status of the order.

As soon as we receive your order, our order processing staff in India will start looking for the correct color sarees and materials in our stock. We usually have the stock of most of the fast moving colors in Art Silk and Apoorva Silk. They will also see which tailor is suitable for this dance costume depending upon the type of the dress and how busy each tailor is. If we have the suitable saree, it will be given to the tailor immediately along with the measurement. The tailors will go through the measurements and check if everything is OK. If they see any discrepancies, they will call us and report the issue and will not stitch the costume until we give a green signal. Once cleared, they stitch the costume and send it to our shipping center. From that place your costume will be shipped to our warehouse in Indiana, US. Once it reaches here, we verify the costume for color and measurements again, before shipping out to you.

Thank you for reading and hope this will help you to make the order placing easier.

Indian classical dance make-up

The Indian classical dance makeup should have a graceful look and should be suitable for stage light rather than day light. It also should be equally suitable for dancers with dark or fair skin colors.


Make-up may smudge! Keep your face oil-free. Some dancers become very emotional just before the dance – but don’t cry!!!

Below is the list of Items you need for Indian Classical Dance makeup. This is applicable for Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kathak and Kuchipudi.

Note: All the items except the items in the first line are available in any makeup kit available from Wal-Mart or Target

Altha, Sindoor, Kumkum, Bindi (preferably Maroon color)

Black eyeliner or Kajal

Blush

Eye shadow

Facial powder / Talcum powder (inhaling or swallowing talcum powder is dangerous)

Light foundation

Indian dance makeup – step by step procedure:

1. Using a gentle soap wash face and wipe with a soft lint free cotton cloth

2. Apply an oil-free moisturizer. We recommend you to use herbal moisturizer. Remember, chemicals are harmful !

3. Apply a light coat of facial powder

4. Apply the foundation. This can be a nice thick (just noticeable) coating. The foundation color should be little bit lighter than your skin color

5. Over the foundation, apply a coat of facial powder

6. Now apply blush

7. Draw the outline of both eyes using black eyeliner. Make sure the end of the outline is curved so that the eyes appear like a lotus petal.

8. Apply multiple coats of black mascara

9. On the nose, especially on the sides, apply dark foundation to the sides of your nose.

10. Select an appropriate color lipstick with some gloss and apply

11. Place a maroon sticker Bindi in the middle of your fore-head. For round face, use a rain drop shaped bindi. For a long face, use a round bindi

Hair makeup is a different topic and it varies depending upon the dance style. However, irrespective of the dance style, all uses false hair and hair kunjalam. We will cover the hair makeup in a separate blog.

Ankle Bell models from IndiaMartInUSA.net

Have you ever looked at the different models of Ghungroo we have in our online store? We have almost all the best quality ankle bells available in South India in our website. The Ankle bells are known as “Salangai” in Tamil and “Chilanka” in Malayalam. Basically they are two types – Leather and cloth. There is one more less popular type made of Rexin also. As you know, the quality and confort of these are not well known.
Ankle bells made of genuine leather are very comfortable to wear and knwon to last long – you may get bored with them before they start tear apart. These have cushion pads behind, where it comes into contact with your ankle and so are very comfortabe to wear during hours of long practice or performance. The buckles, once fastened won’t come apart and are worry free. Some dancers prefer cloth type and would like to tie the Ghungroos instead if buckle them up.
The size of the Salangai depends upon the number of bells in each of them. It is appropriate to wear a two line Ankle bell for a seven or eight year old dancer, while adults prefer to have a four or five line Ghungroo. Based on the size, the number of bells in the Ghungroo will change. A good quality Ankle bell will have atleast 10 bells in each line. There fore, a 4 line Ghungroo will have about 40 bells in one pad. The quality of sound depend upon the size of the individual bell. The small size bells make less sound since the ball inside the bell is also small and its movement is lesser than that of a big bell.
Ankle bell coming off from the dancers leg during a performance is considered as a bad sign. Also it is dangerous and may injure the dancer. So it is important to select a good quality Ankle bell and one should make sure it is fastened or tightened properly before the dancer goes to the stage.