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Bharatanatyam, as Balasaraswati puts it, is an artistic yoga (natya yoga), for revealing the spiritual through the corporeal. It is the most widely practised of Indian classical dances in South India. It is the most ancient of all the classical dance forms in India, which are based on Natya Shastra, the Bible of the classical Indian dance. The term "Bharatanatyam" was used by Purandara Dasa (1484-1564). Later, Ghanam Krishnayyar's songs speak about a devadasi as an expert at Bharatanatyam. Subramania Bharathi also speaks about Bharatanatyam.
Gods and Godesses pleaded with Lord Brahma for another Veda to be created that would be simple for the common man to understand, which is particularly important in Kali Yuga. Granting their wish, Lord Brahma created the Panchamaveda, the Fifth Veda, or NatyaVeda, a quintessence of the main four Vedas. Brahma took pathya (words) form the Rigveda, abhinaya (communicative elements of the body movements, cf. mime) from the Yajurveda, geeth (music and chant) from Samaveda, and rasa (vital sentiment and emotional element) from Atharvaveda to form the fifth Veda, NatyaVeda. After creating this Veda, Lord Brahma handed it to sage Bharata and asked him to propagate it on earth. Obeying the fiat of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata wrote down Natyashastra. Bharata together with groups of the Gandharavas and Apsaras performed natya, nrtta and nrtya before Siva. It became the most authoritative text on the artistic technique of classical Indian dances, especially Bharatanatyam and Odissi. It is also possible that the term "Bharatanatyam" partly owes its name to sage Bharata.
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The Natya Shastra reads, "When the world had become steeped in greed and desire, in jealousy and anger, in pleasure and pain, the Supreme One (Brahma) was asked by the people to create an entertainment which could be seen and heard by all, for the scriptures were not enjoyed by the masses, being too learned and ambiguous." "This art is not merely for your pleasure, but exhibits cosmic expression (bhava) for all the worlds. This art has been created following the movements of the world in work and play, profit, peace, laughter, battle and slaughter, yielding the fruit of righteousness to those who follow the moral law, a restraint for the unruly, and a discipline for the followers of the rule; to create wisdom in the ignorant, learning in scholars, afford sport to kings, and endurance to the sorrow-stricken; it is replete with the diverse moods, informed with varying passions of the soul, and linked to the deeds of mankind — the best, the middling and the low — affording excellent counsel pastime and all else."
Bharata along with the apsaras and gandharvas demonstrated Bharatanatyam to Shiva who improved and modified the art as demonstrated by Bharata and instructed the science of dance to Thandu Maharishi. This field of dance derived the name Thandava, the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. Shiva instructed Lasya Natya to Parvathi who passed it on to Usha, the daughter of Banasura. Through Usha this art form was passed on to the Gopis of Dwaraka who in turn passed on the same to the maidens of Sowrashtra.
The Gods and the Goddesses, being dancers themselves, have been passing the art of the heavenly dance through many other human channels, whose aptitude, understanding, and personal idiosyncrasies naturally varied from person to person, and created a number of styles ranging from Odissi to Bharatanatyam.Bharatanatyam has been undergoing a lot of change over the centuries (click here to read more). It used to be and is still mostly performed by women dancers. Centuries ago the Hindu temples in South India had dancers-priestesses called devadasis who would sing, dance Dasi Attam (old version of Bharatanatyam), play many musical instruments. They were well-versed in Sanskrit and other languages as they had to adapt compositions to suit the audience. The devadasi tradition gradually degraded. Initially, devadasis lead a very strict and celibate life and were not allowed to have a family. As the dance entered the royal courts, the dancers were called Rajanartakis, who performed in the royal courts and gradually became royal concubines. The British colonial rule has completely corrupted the devadasi tradition.
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In the first half of the 19th century much of Bharatanatyam was redefined by the contributions of four talented brothers known today as the Tanjore Quartet: Chinniah, Sivanandam, Ponniah and Vadivelu. Styles of Bharatanatyam were preserved in practice mostly by the guru's and performers of the Isai Velalar community of Tamil Nadu. The Tanjore Quartet organized all the basic Bharatanatyam movements of pure dance into a progressive series, adavus.
