Mridula Anand's students begin their dance classes not with stretching, but with a blessing of the ground upon which they stand.

In a style of Indian dance where every movement holds meaning, that connecting to the earth is the only place to start.

	Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Mridula Anand helps Divya Ramkumar, 5, with her Indian dance lesson at her home in Squirrel Hill. Click photo for larger image.

"Before we do anything, we do something called the namaskaras, and what we say is, 'I am very sorry, Mother Earth, that we are stomping on you, but the reason why we are doing it is because we are learning a new art form,' " Mrs. Anand said.

The students then brush their hands to their eyes and lovingly to the ground, softly reciting their apology to the earth in Sanskrit.

Mrs. Anand, 31, of Squirrel Hill is originally from Chennai, India, and today passes down her knowledge of the Shree Bharatalaya School of dance, teaching classes every Thursday and Sunday in her home. Named Silambam, the class is a branch of the Shree Bharatalaya School of Chennai.

Mrs. Anand has been studying this form of Indian dance since the age of 3 and was a student at the school in Chennai. After years of training, she was ready, at age 16, for her arangetram, or first performance in front of a live audience. She has been dancing ever since, and today she focuses on spreading the warmth that she found in her own dance classes in India.

"Any issues that we had, we would go to our teacher," Mrs. Anand said. "She was never just our teacher, and it follows in every class. My students tell me what they did at school and what they are doing in the weekend."

The Shree Bharatalaya School teaches the style of dance known as pandananullar, which focuses on an intricate sequence of movements, each with great meaning, whether stemming from the neck, legs, hands or eyes. Each adavus, or step, moves from one beat and speeds up to eight. Two main aspects of the school are nritta, which includes the legs and movement, and nritya, which includes emotions and feelings expressed during the dance. All movements are taught in the language of Sanskrit, and are designed to enrich both the mind and the body with spiritual movements that can also be physically demanding.

The class currently has 14 students, and they range from age 8 to the late 20s. Some are from the Far East and some from Pittsburgh, but all are dressed in traditional Indian saris. Mrs. Anand taps the beat and leads her students with a warm and inviting smile, while sitting gracefully on the floor in her own green and red sari, lined in gold fabric.

Mrs. Anand moved to Pittsburgh in 2003 to work as a researcher in molecular biology at the University of Pittsburgh, where she still works today, after earning a master's degree in biological sciences from Stanford University.

In 2004, she gave birth to her son, Amrith. Despite the combined demands of her job and of motherhood, she opened her dance studio in 2005.

"If you really like something, it keeps calling you. It's just a matter of time before you respond to it," Mrs. Anand said.

Shruthi Bembar, 25, lives in Shadyside and is working on her doctorate in molecular biology at the University of Pittsburgh. She moved here from Bangalore, India, in 2003 and met Mrs. Anand at the lab. She has been a part of the class since it started.

"I came here and I had all this time on my hands and I always wanted to learn some form of Indian art and this seemed like the best way to do it," Ms. Bembar said.

She said that Mrs. Anand's warm and inviting demeanor complement not only her teaching but the friendship she offers as well.

"She is so patient with people," Ms. Bembar said.

Another dance student is Amrita Balachandran, 23, who lives in Squirrel Hill and is also studying for her doctorate in Mrs. Anand's lab at Pitt. She is originally from Kerala, India.

Ms. Balachandran loves the sense of accomplishment that comes with mastering the steps.

"When it all comes together ... the fact that all of those little steps lead to something greater that is beautiful to look at is amazing," Ms. Balachandran said.

She said she also admires Mrs. Anand's ability to juggle so many passions.

Mrs. Anand says the class is just another outlet to nurture creativity.

"When you start a class, it is like your own baby and your responsibility," Mrs. Anand said, "It's a family."

For more information, e-mail silambam05@yahoo.com or call 650-814-3744.