Questions,
answered plainly.

Around five is the usual starting point for both dance and music. Before that, most children do not yet have the physical control or the attention span that classical training asks for — and starting too early tends to produce frustration rather than a head start.

There is no upper limit. We teach adults, including complete beginners and those returning to an art they left as children.

No prior training is expected. As for talent — it matters far less than families think. In twenty years of teaching, the strongest predictor of how far a student goes is not aptitude in the first year. It is consistency in years three through six.

Yes, and we encourage it. Please call ahead so that we can suggest a time when a guru will actually be free to speak with you afterwards.

Many do, and the two reinforce each other — a dancer who understands raga and tala from the inside is a better dancer. We will be candid with you about whether a particular student has the time to do both properly, because doing both badly helps nobody.

Classes run on weekday evenings and weekend mornings, arranged in batches by level. The exact schedule depends on the student's age and stage — tell us both and we will suggest a slot.

Daily, and short is better than occasional and long. For a beginner, fifteen to twenty focused minutes a day does more than two hours on a Sunday. As students advance towards examinations and a rangapravesha, that requirement grows considerably.

What happens in class is instruction. What happens at home is learning.

Fees depend on the course, the level and whether the classes are in person or online, and they are revised from time to time. Please contact us for the current schedule — we would rather quote you accurately than publish a figure that goes stale.

Costs associated with examinations, costume and a rangapravesha production are separate, and we explain them well in advance.

Life happens and we are reasonable about it. But please understand that classical training is cumulative: a student who attends irregularly does not simply progress more slowly, they lose ground. If a long absence is coming, talk to us and we will plan around it.

Junior, Senior, Pre-Vidwath and Vidwath examinations conducted annually by Gangubai Hangal Music University. Students are prepared for these as part of the normal course of training, and we award prizes each year to those who score the highest marks in music and in dance.

They are strongly encouraged. They give a student an external standard to be measured against, and the certification matters for scholarships, auditions and later teaching. If a family prefers not to, we will still teach the same syllabus.

It is a student's full-length solo debut on stage — not a graduation, but the first serious examination of everything the training was for. Most students reach it after the better part of a decade of study.

The guru decides when a student is ready, and errs on the side of waiting. We have written about the whole process on the blog.

Yes. Students are trained for State and Central scholarships and for the graded auditions of Doordarshan and All India Radio. Several of our students have been selected as graded artists.

Yes — several overseas students learn Bharatanatyam and Carnatic classical vocal with us through virtual classes. The syllabus and the standard are identical; only the room changes. Mention your time zone when you write and we will find a workable hour.

No. Classes are taught live and individually, which is the whole point of the method. We do publish separate practice material — the NAMISU audio for dance and the Nritya Sudha and Sangeetha Sudha handbooks — along with videos for art seekers.

Every year, at Nada Nrityopasana, our annual festival of music and dance. The youngest dancers perform under Nada Mukula, the youngest musicians under Nadopasana, and seniors and vidwath students under Nadanrityopasana. Students also appear in the academy's dance dramas and at external programmes.

Yes. Both gurus conduct workshops, seminars and lecture demonstrations on art and culture for schools, colleges and cultural bodies, and theme-based dance ensembles have been conceived on commission for international conferences. Write to us with the theme, date and audience.

The gallery contains photographs from our public performances, festivals and rangapraveshas. If you would prefer a photograph of yourself or your child to be removed, write to us and we will take it down — no explanation needed. See our privacy notice.