Alarippu

The Alarippu, which means "flowerbud" in Tamil, is traditionally the first full dance piece that most Bharatanatyam dancers learn. It symbolizes the awakening of the dancer.

It begins with the dancer simply moving her eyes, then her head, then slowly it "awakens" different parts of the body, like the hands and finally the feet. This piece gets rhythmically faster and faster until the climax where the dancer moves all of her body very fast. It is generally seen in the beginning of the barathanatya pieces after the Ganesha Kauvatvam or the Pushpanjali. This dance is set to 3/4 time music and is often accompanied by a drummer and a verbal percussionist.