Bharathanatyam in a nutshell
This section serves as a basic introduction to the new rasikas. The following is a write up from Theatre Direct Canada, a partnership between artists and educators to provide an enriching education experience for students in Canadian schools. This write up was done for a program targeting Primary to grade 8 students.
The name of the dance comes from combining parts of the following words:
Bha = bhava ("expression"), Ra = raga ("melody"), Ta = tala ("rhythm"), natyam = ("dramatic dance").
The History of Bharatanatyam
The Bharatanatyam is a dance form that originated around 2,000 years ago in Tamil Nadu, a region in southern India. It is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious dance forms in India. It is dedicated to the praise of God through the depiction of religious stories.
Originally, it was performed by devadasis, women who composed religious dances in Hindu temples. It was developed as the court dance of southern India in the medieval period and created for a female solo dancer. The art reached its peak in the period from 1798 to 1832 in the royal city of Tanjavur, when four brothers (known as the Tanjavur Quartet) crystallized the form and developed its repertoire. The Sanskrit term "marga" meaning road, direction, method, practice—is the word used to describe the traditional suite of repertoire established by the Quartet. A marga is made up of several different dances that demonstrate a gradual unfolding of the form by taking the dancer and audience through the elements of abstract and mimetic technique.
About 150 years ago, it was redefined as a performance art form. The Bharatanatyam is still used in religious ceremonies, but it has also become very popular as a form of performance art, and is used music videos, movies, political messages, and advertising. The Bharatanatyam is composed of two different types of dance. The first is "nritta," or abstruct dance, and is composed mainly of the intricate movements of the feet and the abstract movements of the rest of the body. The second is "abhinaya," or expressional dance, which includes facial expressions and movements of the hands to express moods or feelings.
Meaning in Bharatanatyam: abstract or narrative
"It all means something, doesn't it?" people often ask Bharatanatyam dancers. The truth is, that sometimes a dance is just a dance. In an Alarippu (the opening dance of invocation), a Jatisvaram (a musical form similar to the rondo), certain sections of a Varnam (a complex music form), movement is presented in conjunction with mathematically complex configurations of rhythms. Or, dance for the sake of dance.
It is also true that sometimes there is a story. Once upon a time, all viewers of Bharatanatyam would understand the song and thereby the stories being told. But today, we are presenting Bharatanatyam in Ontario to a diverse range of people. It isn't essential to know the story, you don't have to understand each gesture. In each movement, gesture and facial expressions are used to express the characters feelings towards each other and the situation they are acting out.
The Elements That Go Together To Create The Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam dancers are predominantly women. It is a dance style in which there is heavy emphasis on hand movements to convey various emotions.
Eyes and facial expression: The dancer uses the face, especially the eyes, to express feelings. The eyes can be opened or closed to show anger or surprise. The dancer can look up or down to show shyness, or look to one side, to express suspicion or fear; or look from side to side to demonstrate watchfulness.
There are nine basic "rasa," or expressions of emotion, common to all forms of Indian dance. They are: love, heroism, compassion, wonder, laughter, sorrow, anger, fear, and tranquility. These are created by the position and expression in the eyes, with accompanying facial and body language.
Hands: In the Bharatanatyam, the position of a dancer’s hand and the movement of the hand can signify a specific word, or it can express an emotion. The meanings are created by the position of the hand, as well as by the movement and position of the fingers, by the number of fingers used in the gesture, whether the gesture is performed with one hand or both hands, and whether each hand is in the same position or different positions.
Spine: The spine of the dancer is kept vertical, while the shoulders and neck move to create the shape of the dance.
Feet: The Bharatanatyam is performed in bare feet. The positions of the feet affect the way that the whole body moves within the dance. There are specific foot positions and movements that accompany body, hand, and facial movements. These tell us a story or express emotions. The tension and balance in the feet affect the tension and balance of the whole body, which in turn helps to provide information about characters, and convey a particular impression about them or what they feel.
Costume: The most commonly used styles include the "Skirt/Sari style" and the "Pajama Style." The knife-pleated fan, which is either knee-length or mid-calf-length, opens up during particular postures and enhances the beauty and richness of the costume. Costumes are often bedecked with ornaments, bells, and flowers. The dancer can also wear special jewellery and headgear.
The Relationship Between The Music And The Dance
There is an inherent relationship between the rhythms of South Asian music and the steps and patterns in Bharatanatyam Dance.
Tala (rhythmic aspects): One of the principal elements in Indian music. The various principles of rhythm are analyzed through 10 elements of tala theory.
Yati (One of the elements of tala): The concept of Yati pertains to the arrangement of patterns in a variety of ways to create different shapes. It is a concept of rhythmic design based on geometric shape that can be easily applied to choreography; either by literally creating the shape by moving the dancer through the geometric pattern, or by designing the movement so that it creates the pattern. This pattern would be played on the drum and the dancers' footwork would follow the same pattern.
Example: using a reduction pattern would create a triangle.
Gi Na Tom
Na Tom
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Source: Theatre Direct Canada www.theatredirect.on.ca
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