Shri Upasana – The Responsive Body: Somatic Abhinaya Intensive
About the Event
Moving Past the Plastic Smile

Your tatkar is crisp, your aramandi is solid, and your hastas are sharp.

So why can the expression still feel painted on?

Shri Upasana – The Responsive Body: Somatic Abhinaya Intensive is a focused 90-minute workshop for serious dancers and dance educators who want to explore Abhinaya beyond mechanically reproduced facial expressions.

The workshop examines the idea that authentic expression in classical dance involves more than widening the eyes, tilting the chin, or holding a rehearsed smile. Instead, it explores emotion through the physical body, breath, movement, sensation, and somatic awareness.

Using principles from Dance Movement Therapy and somatic psychology, the intensive invites participants to explore the Navarasas through a body-based approach.

The session focuses on how qualities such as breath, posture, spinal movement, weight shifts, and bodily awareness can contribute to the experience and expression of emotion.

Rather than simply miming an emotion from the outside, the workshop encourages dancers to explore how emotional states may be experienced physically and how that awareness can inform classical performance.

Move beyond the painted expression. Explore the responsive body. Discover a more embodied approach to Abhinaya.

What Is The Responsive Body?

The Responsive Body is a Somatic Abhinaya Intensive designed to explore the relationship between physical experience and emotional expression in classical dance.

Abhinaya is often taught through visible external cues such as facial expressions, eye movements, gestures, and posture.

This workshop introduces another perspective by exploring the internal bodily experience associated with expression.

The focus is on developing greater awareness of:

Breath
Posture
Spinal movement
Weight shifts
Bodily sensation
Emotional states
Movement quality
Expressive presence

The intention is to create a bridge between the internal experience of emotion and the external expression required by classical dance.

Moving From Outside-In to Inside-Out

The workshop challenges the idea of relying exclusively on external imitation when learning Abhinaya.

Instead of asking only, “What should my face look like?”, participants are encouraged to consider questions such as:

What happens to my breath?

Where do I feel the emotion in my body?

How does my posture change?

What happens to my weight and movement?

How can an emotional quality become embodied before it becomes visible?

This approach encourages dancers to consider expression as a whole-body experience rather than an isolated facial action.

The Navarasas Through a Somatic Lens

The Navarasas, or nine foundational aesthetic emotions, form a central part of the workshop.

Rather than treating them only as theoretical concepts or facial expressions, the intensive explores how each emotional quality may be approached through bodily awareness and movement.

The workshop examines the somatic anatomy of the nine Rasas, with attention to elements such as:

Breath patterns
Spinal adjustments
Weight shifts
Movement qualities
Physical sensation

The goal is to help participants investigate how emotional expression can emerge through the body and become more integrated into performance.

The Somatic Anatomy of the Nine Rasas

The workshop proposes that different emotional qualities can be explored through distinct physical experiences.

Participants will investigate the ways breath, posture, movement, and bodily organisation can contribute to an embodied understanding of the nine Rasas.

This body-first approach provides an additional framework for dancers who already understand the vocabulary of classical performance but want to explore how emotional states can be made more physically responsive.

The intention is not simply to reproduce a particular facial expression but to explore the relationship between felt experience and visible expression.

From Mechanical Expression to Responsive Expression

A technically accomplished dancer may be able to reproduce an expression accurately while still feeling disconnected from the emotional quality being portrayed.

The workshop addresses this gap by encouraging participants to explore what happens before the expression reaches the face.

The body responds first.

Breath may change.

Posture may shift.

Weight may redistribute.

Movement may become restrained, expanded, sharp, soft, heavy, or quick.

These physical changes can then influence the external expression.

The intensive uses this connection as a way to explore Abhinaya differently.

Overcoming Self-Consciousness

Another central theme is self-consciousness during emotional performance.

Dancers may sometimes become highly aware of how they look while trying to portray an emotion, which can create a sense of performance freeze or stiffness.

The workshop explores somatic approaches to becoming more comfortable with expressive movement and reducing the pressure of consciously controlling every visible detail.

The aim is to create opportunities for more uninhibited and responsive exploration.

Exploring Performance Freeze and Stage Anxiety

The workshop also addresses the experience of stage anxiety and performance freeze from a movement and somatic perspective.

Participants are invited to explore how self-consciousness may affect their physical presence and emotional expression.

Rather than framing confidence purely as a mental exercise, the workshop approaches presence through the body.

Movement-based exploration can provide another route for noticing tension, restrictions, hesitation, and changes in physical responsiveness.

