Chandreyee’s vision is to spread the joy of dance, encouraging her students to express and balance their emotions through dance. To Chandreyee, dance means narrating stories and showcasing culture. She believes dance bridges gaps and strengthens bonds between diverse groups of people from different parts of the world. Additionally, she also wants her students to develop their understanding and skill of the patterns of the eye movements – where the eyes go, the mind follows, and when the mind follows, the rasa (emotion) is evoked.  

“I believe in the transformative power of dance. It helps us heal, be happy, and brings us closer to the divine. When I dance, the world around me melts away and brings me to a higher plane. The movements also make me physically stronger.  Through my instruction, I want to translate that passion and transformation to my students. It will improve their physical and mental wellbeing. The other aspect of my dance is storytelling. It can be a story from the past or portraying the happenings of the world. The movements along with the story helps us connect to the audience.”

Students will learn the difference between the two dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam. Students will get to experience traditional Carnatic music, see the dance as it is performed, and practice certain movements related to nature. Students learn hand gestures, facial expressions, eye movements, feet positions, and other techniques, as well as the traditional and cultural practices to aid their understanding of the art form. Through dancing with me, students will experience the rigid movements and dynamics of Bharatanatyam and the calm and spiritual nature of Mohiniattam along with geometrical patterns each dance form creates. 

Sample Programs: Customizable To Site’s Needs 

Performances 

Connecting Rhythms of South India with Dance  (all ages)

The audience will witness the beauty and grace of the Mohiniattam dance from and get to see the difference not only in how it was performed in the past vs. in the present day but also the difference of attire. The costume worn for a Mohiniattam performance is white with gold border and golden jewelry which signifies dawn and the serene beauty of Kerala. I will showcase some Mohiniattam dance numbers from various stories including Indian mythology and poetry. Audiences will be inspired by the way the movements reflect nature. Age-appropriate explanations and slideshows will be provided alongside each dance number. Audiences will have the opportunity to join in with some of the movements, and participate in a post-show Q&A. 

Residencies 

Connecting Rhythms of South India with Dance 

During my residency, students will be exposed to the beautiful dance form of Mohiniyattam along with saying ‘hello’ in different languages from India supported by a dance posture. They will also be exposed to the various musical instruments (edakka, flute, and violin) used in Mohiniyattam along with vocal renditions used to create a specific genre of music suited for Mohiniyattam called ‘Sopanam’ (steps). Additionally, students will learn about the ‘Onam’ Festival from Kerala and create a ‘pookalam’ (round shapes filled with colorful flower petals) and learn as well as perform ‘kaikottikali’ - a folk dance from Kerala around the ‘pookalam’. Students will understand the importance of performing ‘Kaikottikali’ also. These tasks will help them to connect to the history and culture of India. This lesson is designed for all age groups (pre-k to seniors).  

Note: The timing, age range, and number of participants can be customized according to the project including lessons/interactive workshops/ performances. 

Workshops 

Mohiniattam: Classical Dance From Kerala - South India 

This dance form from Kerala portrays feminine love in its many forms — carnal, devotional and maternal, with the accent more on lasya and bhava. This is an interactive session where students experience the beautiful classical dance form of Mohiniattam from the southern part of India. Students will begin the class with a salutation (namaskaram) to seek blessings from Mother Earth, God, Teacher (guru) and the audience. This leads into activities like stretching the legs, arms, moving the torso, neck movements, and gradually leading into a full-body movement. Warm-ups help to activate the brain to learn by refreshing previous learning and connecting to newer concepts. Additionally, it prepares the body from any kind of injury. Finally, to experience the culture from the southern part of India, students will learn a folk dance from Kerala - ‘Kaikottikali’ which is performed by moving in a circle. 

Note: Must be paired with performance or part of a workshop series.  

Pookalam - Round shapes filled with colorful flower petals  

‘Pookalam’ is a traditional, floral decoration from the state of Kerala in the Southern part of India. ‘Pookalam’ consists of two words 'Poov' means flowers and 'kalam’ means colored drawings made with flower petals on the floor. This decoration is done in front of houses and temples to celebrate the cultural and harvest festival of Onam from Kerala. In this workshop students first learn to draw ‘pooklam’ motifs on paper followed by drawing it on the floor with a chalk and then filling it with flower petals. Students of this workshop will experience an authentic Malayalam tradition from Kerala, India, which brings good favor upon the household.  

Note: Must be paired with performance or part of a workshop series.