Free Bharatanatyam workshop to be held in Chennai for women

CHENNAI: Athma Laya, an organisation that is holding Bharatanatyam dance classes for women, will conduct a free workshop -- Udbhavam 2016 -- in Chennai on September 10.
The workshop, to be held at Chettinad Vidyashram Auditorium in RA Puram, will feature a 45-minute dance recital, followed by a Bharathanatyam dance workshop.
Athma Laya was founded in 1998 by Mala Bharath, who combines dance with the process of meditation to present it as a therapy for women.A Bharatanatyam dancer herself, she quit the software industry to start the organisation, which now has seven centres across the city.
“The regular dance classes are held once a week for one hour. They are meant for women above 20, who may have wanted to learn dance when they were young but couldn’t and also for those who learnt dance but were not able to continue for various reasons,” said Athma Laya coordinator Gowri Jayakrishnan.
The organisation also offers free workshops periodically for various sections of women. “It is meant to help them relax and rejuvenate,” Jayakrishnan said.
Udbhavam 2016 is open to women aged between 20 and 60 years. “We are hoping to have about 300 participants,” she said.
The event will begin at 5pm with a 45-minute dance recital by the teachers of Athma Laya. “It will be followed by a one-and-a-half hour workshop where women will learn dance and also simple steps of meditation,” says Jayakrishnan.
Interested people can contact Gowri Jayakrishnan at 98849 53013 for more information. They can also log on to www.athmalaya.in and register online.