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ABOUT
BHARATA NATYAM Origins Bharata Natyam originated in the temples of South India over 2000 years ago. The principles relating to the execution of Bharata Natyam movements are laid down in the Natyashastra. Originally, Bharata Natyam was performed in the temples by a community of female dancers called devadasies. The devadasies were young girls who were donated to the temple by their parents to be “married” off to the temple’s presiding deity. These devadasies remained single for the rest of their lives and devoted their entire life singing and dancing in praise of God. Extinction and Revival The devadasies were maintained under the patronage of the kings and court rulers. During the colonial rule in India however, the institution of devadasies became corrupted. The devadasies became associated with prostitution and Bharata Natyam became despised as a vulgar and illicit dance. With the passing of the Devadasies Abolition Act which sought to prohibit the devadasies from dancing in the temples, Bharata Natyam almost became extinct. However, in the early 1930s, two individuals – Rukmini Devi and Krishna Iyer became Bharata Natyam activists and lobbied vigorously to revive the art form. They succeeded in revivingthe ancient artform and today it has many ardent fans and practitioners all over the world. Underlying Philosophy Bharata Natyam was performed in the temples as the highest form of worship to God. Since Bharata Natyam is an expression of the divine, it was not designed for entertainment. Its goal is to uplift the dancer and the beholder to a higher level of spiritual consciousness. Dancers are therefore encouraged to dissolve their identity in the dance and become instruments for the expression of divine presence. Due to its spiritual origins, much of the thematic content of Bharata Natyam revolves around Hindu gods and goddess and associated mythology. Abstract
and Narrative Dance Bharata Natyam may be classified
into the following main categories: The Language of Hand Gestures Stylized hand gestures or mudras are a key element of Bharata Natyam. There are 28 single hand gestures (referred to as mudras) and 13 double hand gestures in Bharata Natyam. In Nritta, mudras are purely decorative and do not convey any meaning. In Nritya the mudras are used to express and describe a range of objects, feelings and concepts. There are also certain mudras that are commonly used to denote certain Hindu gods and goddess. It is important to note that a single mudra does not always correspond to a particular meaning. Rather, mudras have contextual meaning and the same mudra can be used to express a variety of things and sentiments. Costumes Historical paintings and temple sculpture feature dancers with elaborate hairdos and intricately carved jewelry. These have inspired and influenced the attire of Bharata Natyam dancers. Today Bharata Natyam dancers are elaborately dressed in silk and fine ornaments. They typically wear bridal jewelry. This is because originally the devadasies bedecked themselves with bridal jewelry as they were considered as brides of the Lord. The stone-studded ornaments worn by a Bharata Natyam dancer are representative of the artistic traditions of Tamil Nadu and may be traced back to the Sangam Age (500 BC to 500 AD). The symbolism is that like a temple is decorated to honor the God, the dancer is bedecked to honor and celebrate the god that resides within her. The Repertoire The traditional Bharata Natyam format (referred to as margam) for a solo recital consists of seven to nine items starting with Alaripppu and ending with Thilana. Devised by four brothers, collectively referred to as the Tanjore Quartette, this margam format is designed to slowly warm up the dancer to meet the challenges presented by the more strenuous items presented in the later section of the recital. The margam format has achieved such popularity among soloist today that very few Bharata Natyam dancers seek to modify or deviate from it in their solo recitals. Learning Bharata Natyam Bharata Natyam is a very strenuous and demanding art form. To learn the basic dance vocabulary and a few items of the traditional repertoire generally takes a few years. To achieve proficiency in Bharata Natyam and to understand its nuances however requires many more years of rigorous training. Besides attaining mastery over the technique, bhakti or devotion is a pre-requisite. Ultimately a dancer is judged by her ability to use the dance as a vehicle to express the divine. Since there is no system of notation, the art is learnt and practiced under the guidance of a guru. In the absence of a meticulous record of dance compositions created by the great maestros of Bharata Natyam, dancers had to rely on the memory of their gurus to access these compositions. The gurus who served as the only repository for the art form have succeeded in preserving and passing on intact these original compositions in Bharata Natyam from one generation to the next. Ticketing Details:
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