Embodying Emotion Rather Than Miming It

One of the key ideas behind the intensive is the distinction between miming emotion and embodying emotion.

Miming focuses on reproducing an external appearance.

Embodying focuses on exploring the physical and sensory qualities associated with an emotional state.

The workshop invites dancers to investigate how a feeling might influence the whole body — not only the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, or hands.

This can create a broader vocabulary for thinking about expression.

Expand Your Expressive Range

Classical dancers may sometimes feel more comfortable portraying emotions they already understand physically and personally.

The workshop encourages participants to explore a wider emotional range, including more intense or uncomfortable states.

Particular attention is given to Bibhatsa, Bhayanaka, and Raudra — disgust, fear, and rage — as examples of Rasas that may feel challenging or personally unfamiliar to portray.

The workshop provides a space to explore these qualities through guided somatic movement rather than relying only on exaggerated external expression.

Authentic Expression

The workshop's concept of authenticity centres on finding a personal and convincing way to express feeling.

Rather than asking every dancer to reproduce the exact same facial expression, the intensive explores how individual bodily responses can inform performance.

This can create room for variation in the way a dancer approaches a particular emotion.

The emphasis is on developing greater awareness of the relationship between body, emotion, movement, and expression.

What to Expect
Somatosensory Embodiment

Explore how emotions may physically register and move through the body.

Navarasa Foundations

Develop a grounded understanding of the nine foundational emotions.

Authentic Expression

Investigate personal and convincing approaches to expressing emotional qualities.

Breath and Body Awareness

Explore the relationship between breath, posture, movement, and emotional expression.

Explorative Environment

Practise in a safe, non-judgemental, and open-minded space.

Movement-Based Exercises

Use guided movement exploration informed by Dance Movement Therapy and somatic psychology principles.

Practical Breathwork Exploration

Breath plays an important role in the workshop's somatic approach.

Participants will explore breathwork techniques intended to support and sustain expressive states during performance.

The session looks at the relationship between breathing patterns, bodily organisation, and the ability to maintain a particular expressive quality.

The workshop presents these techniques as practical tools for dancers seeking greater awareness of the body during Abhinaya.

Breath-Driven Abhinaya

For performers, the workshop specifically explores breath-driven Abhinaya.

The supplied workshop description presents breath rates and spinal postures as part of its exploration of the nine Rasas.

Rather than treating these descriptions as universal physiological formulas, the session can be understood as an experiential exploration of how variations in breath and posture may influence a dancer's felt and visible expressive quality.

Stop Miming, Start Embodying

The intensive encourages participants to move from isolated hand-and-eye gestures toward a more whole-body approach to emotional projection.

Classical gestures and facial expressions remain important parts of the dance vocabulary, but this workshop explores what can happen when those external elements are supported by a stronger physical connection to the emotional quality being represented.

The aim is to make expression feel more integrated with the movement of the entire body.

For Performers and Dancers

The workshop is designed specifically for dancers and performers with 5+ years of dance experience.

It is intended for practitioners who already have a foundation in dance and want to explore emotional expression at a deeper experiential level.

The session can be relevant to dancers working in:

Classical dance
Contemporary dance
Other performance-based movement practices

The event description specifically identifies performers and dancers seeking greater authenticity and conviction in complex roles as a target audience.

For Technically Strong Dancers

Some dancers possess strong command over technique but may still feel uncertain about emotional expression.

The workshop addresses this specific gap.

Rather than introducing basic dance technique, the intensive focuses on expressive embodiment, giving experienced dancers an opportunity to explore what happens when physical awareness becomes part of the process of developing emotion.

This makes the workshop particularly relevant to dancers who feel technically prepared but want to become more comfortable with Abhinaya.

For Dance Teachers

The intensive is also designed for dance educators and choreographers.

Teachers often encounter students who can execute choreography accurately but struggle to make emotional expression feel natural.

The workshop provides a set of pedagogical cues and movement-based approaches intended to help educators explore this challenge differently.

Instead of relying entirely on instructions such as “copy my face,” the workshop explores how teachers can use physical and somatic cues to help students investigate emotional states.

A New Pedagogy for Abhinaya

For educators, one of the major takeaways is the possibility of introducing somatic cues into Abhinaya teaching.

Teachers can explore ways to connect:

Body → Breath → Emotion → Expression

This framework offers an alternative to explaining emotion only through abstract theory or visual imitation.

The workshop aims to provide practical ideas that educators can adapt when working with intermediate students.

