Certified courses
Certified courses
Dance Education
Netra believes that art is a universal language. We are committed to excellence, performance, innovation, collaboration, community, life skills, fun and the excitement of using the arts for change
Dance Education
Netra believes that art is a universal language. We are committed to excellence, performance, innovation, collaboration, community, life skills, fun and the excitement of using the arts for change
“What dance is in movement, music is in sound, painting is in color, sculpture and architecture are in form. They are essentially one. ….the influence of spirit upon matter” (Translated Sloka from the Natya Shastra)
The Netra educational experience is a hallmark of excellence, marked by simplicity, elegance, and formal rigor. Known for its adherence to classicism, students of the Institute learn the nuances of various forms of Indian classical dance, such as Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music (both vocal and instrumental) and Visual arts, with exacting standards in theoretical study and practice.
Netra offers a range of training options tailored to the needs of every individual interested in learning music, dance or art – classes are offered to kids and adults of all ages. Various class options are available to cater to the students age, interest, skill level and experience.
Courses offered by Netra
Body Conditioning and Dance:
In - Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi
Age - 4 to 7 yrs
Time - 2 years
The body Conditioning Dance classes are for beginners and they start with exercises for improved flexibility and form as they start navigating steps and basic hand movements.
Diploma:
In - Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi
Age - 10 and above
Time - 4 years
Students are taught the adavus/steps based on Deepa Menon’s systematized method for their first year and most of their second year along with yoga, exercises ( Body Conditioning) and music which aid and diversify the range of movement. Items are gradually introduced into the curriculum from the second year onwards, and students begin learning abhinaya pieces from their third year. Students graduate from the four year diploma course with a strong theoretical, musical and language foundation which allows them to understand and incorporate new items into their repertoire and with continued practice and performance, they further internalize this art form.
Post Diploma
In - Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi
Age - 14 and above
Time - 2 years
Netra offers graduates who gets a first class percentage or high second class percentage in the main subjects, the opportunity to continue into a two-year post diploma course in dance.
Dance students learn two new Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi margams in the two year program. They study advanced theory, and have field trips with a view to advance in dance. They also have the opportunity to perform with the Deepa Menon Dance company.
From Deepa Menon:
Netra is an arts center where arts meets society, to inform, educate and transform. I started Netra with the goal of making it the one-stop premier destination for all forms of Indian Classical Dance, Music and Painting. I am an artist at heart and have been practicing and performing various art forms from my childhood days. I take great pleasure in giving back to the community by teaching various forms of dance and painting. Netra originated as a teaching and performance institute and a community. Over the years, I have seen my Art center grow and enrich the lives and experiences of numerous students, both young and old. It has grown into a contemporary symbiosis of creativity and culture, with deep research into our origins, while reaching out to the unsaid or unthought of. Looking ahead I can see Netra become the de-facto standard for all Art classes in the Bay Area, where everyone can feel, experience and practice art and creativity like nowhere else.