Bharathanatyam - Classic Dance of South India

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Bharata Natyam, it is said, is the quintessence of music in visual form, a ritual, and an act of devotion. It is a dance form which cannot be effectively danced by anyone without devotion for technique and for spiritual life. Bharathanatyam is an unique art that lifts one from temporal to eternal values. Dance has specific mention in two valuable Tamil works Silappadikaram and Manimekhalai of the Sangam age (500 B.C )

Dance and music are attached forms; only with "Vai Pattu" (words or syllables set to raga or melody) can dance be abstracted. In Olden times it was performed as "Dasi-attam" in Hindu temple by Devadasis. Many of the age-old sculptures in Hindu temples are centered on Bharata Natyam dance postures karanas. In fact, it is the heavenly dancers, Apsaras, who are portrayed in many scriptures dancing the divine version of what is acknowledged on earth as Bharatanatyam.

In the most basic sense, a Hindu deity is a respected royal guest in his temple, to be offered various hospitalities - among which are Music and Dance, pleasurable to the senses. Accordingly, many Hindu temples by tradition maintained complements of accomplished musicians and dancers, as did Tamil Kings. From archives we learn that the Chola and the Pallava kings were big supporters of this art. Emperor Raja Raja Chola not only kept dancers in the Temples in his kigdom, but was a very great expert of music and dance. The convention of the Bharathanatyam appears to have been widespread. The precision with which the artists of the Big temple in Thanjavur have exemplified the "Karanas"of the fourth chapter of the Natyasastra is ample proof of their understanding of the laws of the dance movement.

Along with the building of the grand temples in the South under The Pallava and Chola kingdoms (4th to 12th A.D), the arts of Indian music and South Indian dances received a great boost. The practice was kept alive by the rulers, particularly, the Pandyas, Nayaks, and the Marathas, till the end of the 19th century. It was the society of the great dance teachers known as "Nattuvanars" who well-maintained the ancient dance art from generation to generation.

Bharata Natyam has three separate fundamentals to it: "Nritta"(rhythmic dance movements), "Natya" (mime, or dance with a dramatic portion), and "Nritya" (blend of Nritta and Natya).

The performer will wear lot of Jewells, make-up and a particularly stitched dress. Jingles in their angles are a must. Generally duration of a performance will be about 3 hours. To execute for such long hours one must have staying power and concentration. This time is split into two halves.

In the initial half the dancers mostly perform: 1. Alaripu or Pushpanjali 2. Jathis 3. Shabdam 4. Varnam. In the next half: 1. Padam 2. Devaranama or Ashtapadi 3.Thillana 4. Mangalam.

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The music, which go with Bharatanatyam, is Carnatic music, a South Indian classical music. Music backings the dancer's performance in the two elements: 1.melody (raga) and rhythm (tala). A raga is recognized by a particular pattern of musical phrases that gives it its exclusive melodic character, and expresses particular moods or emotions.

The most important melody instruments for Bharatanatyam are voice; the violin; a wooden flute, and the Veena - a stringed instrument. The tala is a rhythmic cycle having a fixed number of beats. Talas give the rhythmic footing of the melodic structure and are performed on mridangam (a two headed drum), and nattuvangam, cymbals played as a conductor of the orchestra. The lyrics are in several south Indian languages such as Tamil, Telegu, and Kannada.

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Photo Source: Flickr under creative commons license.

The costume, jewellery, and make-up retain the tradition of Bharatanatyam. The costume is fashioned of six yards of hand-woven silk, called a sari, crisscrossed with gold threads. For arrange for more freedom of movement, the costume was tailored in six parts from a sari. The distinctive jewellery of Bharatanatyam is known as temple jewellery. These ornaments are made of gold and the main work is of stone gems in commonly red and green colors.

In the beginning the jewellery was created as offerings to the Gods and Goddesses. Latter the temple dancers, Devadasis, wore the jewellery. Nowadays, the temple jewellery is worn by South Indian brides in her marriage. The dancer carries at least ten pieces of the jewellery such as necklaces, chokers, bracelets, a belt, earrings, nose rings, and three hair stuffs. The dancer wears two broach-like ornaments that signify the moon and sun to the left and right of the central parting of the hair. Around the dancer's ankles are tied belts of Jingles. The bells sound go along with the music while the dancer beats her bare feet on the floor.

The prominent eye makeup highlights the dancerês wide-ranging facial expressions, which portray the story emotionally. The complex and accurate hand gestures are more perceptible with the hands and feet decorated in red. The color red denotes auspiciousness in Hindu life.

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Bharatanatyam is well measured to be a fire-dance, the mystic demonstration of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body. It is one of the five most important styles (one for each element) that include Odissi (element of water), and Mohiniattam (element of air). The movements of a genuine Bharatanatyam dancer resemble the movements of a dancing flame.

More About Bharathanatyam I Origin of Bharathanatyam. I Bharathanatyam Video I About Elements of Bharathanatyam. I Music for Bharathanatyam I Bharathanatyam Songs MP3 I Bharathanatyam - Costumes, Jewellery and Color I Bharathanatyam in Wikipedia I I Best Bharathanatyam Performances I Bharathanatyam in Twitter I Guest Book. I Follow Me Through Dipity I

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