Bypassing Self-Consciousness in Young Performers

The workshop also introduces movement-based approaches intended to help teachers work with students who become awkward, self-conscious, or inhibited while expressing emotions.

Movement-focused warm-ups can provide a different entry point into expressive work.

The emphasis is on helping students become more familiar with their own physical responses before asking them to reproduce an outward expression.

Translating Classical Concepts to the Modern Body

The workshop connects classical dance concepts with present-day somatic exploration.

Ideas such as Bhava and Rasa can sometimes feel abstract when approached entirely through theory.

The intensive explores ways of relating these concepts to bodily experience so that dancers and teachers can investigate them through physical cues and movement.

The intention is to create a more experiential bridge between classical concepts and contemporary bodies.

Elevating Stage Presence

For dance educators and choreographers, the workshop also explores how emotional intention can contribute to collective stage presence.

A troupe can have highly synchronised footwork and choreography while still appearing emotionally disconnected.

The workshop encourages educators to consider how cohesive emotional intention can complement technical synchronisation.

The focus is on integrating expression and presence into choreography rather than treating them as separate elements.

Versatile Emotional Expression

One of the proposed takeaways is learning strategies for portraying a single emotion in multiple ways.

Emotion does not necessarily need to look identical each time it is performed.

A dancer may explore variations in intensity, timing, breath, weight, posture, and movement quality while staying within the same emotional category.

This can expand expressive vocabulary and allow dancers to approach roles with greater flexibility.

Techniques for Personal Emotional Awareness

The workshop also includes techniques intended to help participants regulate and process emotions in their personal lives.

This aspect is presented as an extension of the somatic exploration rather than the primary purpose of the dance workshop.

Participants can reflect on the relationship between physical sensations, emotional responses, and awareness as part of their broader personal experience.

Safe, Non-Judgemental and Open-Minded Exploration

The workshop is designed as an explorative environment.

Participants are invited to engage with movement and emotional expression without the expectation that there is only one correct way to experience a particular Rasa.

The intention is to provide a space that is:

Safe
Non-judgemental
Open-minded
Experiential
Reflective

This allows participants to explore unfamiliar expressive states without treating the workshop as a performance examination.

What Performers Can Take Away

For dancers with 5+ years of experience, the workshop highlights several intended takeaways.

Deeper Somatic Awareness

Explore emotional expression beyond facial gestures and external imitation.

Practical Breathwork

Learn breath-focused approaches intended to support expressive performance.

Whole-Body Expression

Investigate emotional projection through the entire body.

Expanded Emotional Range

Explore challenging or intense Rasas such as disgust, fear, and rage.

Greater Expressive Flexibility

Experiment with different physical pathways for expressing the same emotional quality.

What Dance Educators Can Take Away

For teachers and choreographers, the workshop offers a different collection of tools.

Somatic Teaching Cues

Explore practical ways of guiding students toward emotional expression.

Movement-Based Warm-Ups

Learn approaches intended to reduce awkwardness and encourage expressive freedom.

Contemporary Access to Classical Concepts

Explore physiological and movement-based ways to discuss Bhava and Rasa.

Emotional Cohesion

Consider strategies for building emotional intention across a group performance.

Who Is This Workshop For?

The supplied event description identifies several groups for whom the intensive is intended.

Performers and Dancers

Dancers looking to bring greater authenticity and conviction to complex roles.

Dance Teachers

Educators seeking practical and innovative approaches to teaching Abhinaya.

Technically Strong Dancers

Experienced practitioners wanting to strengthen confidence in emotional expression.

Enthusiasts and Beginners in Navarasa Exploration

Participants interested in exploring the Navarasas through a body-based approach.

Important: The workshop requires 5+ years of dance experience, so “beginners” in this context refers to people who may be new to this specific Navarasa/somatic exploration rather than newcomers to dance itself.

Facilitated By Aruna Nagaraj

Aruna Nagaraj facilitates the workshop as a Bharatanatyam Dancer and Dance/Movement Therapy Facilitator.

Her role brings together classical Bharatanatyam practice and movement-based therapeutic principles within the workshop's experiential framework.

Facilitated By Deepti Hasabi

Deepti Hasabi is the second facilitator and is described as a Kathakaar and Dance/Movement Therapy Facilitator.

Her involvement brings a Kathak and somatic movement perspective to the intensive.

Together, Aruna Nagaraj and Deepti Hasabi bring complementary backgrounds in classical dance and Dance/Movement Therapy.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Abhinaya

The Responsive Body sits at the intersection of several disciplines.

Classical Dance

The workshop engages directly with the expressive language of classical Indian dance.

