A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE MUDRAS OF INDIAN DANCE
“A masterful course for anyone interested in learning and expressing through their hands the variety of moods, feelings, and vast range of emotions that exist.
Unlock the grace that lies within each of us through a divine guided journey with the abundant and sublime gestures denoted in the abhinaya dharpana.
Thank you so much Revital! I loved every moment of this course!”
— Meenakshi, Yoga teacher, Canada
Welcome to the world of Mudras; where beauty, power, and wisdom are expressed through your hands.
“The Mudras of Dance master course is a deep dive into the mudras of Indian Classical Dance. Allowing the dance practitioner to expand their knowledge and creative expression in storytelling through the gestures of the hands, eyes, head, neck, and divine sentiment. Revital shares her embodied wisdom in a way that is holistic, lighthearted, and accessible.”
— Janice Craig, teacher of Sri Vidya Shakta Tantra , Yoga, and Ayurveda, Bay Area, CA
MUD in Sanskrit means joy or bliss. Mud-ra (pronounced: Mood-Ra), means to bring forth joy, bliss, ecstatic mood. Hand Mudras are used in wisdom traditions around the world for healing, expression, and expanding consciousness. Hand Mudras are an essential part of Indian Dance, Yoga, Taoist practices, Buddhist meditation, and other spiritual traditions.
In dance, hand-mudras are used extensively for storytelling and to enhance the elegance and grace of our movements, amplify our emotional expression, and integrate form and energy.
Mudras hold the power to transform raw life-power into subtle spiritual expression. In Yoga and in dance they function to ‘spark’ energy transition toward spiritual consciousness.
“There is a lot of clarity in Revital’s teaching. She’s knowledgeable, has done her research, and got information from traditional sources. She delivers what was promised - all the viniyogas, and provide all the material and learning tools. What I enjoyed were the homework’s, getting some unique perspectives on mudras, and their traditional use beyond dance. When you spend time thinking about mudras - your relationship with your hands changes and so is how mudras, facial expressions, and neck and head movements complement each other when expressing something. It was fun!”
— Anuradha, Classical Indian Dancer, San Jose, CA
Mudras of Dance Course Curriculum
In this ten-parts course you will learn the complete set of applications of Indian dance hand gestures as described in the Abhinaya Darpana, (and much more!)
Introduction
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Mudras of Dance Session One
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Mudras of Dance Session Two
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Mudras of Dance Session Three
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Mudras of Dance Session Four
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- Session Four Handout
- Session Four: Core Lecture (102:40)
- Practice Video #1: Ardhachandra Hasta Viniyoga (2:47)
- Practice Video #2: Arala Hasta Viniyoga (0:27)
- Practice Video #3: Shukatunda Hasta Viniyoga (0:36)
- Practice Video #4: Mushti Hasta Viniyoga (0:34)
- Practice Video #5: Shikara Hasta Viniyoga (1:41)
- Practice Video #6 - Pataaka Hasta Dance B until Kuchastale (3:10)
Mudras of Dance Session Five
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- Session Five Handout
- Session Five: Core Lecture (101:50)
- Practice Video #1: Griba Veda (Neck Movements) (0:53)
- Practice Video #2: Shiro Veda (Head Movements) (2:05)
- Practice Video #3: Drishti Veda (Eye Movements) (1:53)
- Practice Video #4: Kapitha Hasta Viniyoga (0:58)
- Practice Video #5: Katakamukha Hasta Viniyoga (1:01)
- Practice Video #6: Suchi Hasta Viniyoga (2:01)
- Practice Video #7: Chandrakala Hasta Viniyoga (0:45)
- Practice Video #8: Padmakosha Hasta Viniyoga (1:27)
- Practice Video #9: Pataaka Hasta Dance C DETAILS (5:29)
- Practice Video #10: Pataaka Hasta Dance C PRACTICE (0:57)
Mudras of Dance Session Six
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- Session Six Handout
- Session Six: Core Lecture (108:45)
- Practice Video #1: Sarpasirsa Hasta Viniyoga (0:48)
- Practice Video #2: Mrigasirsa Hasta Viniyoga (1:50)
- Practice Video #3: Simhamukha Hasta Viniyoga (0:48)
- Practice Video #4: Kangula Hasta Viniyoga (0:57)
- Practice Video #5: Alapadma Hasta Viniyoga (1:32)
- Practice Video #6: Pataaka Viniyoga Dance "Horse" (two videos) (2:03)
Mudras of Dance Session Seven