Each adavu is a basic unit taught in systematic order and then combined with others to produce choreographed Bharatanatyam sequences based upon the rhythmic pattern of a musical composition. The brothers composed new music specifically for Bharatanatyam, and introduced a different sequence of items which integrated various aspects of dance and music into a carefully coordinated, aesthetically sound progression. This infusion of creative energy marks the early 19th century as one of the most innovative periods in the history of Bharatanatyam. In the 20th century, such prominent personalities as Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer and Krishna Iyer made their significant contributions. The social status and image of Bharatanatyam was restored by Rukminidevi Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra, who started teaching a simplified, Kalakshetra style invented by her after having learnt some of the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam in a record 3 years' time. Bharatanatyam has undergone much change but is still deeply rooted in the spiritual Hindu heritage. Contemporary classical Indian dancers are both male and female artists. While most learn it as a hobby, very few make it their career and a lifestyle, as it is extremely demanding and complex in terms of dedication and daily practice. While most university degree courses offer the theoretical base in Bharatanatyam, there are institutions that offer certificate and diploma courses with the focus on the practical skills.
Most of the contemporary choreographers and dancers may use some of the formal Bharatanatyam technique or its elements to stage ballets presenting various themes such as nationalism, unity of religions, the sanctity of the environment, the animal rights activism, the greatness of a king or a political party, or even the delightfulness of Coca-Cola. In Vande Mataram, a dance festival organised under the auspices of Natyarangam, a project of Narada Gana Sabha in 1997 in Chennai, there was a host of topics: evils of the current education system, the caste and reservation systems, threat of nuclear weapons, AIDS, the population explosion, corruption in politics, bribery, religious fanaticism, secularism, the greed for riches, the Chinese aggression, the Dandi March, literacy, agriculture, mechanisation, industrialisation. Most recently, some dancers of Nrityanjali Academy (Andhra Pradesh) managed to draw their divine inspiration even from Condom Songs.
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The true Bharatanatyam, it has to be stated clearly, is not a vulgar form of entertainment but a sacred ritual that is supposed to bring the rasanubhava (catharsis, or spiritual upliftment) to the rasika (audience) and the dancer.
If we approach Bharatanatyam with humility, learn it with dedication and practice it with devotion to God, sringara which brings out the great beauties of this dance can be portrayed with all the purity of the spirit. The flesh, which is considered to be an enemy of the spirit and the greatest obstacle to spiritual realization, has itself been made a vehicle of the divine in the discipline of the dance. Sringara thus is an instrument for uniting the dancer with Divinity. Since the dancer has universalized her experience, all that she goes through is also felt and experienced by the spectator".
Bharatanatyam bharatanatyam
bharatanatyamBharatanatyam comprises three aspects, Nritta, Nritya and Natya.
Nritta are rhythmical and repetitive elements, i.e. it is dance proper
Natya is the dramatic art, and is a language of gestures, poses and mime. cf. Abhinaya
Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya
Nritta can be broadly divided into Chari, Karana, Angahara and Mandala.
108 Karanas and
32 Angaharas are defined in Natyashatra. The 13 Nritta
Hastas (see below) are used to perform nritta. The rythmic body movements along
with hand gestures are called aduvus. A number of aduvus constitute
a jati. Jati will generally end with a Muktaya or Teermana.
There are diferent types of Aduvus: Tattaduvu, Mettaduvu, Nataduvu, Kattaduvu,
Kudittamettaduvu, Maiaduvu, Mandiaduvu, Jati, Nadai, Ardi. There are 12 aduvus
in each type, making it 120 aduvus in total. Only about 70-80 are generally practised
by an average Bharatanatyam dancer. Aduvus are often confused with the
108 Karanas carved in the Chidambaram Temple in Tamilnadu, India.
The entire body is divided into Anga, Pratyanga and Upaanga.
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Anga
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Pratyanga
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Upaanga
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| Head, Hands, Chest, Waist,
Bottom, Legs are the Six Angas. Some Bharatanatyam experts distinguish also Neck. | Shoulders,
Arms, Stomuch, Thighs, Knees are the Six Pratyangas. Some Bharatanatyam experts distinguish also Wrists, Elbows and Ankles . | Sight,
Eyebrow, Eyelids, Eyeballs, Cheeks, Nose, Gums, Lower lip, Teeth, Tongue, Chin
and Face are the 12 Upaangas. Some Bharatanatyam experts distinguish also Heels, Fingers, Feet and Palms. |
Pratynaga and Upaangas should move along with the Angas. Anga Lakshana, the movements of body parts, are described below.