Somatic Psychology

Participants explore emotion through bodily awareness and physical experience.

Dance Movement Therapy Principles

Movement is used as an experiential pathway for exploring emotional states.

Performance Practice

The workshop connects somatic exploration directly to Abhinaya and stage expression.

This combination makes the intensive relevant to dancers who want to explore the emotional dimension of performance beyond technical execution.

A 90-Minute Intensive

The workshop is structured as a 90-minute immersion.

Within this focused timeframe, participants are introduced to the workshop's somatic framework and explore the Navarasas through movement, breath, bodily awareness, and expressive practice.

The intensive is designed for experienced dancers and educators who are ready to engage directly with the material.

Workshop Snapshot

Event: Shri Upasana – The Responsive Body

Format: Somatic Abhinaya Intensive

Duration: 90 minutes

Focus: Navarasa, somatic movement, Abhinaya, emotional embodiment, and expressive awareness

Approach: Dance Movement Therapy principles and somatic psychology

Dance Experience: 5+ years required

Suitable For: Performers, dancers, dance educators, choreographers, and experienced movement practitioners

Facilitators: Aruna Nagaraj and Deepti Hasabi

Classical Focus: Abhinaya and Navarasa

Event Highlights
The Responsive Body – Somatic Abhinaya Intensive
90-minute immersive workshop
Explore the nine Rasas through a somatic lens
Body-based emotional exploration
Breath and posture awareness
Spinal and weight-shift exploration
Somatosensory embodiment
Explore authentic expression
Address performance freeze and self-consciousness
Movement-based approaches to stage presence
Pedagogical tools for dance educators
Strategies for portraying one emotion in multiple ways
Explore challenging Rasas including Bibhatsa, Bhayanaka, and Raudra
Classical dance meets somatic psychology
Dance Movement Therapy principles
Facilitated by Aruna Nagaraj
Facilitated by Deepti Hasabi
5+ years of dance experience required
A Different Way to Explore Abhinaya

The Responsive Body invites dancers to reconsider a familiar question: How can emotion be experienced in the body before it appears on the face?

By exploring breath, posture, weight, sensation, and movement, the workshop creates another pathway into Abhinaya.

It does not replace classical dance training. Instead, it adds an experiential layer through which experienced practitioners can investigate how the body can support emotional expression.

From Technical Precision to Emotional Responsiveness

Strong technique provides a foundation for classical dance.

But technique and expression are not identical.

A dancer can execute a movement with precision while still searching for the emotional quality that makes the movement feel alive.

The workshop focuses specifically on that space between technical precision and emotional responsiveness.

The Responsive Body

The title of the intensive captures its central idea.

The body is not simply a vehicle for executing choreography. It can also respond, register, communicate, and participate in emotional experience.

Through somatic movement and reflective exploration, participants are invited to pay attention to those physical responses and consider how they can influence classical expression.

A Gentle Note

This session is designed as an experiential and educational introduction to somatic approaches to Abhinaya and emotional expression.

Although the workshop draws upon principles from Dance Movement Therapy and somatic psychology, it is not intended as a substitute for long-term clinical psychotherapy.

Participants who are interested in deeper or personalised somatic or psychological work are welcome, according to the supplied event description, to continue exploring therapeutic journeys with the therapists following the workshop.

The intensive itself should therefore be understood as a dance-focused experiential learning workshop, not as ongoing clinical treatment.

Experience The Responsive Body

Shri Upasana – The Responsive Body: Somatic Abhinaya Intensive offers experienced dancers and dance educators a different way to explore emotion, expression, and classical performance.

Across a focused 90-minute session, participants explore the Navarasas through body awareness, breath, posture, spinal movement, weight shifts, somatic exploration, and principles drawn from Dance Movement Therapy and somatic psychology.

The workshop is designed for dancers with 5+ years of experience, performers working on complex roles, and educators seeking practical approaches to teaching Abhinaya without relying exclusively on external imitation.

For performers, the experience explores moving beyond the “plastic smile” towards a more embodied relationship with expression. For teachers and choreographers, it offers somatic cues, movement-based warm-ups, and approaches for connecting classical concepts such as Bhava and Rasa with physical experience.

Facilitated by Aruna Nagaraj, Bharatanatyam Dancer & Dance/Movement Therapy Facilitator, and Deepti Hasabi, Kathakaar & Dance/Movement Therapy Facilitator, the session creates an explorative space to investigate what happens when emotion becomes something the body can experience rather than merely imitate.

Feel the emotion. Let the body respond. Let Abhinaya emerge from within.