“Bharata-Natyam, in its highest moment, is the embodiment of music in its visual form…. For more than thousand years, the sastra’s have confirmed that an individual dedicated to dance must be equally dedicated to music and must receive thorough training in both the arts.. In demonstrating the art of Bharata-Natyam abroad, I have made a special point of showing audiences how delicately linked is the realisation of movement to raga expression in abhinaya, including the subtle expression of gamaka’s, intonation of sruti, and the unfolding of improvisation in niraval. In the same way that we look for perfect blending of raga and tala and of raga and bhava in abhinaya, so also it is essential that the raga and the sahitya be perfectly matched and in accordance with the necessities of expression in the dance.”
“Sringara stands supreme in this range of emotions. No other emotion is capable of better reflecting the mystic union of the human with the divine. I say this with great personal experience of dancing to many great devotional songs, which have had no element of sringara in them. Devotional songs are, of course, necessary. However, sringara is the cardinal emotion, which gives the fullest scope for artistic improvisation, branching off continually, as it does, into the portrayal of innumerable moods full of newness and nuance.
If we approach Bharata-Natyam 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”.
Bharata-Natyam 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
- One-leg movement are called Chari.
- Two-leg movements are Karana.
- 3 Karanas make a Khanda.
- 3 to 4 Khandas make a Mandala.
- 4 to 9 Karanas make a Angahara.
- 4 to 5 Angaharas also make a Mandala.
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 Bharata-Natyam 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.
Anga:Head, Hands, Chest, Waist, Bottom, Legs are the Six Angas.
Some Bharata-Natyam experts distinguish also Neck.
Pratyanga:Shoulders, Arms, Stomuch, Thighs, Knees are the Six Pratyangas.
Some Bharata-Natyam experts distinguish also Wrists, Elbows and Ankles .
Upaanga:Sight, Eyebrow, Eyelids, Eyeballs, Cheeks, Nose, Gums, Lower lip, Teeth, Tongue, Chin and Face are the 12 Upaangas.
Some Bharata-Natyam 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.
- Shirobhedha – Head Movement
- Greevabhedha – Neck Movement
- Drushtibhedha – Eye Movement
- Paadabhedha
- Mandala – Standing Posture
- Utplavana – Leaps
- Bhramari – Circling Movement
- Chari – Leg Movement
- Gatibhedha – Charecteristic walks and
- Hastas or Mudras – Hand Movements
- Asamyuta Hasta
- Samyuta Hasta
- Deva Hasta
- Dashavatara Hasta
- Navagraha Hasta
- Jaati Hasta
- Bandhu Hasta
- Nritta Hasta
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 Bharata-Natyam:
- Ananda Tandava,
- Tripura Tandava,
- Sandhya Tandava,
- Samara Tandava,
- Kaali tandava,
- Uma Tandava and
- Gauri Tandava.
When the dance is performed by Goddess Parvathi, it is known as Lasya, where the movements are soft, gentle, graceful and sometimes seen as erotic. Some Bharata-Natyam scholars consider Lasya as the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya is of 2 kinds:
Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya.
Dance class policies...
All new enrollments will register for the Basic level class in the appropriate age group. Unless the instructor promotes the child to an older age group.
The class duration is1 hour. Parents are requested to bring their children on time.
Parents are not allowed to sit in the class during the teaching is in progress. They can watch only for the last 5 mins of the class.
Students should come to class in proper dance uniform.
Parents must sign in on their child’s attendance sheet every class.
Fees must be paid on time, or there is a late fee charge.
Classes missed will not be made up, except those cancelled by the instructor. The initial 10 mins of every class is revision time of the steps done in the class prior, so every child can make up her unlearnt steps that way.
During rehearsals for performances , there could be more than one class per week.
The performance costumes & accessories would be provided by the teacher with an additional cost.
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