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- Session Seven Handout
- Session Seven: Core Lecture (103:30)
- Practice Video #1: Chatura Hasta Viniyoga (1:23)
- Practice Video #2: Bhramara Hasta Viniyoga (0:38)
- Practice Video #3: Hamsasya Hasta Viniyoga (1:06)
- Practice Video #4: Hamsapakshya Hasta Viniyoga (0:27)
- Practice Video #5: Samdamsa Hasta Viniyoga (0:35)
- Practice Video #6: Mukula Hasta Viniyoga (0:34)
- Practice Video #7: Tamrachuda Hasta Viniyoga (0:32)
- Practice Video #8: Trishula Hasta Viniyoga (0:25)
- Practice Video #9: Pataaka Viniyoga Dance "Break" (2:02)
Mudras of Dance Session Eight
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Mudras of Dance Session Nine
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Mudras of Dance Session Ten
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- Session Ten: Core Lecture (107:57)
- Practice Video #1: Pataaka Viniyoga Dance "Gamana-udyame" (1:37)
- Practice Video #2: Pataaka Viniyoga Dance "Pratapecha" (1:31)
- Practice Video #3: Pataaka Viniyoga Dance "Prasadecha" (2:04)
- Practice Video #4: Pataaka Viniyoga Dance FINAL for this course (Two videos) (2:38)
Final Assignment
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COURSE INCLUDES:
- Applications and uses of the 52 hand mudras of the Abhinaya Darpana.
- Extra mudras of dance: additional mudras from later regional texts.
- Detailed handouts for each session.
- Complimentary study videos to follow for in depth study.
- Discount code for purchasing Mudras of Indian Dance Card Deck and Mudras of India Paperback
- Eye movement, Head movements, and Neck movements, and how to combine them with the vocabulary of our hands and facial expression into a complete articulation of a story.
- Bhava-Rasa Theory of Indian Arts, and how to combine with your hand mudras.
- Special hand warmups and exercises to enhance your expressional capacity.
- Reference to healing and spiritual uses of some gestures as applied in Yogic practice and Ayurveda.
- Mythological and historical background of hand-mudra lore.
- Theory, philosophy, and histroy of hand mudras usage.
- Learn short dance sequences to integrate the hand mudras with full body expression.
"Revital is not only knowledgeable about the subject, but is also an experienced beautiful, generous, and graceful dancer and teacher who is passionate about her craft, and who lives what she teaches.
Revital created a safe, special, and sacred “virtual” place where we were able to be introduced (or to deepen for those who were familiar with them) to the mudras and to connect with their ancestral and deeper meanings and applications in dance."
— Nancy, New York
Revital is an amazing teacher, who has really compiled an in-depth class for her students. She shares her vast knowledge with an open mind and heart and is always willing to answer her students’ questions with care and attention. I couldn’t recommend this gem of a class more!”
— Rakel, Makeup artist and Odissi Dancer, Bay Area, CA
“This course felt like learning another language and opening a portal into a whole other potential of expression! I loved making sentences and stories with mudras. Your explanations were so beautiful!”
— Brandy, Tattoo artist, Vancouver, Canada
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
This course is designed for both the beginner and advanced Indian Dancer.
It is packed with in-depth information about hand-gestures and their applications and usages, and provides you with effective exercises and practices to take your understanding of mudras to the next level!
Mudras of Dance Master Course is also suitable for dancers and performance artists of other modalities who would like to cross-train and experience the art of creative expression through hand mudras.
“This workshop is amazing! If you’re looking to really dive deeply into Odissi dance, or if you simply want to learn to have a better connection to your hands, this is an absolute must! This class has completely shifted my understanding of the Odissi dance form. It has answered many of my questions but also raised so many new ones that I can now explore for hours with the knowledge that I’ve received. It has made me more confident in my hands and far more knowledgeable about storytelling than I was before. Now when I dance items I have a whole new understanding and connection to the Mudras that I didn’t have before, which makes the experience more enriching and expressive."
— Rakel, Makeup artist and Odissi Dancer, Bay Area, CA
