Introduction to Carnatic Dance Music

• Instructor: Lakshmi Amman
• Schedule: Hayes Cape Room on Saturday at 1:00PM

Carnatic music is the music system that dominates music and dance performance in Southern India. Although music has an incredibly long lineage in Indian culture, the formation of the firm foundation of modern day Carnatic music is credited to the sage Purandaradasa, who composed and performed in the 16th century in Vijayanagara India. He is credited with the formal system of basic practice exercises as well as a wide variety of hymns in the bhakti style. This class will cover both tala (rhythm) and raga (melody), with an emphasis on the interests of the students. We’ll focus on understanding the basic structure of Carnatic music from the perspective of musical appreciation, the bare bones of starting to study for performance, and with an understanding of how to use Carnatic music in a dance context. The focus will build particularly on the varieties of Carnatic music which are most useful in a dance context.