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Mandala - Standing Posture
Utplavana - Leaps
Bhramari - Circling Movement
Chari - Leg Movement
Gatibhedha - Charecteristic walks
Hastas or Mudras - Hand Movements:
Asamyuta Hasta
Samyuta Hasta
Deva Hasta
Dashavatara Hasta
Navagraha Hasta
Jaati Hasta
Bandhu Hasta
Nritta Hasta
When all Angas(main body parts) are coordinated (along with pratyanga and upaanga), the Bharatanatyam dancer is said to possess Angashudhi. Anga meaning body parts, and shudhi means perfection or purity. The Natyashastra has shlokas describing how to perform all the above movements.
The Dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava, virile aspect. The tandava performed with bliss is called Ananda Tandava. The tandava of the violent and destructive aspect is called Rudra Tandava. There are 7 types of Tandava in Bharatanatyam:
When the dance is performed by Goddess Parvathi, it is known as Lasya, where the movements are soft, gentle, graceful and sometimes seen as er otic. Some Bharatanatyam scholars consider Lasya as the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya is of 2 kinds:
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The Bharatanatyam techniques of communicating a message are Abinaya. Here the emphasis is more on facial expressions and gestures. While some authentic styles, such a Melattur style, emphasise a highly expressive, spontaneous and elevated mode of abhinaya, the late Balasaraswaty tradition's abhinaya was extremely subtle and understated, while the Kalakshetra style expressions are largely theatrical. Some contemporary styles, such as the one propagated by Shobana, favour the Bollywood-type expressions.
While gestures can be seen from any distance even in a large dance hall, the subtle facial expressions can only be seen from the front rows. This is the main feature that distinguishes Bharatanatyam from the western ballet. Thus, unless a Bharatanatyam recital is held in a small hall, a close-up, high-resolution video is the only adequate medium of presenting the Abhinaya. Bharatanatyam is essentially ekaharya performance: a single dancer presenting various characters, regardless of their gender.
The Abinaya is comprised ofbharatanatyam bharatanatyam |
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Vatsalya
(parental fondling) rasa is also sometimes included as one of the stayibhava.
Vibhava (cause of emotion), Anubhava (effect of emotion) and Sanchari bhava (subordinate
emotions) constitute the state of rasa.
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Nayika (the Heroine) and Nayaka (the Hero) bhavas:
The
Nayika Bhava
The shastras have classified the basic mental status of woman, the Nayika, into
8 types, Ashtanayika bhavas. These divisions portray the heroine in different
situations, express different feelings, sentiments and reactions.
The Ashtanayika bhava are
Abhisarika - She is the one who
boldly goes out to meet her lover.
Kalahantarika - She is the one who is repenting her hastiness in quarrelling
with her lover, which has resulted in their separation.
Khandita - She is the one who is angry with her lover for causing her dissapointment.
Proshitapathika - She is the one who is suffering and missing her beloved
who is away on a long journey.
Swadheenapathika - She is the one who is proud of her husband's or beloved's
love and loyalty.
Vasakasajjika - She is the one who is preparing for the arrival of her
beloved, by decorating herself and her surroundings to provide a pleasent welcome
for her lover.
Virahotkantita - She is the one who is seperated from her lover and is
yearning for reunion.
Vipralabda - She is the one who is dissapointed that her lover has not
turned up at the tryst as he promised.
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Sweeya - Married and faithful to her husband.
Parakeeya - Married but in love with another man.
Samanya - A free woman, who truly belongs to any man for a price.
Jyeshta - The preferred one.
Kanishta - The other woman.
Further classifications are
Uttama - Self-controlled and tolerant.
Madhyama - Literally the middle one, who gives as she gets.
Adhama - Literally the low one, who has no self restraint.
The Companion to the Nayika plays an important role in any padam, javali or Ashtapadi. This Companion is the one to whom the Nayika will convey her feelings, she is the one who will take the message,if any, from the nayika to the nayaka, she is the one who will sort out the differences between the nayika and the nayaka. This companion is usuallly a girl who is close to the Nayika. The classification of the Companion types in Bharatanatyam:
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Another classification is:
Further Nayaka classification:
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Most of the ashtanayika bhavas are experienced by the Nayaka also though the depiction of ashtanayika is more than the nayaka. Nayaka's Companion plays an important role too. This companion is categorised into
These Bharatanatyam elements are also seen as the mystic symbols of Bhakti Yoga. Sringara means love, but this is not confined to rati sringara. There is bhakti sringara and vatsalya sringara besides rati sringara. Even among some of its practitioners, Bharatanatyam is often misinterpreted as being limited solely to bhakti. Balasaraswati believed Bharatanatyam is based on bhakti and that "it is justified in being called a yoga because it is a spiritual discipline perfecting the mind to thought-free serenity".
