Dance Studio

Bharata Natyam, which originates from the state of Tamil Nadu in South India, is one of the most popular dance styles in India. A popular interpretation of the name is:

BHAva (expression) + RAga (musical mode) + TAla (rhythm) NATYAM (dance) = BHARATA NATYAM

The dance is performed in the stage as Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam. Bharatanatyam is based on the theories of the books ‘Natyasaasthram’ and ‘Abhinaya Darpanam’. The dance form is based on ‘Adavu’ (steps) and ‘Hasthamudra’ (hand gestures). There are 64 basic ‘Adavu’ and they are divided into 9 parts, on which ‘Thattadavu’, ‘Naatadavu’, ‘Kuthithumettadavu’, ‘Mandiadavu’, ‘Sarikkal’ and ‘Thattumettu’ are very important. Communication is done through ‘bhavabhinaya’ (facial expression) and ‘hasthamudra’ (hand gestures). The performance starts with the prayers to God Ganapathi and worship of Nataraja Moorthi.

The sequence of the dance performance is ‘Alarippu’, ‘Jathiswaram’, ‘Sabdam’,  ‘Varnam’, ‘Padam’ and ‘Thillana’. After ‘Thillana’, with a ‘Mangala Slokam’ the dance program ends. Normally the performance lasts for two to two and half hours.

Some of the famous Bharatanatyam performers are Bala Saraswathi, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Rugmini Arundel, Kamala Laxman, Padma Subrahmaniam and Chithra Visweswaran. Panthanalloor Meenakshi Sundaram Pilla, Panthanalloor Chokkalingam Pilla, Padmasree Vazhoor Ramayyan Pilla and Adayar Laxman are some of the famous ‘Nattuvar’.

Dance in India, is rooted in age-old tradition. This vast sub-continent has given birth to varied forms of dancing, each shaped by the influences of a particular period and environment. These pristine forms have been preserved through the centuries, to become a part of our present culture, a living heritage which is both our pride and delight.

Nurtured in temples, princely courts or villages, dance has moved into the auditorium of today, bringing pleasure to many more people, in far-flung regions. It is now possible to appreciate the lyrical grace of the Manipuri dance of North-Eastern India in, say, Gujarat. This dance-form arising out of Krishna-bhakti, is sinuous in its movements and romantic in its concept, celebrating a divine theme which is meaningful to people all over the country. Similarly, the sophistry of Kathak, which flowered at the courts of the Mughal princes with its accelerated tempo, intricate foot-movements, and subtle facial expressions, evokes a resplendent past common to us all.

The abundant largesse of dance in South India, from the Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu,

Indian Dance

make-up, the masks and the splendid costumes of these all-male dancers, recreates an incomparable sense of pageantry. Bharatanatyam, the temple-maiden’s dance of devotion, has a classic quality which is as daunting as it is beautiful. The rigorous precision of foot and hand movements, the eloquent range of expression depicted through eyes and mouth, and the total linear consonance of body is exacting and exciting in its perfection.

Bharata’s Natya Sastra is the Bible of Indian aestheticians. It says that the Creator (Brahma) created it to give joy in life to the gods who found their cosmic functions to be heavy and dreary. Bharatarmada and Abhinaya Darpana are other important classical works on the Indian art of dance. Kalidasa’s drama Malavikagnimitra, Vishnu Dharmothrara and Agni Purana throws much light on the art. Other important Sanskrit works are Dhananjaya’s Dasa Roopaka, Sargadava’s Sangita Ratnakara, Thulajaji’s Sangita Saramitra, Bala Ramavarma’s Bala Bharata, Haripala Deva’s Sangita Sudhakara, Veda Suri’s Sangita Makaranda, Rasamanjari etc. Tamil works on dance are Bharata Senapatheeyam, Bharata Siddhanta, Bharata Sangraha and Mahabharata Choodamani. In the famous Tamil epic Silappadikaram , there is a reference to eleven varities of dance (alliyam, kudai, kudam etc). It refers to 24 kinds of abhinayam.