In addition to providing dance instruction, the students are taught dance theory, costume, make-up and self-adornment for performances. Intermediate and senior students have numerous opportunities for stage performances that allow them to establish themselves as confident performers. All students are encouraged to make Bharatanatya a part of their lives and not merely a hobby.

TSD presents productions in the traditional format with themes taken from Hindu theology, Indian history, and the Indian culture. Regardless of the production theme or venue, the goal of all performances is to engage the audience, provoke interest, engage in dialogue, and proliferate knowledge of Bharatanatya.

The term tribhanga, can be broken down from the Sanskrit root: tri or three and bhanga or bends – literally translating to ‘three bends’. It is an architectural term used to describe Indian sculptures, art, and iconography. It is also a term in dance theory used to describe a stance where the body is bent in three directions. In either sculptures or in dance, the figure stands in a posture in which the head is inclined to one direction, the upper body is bent in the opposite direction, and the lower body, below the waist, takes on a reverse direction. These movements are dramatic energetic muscular actions!

Bharatanatya as well as other classical Indian dances brought this imagery into temple art, as many of the dancers were the models that posed for the temple sculptures. The movement of dance, with its harmony and grace, has thus the function of representing to the devotees the myths and legends of the deities. This posture allows the observer to transcend the human and enjoy the divine!