Bharata Natyam

Bharata Natyam

         Bharata Natyam, a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The dance is accompanied by classical Carnatic music. The dance form dates back to 1000 B.C. Its inspirations come from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharata Natyam karanas or dance postures.

        Bharata Natyam is considered to be a 'fire dance' — the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body. The movements of an authentic Bharata Natyam dancer resemble the movements of a dancing flame. The deity - Shiva Nataraja is worshipped as the Lord of the Dance and is believed that the whole universe is the dance of the Supreme Dancer.

         Bharata Natyam has various forms which include Alaripu, Jathi-Svaram, Varanam, Sabdam, Padam and Tillana. Bharata Natyam is the manifestation of the ancient idea of the celebration of the eternal universe through the celebration of the beauty of the material body.

The techniques in Bharata Natyam include :

Abhinaya or Natya - dramatic art of story-telling in Bharata Natyam.

Nritya - pure dance movements, as a medium of visual depiction of rhythms.

Karanas - are the 108 key transitional movements that punctuate Bharata Natyam and other classical Indian dances. Most of these 108 Karanas have a central, static pose as a base, i.e., the dancer is usually supposed to stop and maintain it for a very brief duration.

Hastas - A distinctive feature of Bharata Natyam is the use of expressive hand gestures as a way of communication. Hastas refers to the hand symbols that a dancer can use.

Adavus - The basic unit in Bharata Natyam dance composition is the 'Adavu' (derived from 'adu' 'adi' - foot, base, for 'beat of the foot'). The execution of adavus varies greatly from style to style. A combination of adavus is called jathis, which make up the Nritta passages in a Bharata Natyam performance.

Bhedas and Eye movements - Bharata Natyam technique includes many other elements, such as elaborate neck and eye movements. While Natya Shastra contains the largest number of the movements, and the most detailed descriptions, Abhinaya Darpanam, for instance, has defined only nine head movements, four neck movement and eight eye movements (compared with 36 of Natya Shastra) which are used extensively throughout the dance. Head movements (Shiro bhedas), Neck movements (Griva bhedas) and Eye movements (Drishti bhedas).

Nava Rasas in Bharata Natyam:

              Bharatanatyam owns a unique place of pride in the world. Our motherland, India, can be proud of this wonderful and life-science rather. There are a lot of things that Bharatanatyam - the art of Dance teaches us and emotions are quite elegantly described as Abhinayas.

The nava rasas include Sringara, Raudra, Veera, Hasya, Karuna, Vibhatsa, Adbhuta, Bhayanaka and Shanta.

               The ideal qualities of a dancer includes Javaha (Agility), Sthirathvam (Steadiness), Rekha (graceful lines), Bhramari(balance in pirouettes), Drishti (glance), Shramaha (hard work), Medha (intelligence), Shraddha(devotion), Vacho (good speech), and Geetam (singing ability) as described in a sloka Patra Prana Dasha Smrutaha of Abhinaya Darpana. A professional dancer (patra), according to the Abhinayadarpanam (one of the two most authoritative texts on Bharata Natyam), must possess the following qualities. She has to be youthful, slender, beautiful, with large eyes, with well-rounded breasts, self-confident, witty, pleasing, well aware of when to dance and when to stop, able to follow the flow of songs and music, and to dance to the time (thalam), with splendid costumes, and of a happy disposition. 
        Bharata Natyam is an attempt to embody the divine beauty, charm, rhythms and symbols that exist in heaven. Bharata Natyam is an art, a passion for many. Foreigners world wide are practicing this art form understanding its beauty and importance. 
        A writer contemplating the future of Bharata Natyam less than a century ago would never have anticipated the revolution about to take place over the coming decades. In the same way, it is quite certain that Bharata Natyam, a century from now on is going to look different from what we know today. In my view, Bharata Natyam does indeed have a strong future, but is currently undergoing certain changes that could have a profound impact on the art form.
         At this point in time, Bharata Natyam at the amateur level is exploding in popularity. Bharata Natyam, at the professional level, is however still a big question mark. There are far too many mediocre programs these days and many dancers come forward to perform in collage fests and dance competitions. If we give them the right support and encouragement, Bharata Natyam, no doubt would emerge back in its original form with its grace and elegance.