There are several original Bharatanatyam styles that are over 150 years old:
The distinctive characteristics of the Melattur style of Bharatanatyam are:
The Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam stresses:
The Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam includes:
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The modern Kalakshetra style is a simplified form based on Pandanallur and, to some extent, Thanjavoor styles.
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In the ancient scriptures, a professional Bharatanatyam danseuse was called "patra". The AbhinayaDarpana has a sloka that describes Patra Prana Dasha Smrutaha - the ten essential qualitiess of the professional dancer:
According to Abhinayadarpanam, one of the two most authoritative texts on Bharatanatyam, a patra must be
See more details in Natya shastra (XXVII.97-98).
The
ten disqualifying criteria according to Abhinayadarpanam:
A traditional format, margam (path), of a Bharatanatyam performance, especially important in the graduation performance, or Arangetram, is rather rigidly structured, and reflects the different stages of the dancer's consciousness.
Aranga means raised stage and Etram meansclimbing in Tamil, one of the south indian languages. It is also called Rangapravesha in Kannada, another south indian language, Ranga meaning Stage and Pravesha meaning Enter. Ideally this should be the first public appearance of the Bharatanatyam artist. This is the occation for the guru to present his/her deciple to the public.
This is the testing time for both the guru and the shishya(deciple) as the guru's
knowledge and the deciple's talent both are judged by the public. Hence, the guru
will decide when the deciple is ready for public graduation. Usually, at least
10-12 years of training is necessary before the Bharatanatyam dancer is
ready for Arangetram.
Arangetram was known as Gejjepooje in the old Mysore district, meaning worshiping the jingles in Kannada. For a Bharatanatyam dancer, jingles
are considered divine. Formerly, deciples were not allowed to wear jingles till
their first public performance when they consecrated the jingles, wore them and
then performed.
Accompaniments play a major role in the making of a memorable dance performance.Basic
accompaniments comprise a singer, a mridangam player, a violin player and the
Natuvanga. Veena, flute and other instruments are optional. These people sit in
the corner of a stage or in a place in front of the stage which will be in a lower
level than that of the stage. The Bharatanatyam artist wears lot of jewellery,
make-up and a specially stitched dress. Jingles are a must. Usually duration of
an arangetram will be 2 1/2 - 3 hours. To perform for such long hours one must
have good stamina and concentration. This time is divided into two parts.
In the first half the Bharatanatyam artists generally performs
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Expressions are given
foremost importance while performing these poems. Needs lot of grace. The Bharatanatyam artist should be mature enough to understand the lyrics and the situation to show
the rasas.
Devaranama
This item is a devotional piece where the lyrics are in praise of god, describing
the god etc. This is a pure abhinaya item with almost no emphasis on nritta. These
songs are the Bharatanatyam compositions of great mystics like Purandharadaasa,
Kanakadaasa, Vijayadaasa, Vyasaraaja to name a few. The Bharatanatyam compositions are popularly known as Daasa Sahitya. It is a devotional
literatures written in simple language understood by common man. It has made remarkable
contribution to the spiritual and cultural upliftment of people by preaching phylosophy
of Love, Devotion and Peaceful Co-Existance. If you are looking for some compositions, here they are.
Tillana
This is usually the last item in any Bharatanatyam performance. Tillana is full of complicated movements and postures. This will
also have complicated Muktayas or Sholkattu, ending of any step
or aduvu. This is mainly a nritta piece which might have a charana, a meaningfull
lyrics for which abinaya is shown.
Mangala
Meaning ending the performance. Here the Bharatanatyam
artist will again salute god, guru and the audience for making the performance
a success.
A Bharatanatyam recital resembles the structure of a Hindu temple: first, one passes through the gopuram (outer gate) of alarippu, then one crosses the ardhamandapam (midway hall) of jatiswaram, next the mandapam (great hall of worship) of sabdam and enter the heart of the temple in the varnam.
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Bharata natyam Bharatanatyam Bharata natyam indian dance Bharata natyam ballet Bharata natyam
Bharatanatyam is an attempt to embody the divine beauty, charm, rhythms and symbols that exist in heaven.
Bharatanatyam is a means of spiritual elevation both for the dancer and the audience.
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