| The Ten Commandments of Bharatanatyam |
| Down, Down, Down! Lift your feet nicely. Shake your knees out. Or else, don't blame me when you're 50 and your knees don't work. If you rotate, make sure you face the proper oblique. I will NOT have fat dancers on stage! Do not even THINK of cutting your hair. There is no forward except absolutely flat front. Tell all of your male dancer friends to come to rehearsals. Stop frowning. Please smile. And do not grin like an idiot. This is not a ballet. And now, prepare yourself for Commandment X, the best advice ever given in a dance class: If something feels as though it is about to snap or break, or you simply feel as though you are about to die, don't do it. |
| I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X |
| tai-YA-tai! |