Bharatanatyam – The Dance of South India
Posted on May 30, 2008 in Art & Culture by Gitanjali
Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It saw its birth in the temples and courts of southern India since very ancient times. Later on, in the 19th century, it was codified and documented as a performing art by four brothers who formed the Tanjore Quartet whose music compositions for dance form a major chunk of the Bharata Natyam repertoire till date. This art form was handed down as a living tradition from generation to generation under the Devadasi system under which women were dedicated to temples to serve the deity as dancers and musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals.
Mythology
Gods and Godesses requested Lord Brahma to create an all new another that would be simpler for the common man to comprehent and appreciate, which is particularly important in Kali Yuga. Granting their wish, Lord Brahma created the Panchamaveda, the Fifth Veda, or NatyaVeda, a quintessence of the four main Vedas. After creating the NatyaVeda, Lord Brahma handed it down to sage Bharata and entrusted him the mission of propagating it on earth.
Obeying the orders of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata compiled the Natyashastra. Bharata, together with the 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.
The Three Components of Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam 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.
Hand Movements (Mudras/Hastas) in Bharatanatyam
There are mainly eight types of mudras in this dance form. They are:
- 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.
Components of a Typical Performance
Typically a regular performance includes:
- Ganapati Vandana - A traditional start-off prayer to Lord Ganesha, who is believed to remove all obstacles.
- Alarippu - A presentation of the Tala or rhythm punctuated by syllables spoken by the dancer which are easy to understand. This in fact is an invocation to the Gods to bless the performance.
- Jatiswaram – A short dance accompanied by the drums which set the beat. The dancer uses the opportunity to display her versatility in elaborate footwork and graceful movements of the body.
- Shabdam - The dancing is accompanied by a poem or song with a devotional or amorous theme.
- Varnam - The central item of the performance. This is also the longest part of the dance combined with the most complex and difficult movements. Positions of the hands and body tell a story, usually of love and the longing for the lover.
- Padam - Probably the most lyrical piece where the dancer “speaks” of some theme in love: devotion to the Supreme Being; or of love of mother for child; or the love of lovers separated and reunited.
- Thillana - The final section is a pure dance (nritta) when the virtuosity of the music is reflected in the complex footwork and captivating poses of the dancer.
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