Sahasra Sambamoorthi Teaches a Bharatanatyam Warm-Up Combo

Whether she is teaching advanced or beginner kathak or bharatanatyam-style Indian dance classes, Sahasra Sambamoorthi, director of New York City’s Navatman Dance Company, has implemented a version of this warm-up combination for over 30 years. 

The spine stretch, found in bharatanatyam and other classical Indian styles, is useful for dancers of all backgrounds and disciplines. “The spine is super-integral in bharatanatyam,” she says. It is one of the few styles that necessitates full twists without moving the hips, “so we want [the spine] always to be a little bit flexible and prepared.” In this warm-up, she says, you’ll feel all the “minutiae pieces of the spine feel like they come apart.” 

For dancers who have never encountered the bharatanatyam style, the warm-up is as much about expanding a dancer’s mind to new movement approaches as it is about lubricating joints and muscles. “So often we are thinking about our movement in light, airy ways, being fluid and flowy,” Sambamoorthi says. In contrast, bharatanatyam is characterized by “extreme groundedness, intense eye work, and very stiff upper-body work.”

Even if you aren’t about to lead an Indian dance class, Sambamoorthi says the following combination is a useful teaching practice. “I wanted [the lesson plan] to be utilized in any classroom in any style when you feel like you want to explore differently,” she says. 

Step-by-Step Guide

The two parts of this lesson plan—the spine stretch and the following combination—can be utilized as a warm-up for advanced dancers and as an exploration of a new style for beginners. 

1. Spine Stretching

Start by linking your thumbs, bending them and hooking them around each other. The palms will be flat, other fingers outstretched, with the index fingers lightly touching side-by-side.

Keeping the thumbs linked, lift the hands overhead. The palms will be facing out, in the direction of your gaze. The arms will be straight, with the elbows by the ears. In this starting position, think of reaching and lengthening the spine, but keep the shoulders down. 

First set of four counts: Stretch the spine, thinking of lifting out of the hips as you slowly lower into a halfway fold on counts 1, 2, 3, arriving parallel to the ground with spine straight by 4. The arms remain in their starting position, with elbows by the ears. 

Second set of four: Complete the forward fold, lowering to the ground on counts 1, 2, 3 and coming to settle on 4, unlinking the thumbs to palm the ground if you can reach it, or resting the hands on the ankles or shins. The head will lift up on the final count 4, precipitating the return journey to standing. 

Third set of four: Link the thumbs and return the arms to a straight overhead position, with elbows by the ears. Leading with the head and hands, keep a straight spine as you slowly return to the half-fold position on counts 1, 2, 3, arriving parallel to the ground on 4. 

Final set of four: Keeping the spine straight and thumbs linked, engage the core to slowly lift back to the standing starting position with arms overhead on counts 1, 2, 3, 4.

Repeat four to five times, or as many as eight to warm up the spine. 

2. Combination

According to tradition, the next section starts with different hand placements, depending on your gender identity. If you identify as male, start with hands on your waist with the palms into the body. If you identify as female, place the backs of your hands on your waist, tops of the wrists pressing in and hands slightly behind the body. Or choose whichever is comfortable to you. 

Establish the leg positions:

• For the first position, open the feet to your biggest turnout, heels together, and bend the knees as deeply as you can while keeping the heels on the ground. This is the “aramandi” or “half-sit” position.
• For the second position, lift the right foot and place it behind the left foot, ball of the foot rooted into the ground. The knees will stay bent. This is the “swastika” position. (The word connotes harmony, balance, and auspiciousness in Indian culture.)

Practice alternating the legs:

• After the right foot is in swastika, return to aramandi by stamping the foot down into the turned-out position.
• Then alternate, keeping the knees bent the whole time. Do not be afraid to stamp firmly, making strong contact with the floor. The knees will stay bent as you move from right to left.

Practice the hands and arms:

• Spread the fingers into an “alapadma” hand. As you splay the fingers, the pinky will bend down towards the wrist. With the hands in this position, keeping the fingers stiff, spread the arms down and then out wide to lift, arching into a rounded overhead position with the fingers linked. 

Combine the legs and arms:

• In the combination, the feet will alternate aramandi to swastika four times with a metronome-like beat.
• Starting in aramandi, move the right foot into swastika and look towards the right hand as the arms spread down and outwards and slowly lift. Return to aramandi. Then move the left foot into swastika while following the right hand up with the gaze. 
• By the second return to aramandi, the index fingers link overhead. 
• As you move into the second set of foot alternations, the fingers stay linked and the chin stays proudly lifted. Move the right foot behind in swastika while keeping the gaze down over the right shoulder, which dips slightly.
• As you return to aramandi, return the gaze sharply front.
• Move the left foot behind in swastika and switch the head and gaze, looking over the left shoulder, which slightly dips.
• Release the hands as you return to aramandi and repeat. 

Speed it up and play:

• As you get more comfortable with the coordination, you can do this at faster tempos, doubling the first speed for tempo two and doubling again for tempo three. 
• You can also repeat the foot patterns with different hand and upper-body movements. 

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