Customer Reviews

Dances of India - Bharata Natyam Arangetram Dances

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

First of all, even though I don't find this DVD is specifically "instructional", I must say the quality of the picture and the sound is very good. I disagree with the reviewer who wrote "DVD with such an substandard music and performance" because its standards are pretty good if you live in the States and don't have a chance to attend special performances in South India. I would say that this DVD was made for those students who are learning Bharata Natyam as a hobby rather than as a career.

For those who are not familiar with what "Arangetram" stands for, it is basically a "graduation Margam", or the same as a any other full traditional recital. In this sense, it may be compared with any other Bharata Natyam DVDs like the ones featuring Medha Hari, for example. I hope David Morrison will continue to produce classical Indian dance DVDs, although he should pay more attention to the musicians' dancers' mastery and performance.

There are not many Bharatnatyam DVDs out there, and, if you have the cash, you should get this one for your collection - it is worth having as an intro into an adapted version of Bharatanatyam.

Although the performer is not in a good form, and although the items are incomplete here, unlike, for example in Sreelatha Suresh DVD or Nrithya Madhuri DVD, still we have to admit that David Morrison's production was superior in image quality.

Padma Chebrolu's two DVD's are the ONLY instructional DVDs that are to be found in the whole world. Thanks to David Morrison, they are made by the American standards and with the international students in mind, and are way above any instructional VHS or VCD videos that have been produced.

And because these two DVDs are instructional, and this Arangetram DVD in particular is formatted in a very academic way, there is no point comparing them to other DVDs for 2 reasons.

First, Anita Ratnam's is a just brief (like an encyclopedia article) general introduction to Bharatanatyam, while Medha Hari's is a showcase of a top young dancer whose agility and facial abhinaya is naturally different from the older dancers' (it is unfair to compare a 50-year-old gymnast with a 16-year-old!)

Secondly, Anita Ratnam's, P.Chebrolu's and Medha Hari's styles are all too different to be compared with each other.

This is why by buying P.Chebrolu's videos you never risk coming across anything similar. And, at the Amazon.com price, this is a very good bargain.

You should buy it if you are seriously interested in the Indian Classical Dance as this is one of the first three Bharatanatyam videos that can be bought on DVD. It is professionally designed and filmed, and the dance performance is better than the one seen in Anita Ratnam's DVD, although the varnam part is less authentic and rather simple compared with far more elaborate elements seen in Medha Hari's DVD, as these elements require to be performed by a real virtuoso.

All in all, unlike the other two Bharatanatyam DVDs, it is a good and clear introduction to Bharatanatyam done in the classical way, even though some elements of the technique may not be the purest Bharatanatyam, as Padma Chebrolu's style of Bharatanatyam, a US-based dancer, was heavily influenced by her studies in Kuchipudi, Andhra Natyam and Mohini Attam.

I believe it is worth the price.

This video is terrible. The music is horrible. The dancer has no idea of what classical Bharatanatayam means. The depictions are so horrible that defies description. I consider this a total waste of my hard earned money! If you are looking for something worth while go and buy Bharatanatayam Abhinaya by Priyadarshini Govind. (PS. I am not related or connected in any way with either of these artists other than the fact I paid for these 2 sets of DVDs).

For a complete beginner in her early thirties - like myself, this video is a good introduction into BharatNatyam. Other Bharatnatyam DVDs that are made in India are far too complicated and often make some vague, sophisticated references. Padma Chebrolu's explanations are simple and easy to grasp.

I decided to buy this DVD when I was looking for BharatNatyam DVD trailers online and found Bharata Natyam Arangetram Dances on jayq.org . Personally, I find P.Chebrolu's style interesting, even if it looks like a blend of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi and other things.

Arangetram is supposed to be a complete margam. Basically, you can watch any full recital and get an idea of what an arangetram is.

Among the Bharatnatyam DVDs, P.Chebrolu's DVD is the most expensive. Unless the image/sound quality is your primary consideration, it cannot stand comparison with, for example, some of the Drishya Bharatham DVDs, which are priced at 3 times less.

As for the perfection of the technique and the demonstrations, well, P.Chebrolu's DVDs cannot stand any comparison with some young virtuosos' like Medha Hari's.

I am surprised one can even venture in making an DVD with such an substandard music and performance.There was not even one teermanam displayed correctly by the dancer leave alone by the mridangam.All the main items are cut short so badly(tillana 7 minutes give me a break).....If this is the intention ,it is better be priced accordingly.I didnot enjoy even one item ...
My strong suggestion is not to buy.

First of all, P.Chebrolu's "Guru Brahma" Shlokam will be a surprise for anyone who has seen Bharatanatyam arangetrams in South India (you can watch some on YouTube). Not a single Bharatnatyam recital in Chennai sounds or looks like it at all. Manikya Veena sounds and looks more like an attempt at an Odissi recital.

Of course, we cannot expect from a middle-aged and totally unfit American "dancer" to demonstrate the movements with the full amplitude and agility displayed by such young virtuosos as Medha Hari or Archana Raja in their DVDs, but the cold Alarippu was performed as if it were a tired 80-year-old woman dancing there. Most of the movements were SIMPLIFIED versions. In Alarippu, while holding her hands parallel to the ground, Padma moved her elbows instead of shoulders, without even being able to maintain her torso still! And nobody joins their hands above their heads in such a funny manner.

What struck me was the frozen expressions on Padma's face, as if she forgot the main difference between ballet and Bharatanatyam. Most of the expressions were simply INADEQUATE by the Indian standards. At the end of Padam, we see the concluding static pose that is simply horrible!

In Padam and Sabdam the expected bhavas were simply absent. Throughout the video, Padma's abhinaya was close to an absolute zero. In Thillana, the dancer could not even maintain the tempo and the laya was ridiculously inadequate.

Padma Chebrolu, a full-time software engineer with an MBA, as we read it here, "attended several gurus and mastered Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Andhra Natyam, Mohini Attam and other classical dance styles". It strikes me how "professional" the people who move to the USA suddenly feel after attending a few dance workshops in India.

In India, people are usually more modest and do not proclaim themselves as "masters of all classical Indian dance styles" because every idiot in India knows that it is impossible to "master" even one style (certainly not while getting an MBA and working full-time as a software engineer!) in 20-30 years' of intensive practice.

I bought this DVD from Amazon, and wonder how many more stiff-bodied, overweight American "Bharatanatyam" dancers will dare to make a laughing stock out of themselves.

You may wonder why, unlike some other similar Bharatanatyam DVDs,

- the durations of this entire DVD and of individual items are not listed;

- there are no online DVD trailers available for previews.

If you are absolutely new to Bharatanatyam, I must tell you that a standard arangetram/margam includes at least 70 minutes of dancing.