Hasta Lab

Hasta Lab is a hand gesture recognition learning tool that helps dancers understand and practise the hastas (hand gestures) of Bharatanatyam through real-time feedback.

Using a camera, the system analyses a dancer's hand position and identifies the hasta being performed. Learners can explore the gesture's meanings and usages, compare their hand shape against reference demonstrations, and receive immediate feedback on accuracy and correctness.

The goal of Hasta Lab is to make learning hastas more interactive, self-paced, and accessible, helping dancers move beyond memorisation towards a deeper understanding of how gestures can be used for communication, storytelling, and creative expression.