Navatman's school started over 10 years ago, with the mission to help nurture an individual's journey in the classical arts. Since then, we've grown to host a community of over 500 students who have joined us at various points of their journey to fulfill their passion for the Indian arts. Joining our community is valuable in a few key ways:

• Access to professionals who have trained in various art forms for 10+ years
  

• A cohort of like-minded passionate individuals looking to explore Indian dance and music in their own lives
  

• An inclusive, open and safe environment dedicated to making everyone feel welcome regardless of their background or experience

• A hub of culture offering programming from major artists from around the US and India 

• Access to curated workshops conducted by world-renowned artists 

• An opportunity to cultivate your personal outlet for expression through arts

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Our community is important to us, and we strive to deliver on the value we see in the Indian arts. Join us wherever you are in your journey: we're happy to have you!
 

The relationship between a teacher (guru) and a student (shishya) is critical to establishing a good learning environment. Finding a good teacher makes a remarkable difference in the student grasping the concept easily.

As you begin your journey in something new, here are a few tips to keep in mind as you choose the teacher that meets your needs:

• Teaches and performs regularly: this shows that the teacher is keeping up with their industry and is deeply steeped in the process of teaching 

• Demonstrates a love for their own art: Having passion and drive is important and will allow the teacher to connect better to their students 

• Explains the details in a simple way: Dance and Music are full of terminology, but a teacher who knows how to easily explain concepts to someone unfamiliar shows knowledge of the form

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• Learns and grows with you: Just as we adapted to an online format, a teacher must show flexibility and understanding on how art can reflect the modern world

Looking back on the past several months of quarantine, I realized all the new things I learned online: how to oil paint, how to cut my own hair, an unnecessary amount of tiktok dances, and of course, the best way to bake banana bread! 
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So when Navatman offered fall classes online, I jumped at the opportunity to keep learning new things. This fall, I started Odissi for the first time. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about my ability to learn something completely new to me. But after my first class with my teacher, Sri Thina, I knew I was in safe hands. 

Navatman's commitment to teaching Indian Classical Arts, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, is remarkable. The teachers are experienced both in their craft and teaching online. Each student is given individualized feedback, on-par with being in-person: from finding the different stances to learning how to isolate my torso movements, I found myself slowly but surely grasping the basics of Odissi. And thanks to Sri Thina, I feel great about learning at a pace that matches my beginner level, ensuring I learn the art form slowly and properly online. 
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So this fall, I'm very excited to add something new and different to my list of accomplishments during the pandemic. I look forward to my Thursday classes and can't wait to grow as an Odissi dancer! ​