SUMMARY and HISTORY
“THIS DANCE IS A METAPHOR FOR THE BELIEF THAT LIFE IS ESSENTIALLY A
DYNAMIC BALANCING OF GOOD AND BAD, WHERE OPPOSITES ARE INTERDEPENDENT.”
Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace ,
purity, tenderness and sculpturesque poses. Today it is one of the most
popular and widely performed dance style and its practiced by male and
female dancers all over India and abroad.The origin and antiquity of Indian classic dance form Bharatanatyam
can be traced back to the Vedas and to the figure of the dancing girl in
Mohen-jo-Daro.The sculpture evidences from the 5 th century onwards
reveal various changes and development. It has its roots in Tamilnadu, a
state of Southern India.
Bharatanatyam (pronounced ba-rata-na-tiam) is a classical dance
style from South India performed by both men and women. It is
called the "fifth veda", and is widely considered to be the oldest
dance form in India. It is one of the most highly
refined developed systems of dance, and is recorded as far back as
the 9th century, although it was known as Sadir until the
early 1900’s. The name Bharatanatyam is explained two different
ways. The first is that it is composed of related words:
- BHAva (expression)
- RAga (melodic mode)
- TAla (rhythm)
- NATYAM (dance)
The second is that the name comes from a combination of the name of the sage Bharata Muni who wrote the "Natya Shastra"
the principles of this dance, and the word for dance “natyam”.
Bharata is believed to have lived between the 1st and 2nd century AD. He wrote a detailed account of the art of dance, and
many people credit his work for the fact that Bharatanatyam remains much the same today as it was long ago.
Another factor in the preservation of the art form are the
devadasis. The devadasis or “handmaidens / servants of god”
were temple dancers. They enjoyed high status and prosperity, and
were encouraged by public funds to pursue their arts. They performed
in the temples in praise of the deity as part of daily worship. The
devadasis eventually fell into disrepute due to economic and social
pressures. While the British ruled India (1858 – 1947), they banned
Bharatanatyam, confusing it with nautch dance which was performed
by prostitutes. Rukimini Devi, a member of an influential Brahmin
family, is credited with reviving the art form and bringing it to the
stage during the early 1900’s.
Besides the devadasis, dance was also very popular in the courts.
The court dancers of the Maratha rulers are also considered to be
responsible in part for the present day repertoire of Bharatanatyam.
They composed and directed many dance items, and to this day
their contributions are held in high esteem and are performed in
present day dance recitals - the format of which remains largely intact.
COSTUMING
Bharatanatyam is a very demanding art form especially recognized
by it’s sculptural poses, rhythmic footwork, and intricate hand and eye
movements. The costuming is also distinct. The dancers wear bells
around their ankles to accent the footwork, jewelry around their waist
and neck
at a minimum), and makeup to enhance the eye and facial expressions.
The costumes are designed for freedom of movement and to showcase the
signature half-seated posture (called aria mandi or ardhamandal) so
characteristic of Bharatanatyam dance. The costumes can either be a sari
(wrapped in various ways) or they can be stitched from sari fabric.
The most common style of stitched costume consists of 3+ pieces for
males,
4 pieces for children, and 5 pieces for females:
- a pair of loose pants
- a large pleated length of fabric that attaches to the inseam of the pants – this creates a beautiful fan between
the dancer’s legs during any half-seated or full-seated postures
- a sash that goes around the waist
- a choli blouse (women and children)
- a sash that covers the choli blouse (women)
MUSIC
Bharatanatyam is performed to traditional South Indian Carnatic music. In addition to a singer, some common instruments are
violin, mrudangam double headed drum), and flute.
DANCE
The dance itself is largely a storytelling dance. Most of the
stories are from the epics and Hindu mythology. The intimate association
with Hindu religion from its origins as a temple dance has been
preserved through the centuries.
The dancer uses poses, facial expressions, and hand movements to
communicate the story to the audience. Like fresco painting in
Christian churches, the original purpose of Bharatanatyam was to
educate the public about the scriptures. Because of its intricacy
and specificity, Bharatanatyam could be used to tell any story in any
language.
Bharatanatyam performances are about 2 hours long and the dances are generally performed in a specific order:
- Pushpanjali
- Alarippu
- Jatiswaram
- Shabdam
- Varnam
- Padam
- Tillana
- Managalam
The dance is composed of sets of movements called adavus. When
sets of adavus are combined, they create korvais. The movements and
adavus are the same for men and women. There are three major elements
to the dance: Nritta, Nritya, and Natya.
Nritta
Pure dance – abstract or “pure” movement. This category does
not express a story, it is dance for the sake of
creating beauty using the movements of the body, the geometric
patterns of the dance, and the dynamic energy caused by the rhythmic
footwork.
Nritya
Abhinaya – interpretative dance where the dancers express the lyrics of the song, evoking emotion.
Natya
A combination of both nritta and nritya.
Hand movements also play a major role in Bharatanatyam. Hand movements that convey meaning are called mudras, while
hand movements that do not have a specific meaning are called hastas.
“Essentially a solo dance, the sculptural poses of Bharatanatyam
have the chiseled sophistication of the great
temple carvings of Tamil Nadu in South India. A dedicatory dance,
Bharatanatyam was considered a divine art which celebrated,
beyond the rapture of the body, the purification of the spirit. The
dancer who dissolved her identity in rhythm and music,
made her body an instrument for experience of the soul.”
- Unknown Source
Sources :
- http://www.hiptwist.org/Article_Bharatanatyam.html
- http://www.narthaki.com/info/rev09/images/rev751a.jpg
- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm3LTiAVcj6da3YxUIsP0D5OsUqPRA5X2Wr4i6LvnXOnDKfZ_F-IyxuntiZGxkuqK9WdFcwCN0Asku15pePoSxx5ZdpCA6CnOkqjkQuT4mpQmoS6Ptojrj4jiB13tBPyq8_eB9-AO2tKM/s1600/dance.png
- http://cdn2.stylecraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/basic-Bharatanatyam-makeup.jpg
- http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m808mg6KdW1qzhueho1_400.jpg
