Lately, I have seen many ideas on Instagram for Bharata Natyam dancers to improve their posture. I’m excited that many teachers and dancers understand that learning dance is more than just repeating Adavus and learning Choreographies. But there’s also some information that’s not entirely accurate or maybe not applicable to everybody.
Today's advice concerns the need for more flexibility in Bharata Natyam to hold our postures. That’s only partly true. In my over 20 years of teaching experience, I had more students with too much flexibility than too little.
Here are the facts. Most stretching tips aim at the adductors, hip flexors, and other smaller muscles inside your upper thigh. Of course, you need to stretch them if they are too stiff. But while the upper thigh of a Bharata Natyam dancer is often very hard her inner part - the adductors - are rather wobbly. Test it yourself. Get into your ardhamandi and check how firm or soft the muscles in your upper thigh are. I bet with you that the inside of your thigh is quite soft.
The muscles that feel soft don’t need stretching. They need activation. They are fundamental in keeping your knee in position. They help your bone structure to align in the direction you want. If they’re too flexible, they become like a worn-out rubber band and don’t do their job. And guess what’s the first sign in dance training if that’s the case? Exactly, knee pain. So make sure you strengthen these adductors with simple but effective exercises.
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