The laasyam way

Our Approach

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Welcome to the Laasyam Kuchipudi Dance Academy! We are thrilled that you have chosen our school to pursue this wonderful dance form which is one of the nine major classical dance forms in India. Students of all ages and background are welcome; Passion is the only pre-requisite.

We will explore poise, grace and soulful gestures through this ancient classical dance form, passed down from the masters to students under the Guru-Shishya parampara.

At Laasyam, we pride ourselves in our committed teaching methods developing the student as not only a dancer, but as a well-rounded human being. Students will develop balance, coordination, and aesthetic awareness that will benefit them in real life developing their confidence, self esteem and an appreciation or deeper understanding of this culture.

— Our Mission

Provide formal training with structured teaching while inspiring fun and innovation. Ensure Laasyam has many success stories to tell in various parts of the world. Transcend barriers of any kind to acknowledge Kuchipudi as a disciplined artform that anyone can pursue.

— Our Vision

Build a connection that inspires people to learn Kuchipudi transcending differences of culture.

— Values Or Pillars

Respect, Compassion, Discipline, Dedication and Commitment. We take pride in our quality focused and dedicated teaching.

A BRIEF BACKGROUND
ABOUT KUCHIPUDI

 

Kuchipudi is one of the nine classical Indian dance forms. It is named after the village by the same name situated in a South Indian state called Andhra Pradesh and was founded by Guru Siddhendra Yogi in the 15th century. Like other classical dance forms in India, it traces its roots to the Sanskrit Natya Shastra, a foundational treatise on the performing arts. The beauty of Kuchipudi lies in its quick and intricate footwork, its grace, sculpturesque body movements, and its use of expression to convey moods and feelings. The practice of this beautiful danceform follows the tradition of guru-shishya parampara or teacher-disciple lineage, where the knowledge and skills are passed down from a long succession of gurus and disciples. It is known for its poise and expression.

 

The most popular Kuchipudi dance forms is the pot dance, in which a dancer keeps a pot filled with water on his/her head, while the feet are balanced on a brass plate. Bhama Kalapam, Gollakalapam, Prahlada Charitam, Sashirekha parinaya are some famous dance dramas in Kuchipudi. Abhinaya or drama/expression is key in Kuchipudi.

Kuchipudi shares many common elements with Bharatanatyam. In its solo exposition, Kuchipudi numbers include ‘jatiswaram’ and ’tillana’ whereas in nrityam it has several lyrical compositions reflecting the desire of a devotee to merge with God. Beyond the stylistic differences of Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam steps, there are certain types of dances that are unique to Kuchipudi: Specifically Tarangam which is uses a plate with two diyas (small oil-burning candles) in his or her hands while balancing a “kindi” (small vessel) containing water.

Body Conditioning

“Even the best sense of rhythm, the most careful technical training, and the most astute dance intuition aren’t enough to make a dancer truly excel; you also need focused strength, balance, and flexibility to execute the movements with power and grace. Conditioning for Dance improves your technique and performance in all dance forms by strengthening the body’s core (abdominal and back muscles) while developing coordination, balance, and alignment and optimizing flexibility. The result is more lift without tension, deeper plies, higher jumps with less effort, tighter turns, and improved extension and turnout.”

 

 

From the book- Conditioning for Dance by Eric Franklin 

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Our art form Kuchipudi, is a comprehensive full-body activity where we perform jumps, leaps, turns and movements that require the highest level of athleticism, balance and body control. As a dancer, we think our body is in good condition because we spend hours everyday rehearsing, performing and taking classes. That is not true in most cases. We are not always as ‘fit’ as we presume and conditioning is an important part of our training.

Conditioning is defined as a state of being physically fit so your body can safely perform the physical demands with least risk and possibility of injury. For dancers, body conditioning is all about working to tone and sculpt their muscles apart from, and over and above the dance movements.

At Laasyam, we strictly focus on conditioning sessions that involves extensive stretching and to build correct muscles. Lack of proper stretching out the body and/or lack of strength in the muscles can cause serious injuries. Our conditioning sessions involve the usage of different yogasanas to build strength, body balancing, alignment and flexibility. We strongly believe that this regime allows our students’ to strengthen their bodies and compliment their dance training to prevent injuries.

"Prathyusha aunty is an amazing teacher. She listens to us, supports us, encourages us and help us understand and correct our technique, so we can improve. The body conditioning sessions before class are fun to do and she also proposes variations for each exercise so we can always choose the difficulty we want to be confronted with. She always encourages us to step out of comfort zone and challenges us with different types of home work. It's fun to go to her classes and I really enjoy dancing with her."
Sri Dyuti
12yr old student
"Prathyusha aunty is truly motivating and makes you instantly feel at ease. She is a lovely teacher who always find funny and helpful ways of teaching. She takes the subject and breaks it down for us to follow. She provides constructive feedback on our positioning and dancing which helps us to develop at our own pace. I am grateful to have found a teacher like her and thank you Prathyusha aunty for the challenging but fun classes."
Pavitra
11 yr old student
"I have been a student of Prathyusha akka for a few months now . She is not only an excellent teacher with expertise in her subject but also takes a deep interest into how wellness and fact based health options can align and help you learn better . She helps you observe and determine your health needs, and helps you understand how your energy levels and body strength can be increased by teaching appropriate stretches and balancing postures before each class. She teaches with utmost attention and detail and also provides constructive feedback that helps you become perfect with right amount of confidence."
Prashanti
Adult student