On Hands, Eyes, & Ancient Texts

Off the Beat Dance Podcast

In the inaugural episode, Ameya and Kiran set the intention for this podcast. They then explore the slokam “Yato Hastas Tato Drishti” through their personal relationships with this Sanskrit verse, the connection between eyes and body control, and their exploration of ancient texts as they relate to the practice of dance. They also discuss rasa, bhava, abhinaya, and how to get invited to high school parties.

Call to action: Think back to some of the early lessons of your dance classes. What did you learn then that has stayed with you until now?

Dive deeper - here are some of the texts we mentioned in today's episode. You can visit the episode page on website offthebeat.dance for more bonus content as well.

• Phillip B. Zarrilli - “Where the hand [is]…” Asian Theatre Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Autumn, 1987)
• Yashoda Thakore - “Parsvadeva- The Dancer’s Friend” Swarbharti 2020 (digest/Souvenir)
• Nandikesvara’s Abhinaya Darpana - we use the edition by P. S. R. Apparao.

Today’s episode would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many, including

• Andy Rhode of Audionauts for audio engineering
• Sangeetha Kowsik for graphic design of the logo
• Sarada Jammi and Sri Sai Narayana Organization for recording equipment and space
• Dr. Yashoda Thakore for sharing her research on Parsvadeva
• Dr. Vi Rajagopalan for the high school graduation photo
• A special thanks to Wesley Beeks and Bertel King, Jr.
• Music from the album Valaji by Gokul Salvadi (“Valaji” and “Abhogi Kaanada - the expedition”)

Liked what you heard? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and tell your friends about us! You can follow us at @offthebeatdance on IG, FB, and Twitter or visit us at offthebeat.dance. We’d love to hear from you.