Paidhal or Paichal is a Tamil term that means “to leap”. It differs from the Kudhitametti in the sense, the dancer while doing the Paidhal covers space, whereas in Kudhitametti she/he jumps in the same spot. A very graceful step in itself, paidhal is usually seen at the end of korvai(a string of adavus) as part of ardhis..(The concluding steps)
Paidhal itself includes a variety of leaps and may also be coupled with spins (Bramhari). It also includes the famous Kartari(Scissors) Adavu where the movement of the hand and feet trace criss-cross patterns in space.
- Sthanakam: Araimandi
- Hastas: Katakamukham, Alapadmam, Shikaram, Ardhachandran and Kartarimukham
- Leg Movements/feet positions: Utplavana(Jumps/leaps) bhedas akin to Motitam , Kartari and kartari. Eka paada Bramhari(turn) is also used. These new terms will be explained in detail at a later stage. Right now it would suffice if you understood paidhal uses various leaps and turns.
- Sollukattu:
- This set of davus is set to a 3 beat cycle, though it need not be limited to it.
- The sollukattu I was taught is Tai-Taiyum-tatta
- The other commonly used sorkattu is tathinthaka-tatdhin-dina
Let’s look at the sorkattu distribution in 3 speeds.
| Sorkattu/beat | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Speed 1 | Tai | Taiyum | tatta |
| Speed 2 | Tai- taiyum | Tatta -tai | Taiyum-tatta |
| Speed 3(For convenience) | Ta-ki-ta | Ta-ki-ta | Ta-ki-ta |
Let’s listen to the audio here
Filed under: Bharatanatyam, Bharathanatyam, Session, adavus, instruction, lesson, online, practice, steps, student, teaching | Tagged: Paichal adavu, Paidhal, paydhal
