Rooted
A lotus never loses its roots in the riverbed. Our training stays rooted in the Kalakshetra tradition: its grammar, discipline and aesthetic.
इन्दीवरा
Indīvara
in · dee · va · ra · Sanskrit, noun
The blue lotus.
The word
A flower that rises
Indīvarā (इन्दीवरा) is a Sanskrit word for the blue lotus, the blue water lily that opens on still water.
In classical Sanskrit poetry the blue lotus is a favourite image of beauty. Poets compare graceful eyes to its petals and describe the dark-hued divine as having its colour.
Like every lotus, it grows from the riverbed, rises through the water, and opens petal by petal into the light. We chose the name because that is what learning a classical art feels like.
Why this name
What the lotus teaches a dancer
Three ideas behind the name, and how they shape the way we teach.
Rising
It grows patiently through the water toward the light. Our students grow the same way, step by step, from first adavu to full margam.
Blossoming
It opens petal by petal into its own form. We help every dancer open into their own artistic voice within the tradition.
The emblem
Read the drawing
Our emblem is a hand-drawn ink illustration of a dancer surrounded by blue lotuses. Tap a point to explore its details.
The blue lotuses
The only colour in the drawing. These are the indīvara that give the academy its name, blooming from the dancer's own hands.
Face & adornment
Flowers in the hair, ornaments and jewellery are drawn in fine detail, a nod to the care and preparation that classical performance demands.
The dotted saree
Dots and patterns in the textile echo the rhythm and precision of Bharatanatyam. Every small mark counts, just as every small detail of a step does.
The lotus vines
Long stems run from the hands down to the ground. The dancer is held by them, rooted and rising at the same time.
The hands
Arms reach outward, holding the stems with care. In Bharatanatyam the hands carry meaning, and the lotus itself is one of the gestures dancers learn.
Feet & anklets
A grounded stance and the anklets every dancer wears. Rhythm begins at the feet.
1 / 6
The lotus in the dance
Two lotuses in every hand
The lotus is part of a dancer's vocabulary. Among the hastas (hand gestures) of Bharatanatyam are two lotus shapes:
Padmakosha
“Lotus bud.” Fingers curved and apart, as if holding a round fruit or a closed bloom.
Alapadma
“Fully bloomed lotus.” Fingers fanned open one after another, like petals unfolding.
From bud to bloom: the journey we hope every student makes.
Our colours
Taken from the flower
The blue of the lotus, the depth of still water and the white of the page the emblem is drawn on.
Still water
#081446Royal lotus
#1D3FD8Morning petal
#9DB2FFPaper white
#FFFFFFBegin to bloom