Bharatanatyam, focused focused attention

Adaptive Bharatanatyam and focused attention 

In the last post, we saw that the study of Bharatanatyam can help strengthen attention and focus, and possibly the underlying neural circuits of attention. Anyone who has watched this dance form can attest to its complexity. Between remembering hand gestures, facial expressions, and the movement of the eyes, hands, and feet, and conveying the story or message, we can think of Bharatanatyam as the complete mental workout. So, how can this complex dance form be adapted for all?

Over the last four years, I have worked with several hundred older adults and have realized that many things make Bharatanatyam the ideal dance form to adapt for everyone. These adaptations are all helped by the fact that Bharatanatyam can be taught in a modular way. We can learn and pay attention to our gestures, eyes, arms, rhythm, and the meaning, and bring them all together in a cohesive way. 

The complexity of the dance is paradoxically its strength, as learners can engage in a variety of ways! Participants learn to notate the steps, count rhythm, sing, and learn the mythology in addition to the movements that make up the dance. All these modalities give us a sense of achievement and agency, so that we can assist others.

Below are images that show learners writing the gestures and the rhythmic syllables ("sollu") so that they can pay attention, focus, and remember.