The Sunday class focused on directions and spatial awareness. These are important parts of learning dance.
The students practised the "Tha Thai Thai Tha" adavu. This is the third set of steps in Bharatanatyam. They faced an interesting challenge.
I demonstrated the movements facing them. Many students tried to mirror my actions. But in this exercise, they often needed to move in the opposite direction. This caused confusion. There were mix-ups with right and left turns.
We did not see these mistakes as a problem. We used them as a learning opportunity. We discussed what was happening and tried different approaches. We also practised repeatedly.
Sometimes I turned around and demonstrated with my back to the students. At other times, they consciously tried the opposite side. This helped them understand the directions better.
Slowly, the students began to figure it out. By the end of the session, they moved with more confidence and awareness. We learned that learning dance is not just about memorising steps. It is also about understanding space and directions. It is about learning by trying things and fixing mistakes.
By the end of the session the students were moving with much more confidence and awareness of direction.
(We observed it)
Demonstrating with my back to the students helped them follow the directions instead of mirroring them.
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