BHARATHANATYAM

HISTORY : Bharathanatyam has special mention in two important Tamil works - SILAPPADIKARAM and MANIMEKHALAI of the SANGAM age. All the sculptures show the importance of the "ARDHAMANDALAI " (out_turned knees) which is the position common to Bharathanatyam as well as all the Indian Classical Dances from Rajasthan to Ghokarnam and Gujarat to Assam. The sculptures can be traced back to 5TH B.C.This is a dance form which cannot be adequately done by anyone without reverence for technique and for spiritual life.It lifts one from temporal to eternal values.

BHARATA NATYAM

ESSENTIAL IDEAS :Bharatanatyam is considered to be FIRE-DANCE , the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body.
ELEMENT OF WATER _ Odissi.
Element of Air _Mohiniyattam.
Element of Earth _ Kuchipudi.
Element of Sky _Kathakali.
Bharatanatyam is called a fire dance as the mystic movement of the dancer , resemble the movement of a dancing flame. This art form has two aspects , LASYA , the embodiment of feminine movements and THANDAVA or ANANDA THANDAVA (Dance of SHIVA - one among the trinities) , the embodiment of masculine movements , which is identical to the yin and yang in Chinese culture.

BHARATA NATYAM

THILLANA :Thillana is the concluding or the penultimate piece of a Bharatanatyam repertoire.

It is a fast and vibrant piece of dance form which is a pure delight to eyes and mind. Its a truly visual delight with its flowing music. It contains four segments.

First segment :Single line jathi sung in a preset tune.

Second segment :Two line jathis sung in a preset tune.

Third segment :Sahithyam (content).

Fourth segment :Two or three lines of jathis set to tune.

Between every segment , the opening line (first segment) is always sung. Nritta sequences set in style of korvais are performed.

Happiness , joy and ecstasy are the feelings that are in forefront while performing a THILLANA. The sahithyam is usually in praise of the LORD...none other than NARAYANA...

The last couplet usually ends with a prayer for the overall welfare..!!!

BHARATA NATYAM

PADAM: Varnam is followed by PADAM.Its aim is to exhibit a dancer's depth in the interpretation of abhinaya , and his maturity in dance.Padam bestows aesthetic pleasure to the beholder with good exposition of melodic structure of raga , finely blended with verbal structure of lyrics. Its a feast to both ears and eyes.The story line hovers on Lord Krishna often , or Kings to please whom lyrics have been composed.Padams are usually set in VILAMBITA LAYA{ slow tempo}.

BHARATA NATYAM

Varnam:A varnam is the centre piece in the Bharatanatyam repertoire.A varnam is relatively long piece , ranging from 30 minutes to one hour. It is usually set to Ata or Aadi taala.Though the lyrics are simple , it usually has long syllables and swara phrases of various lenghts which bring out the essential features of the raaga.In Carnatic music there are two types of varnams. They are Taana varnam and Pada varnam.Taana varnams are usually sung as vocal exercises in a particular raaga , whereas Padavarnams are usually sung for Bharatanatyam .

BHARATA NATYAM

Shabdam:It is with "Shabdam" that a dancer first introduces "Abhinaya" in the repertoire.The abhinaya usually composed in simple sahithyam is separated by simple korvais.Generally a synopsis is given in the first line which is followed by a description in the following repetitions.After each stanza only very simple footsteps follow.The number of stanzas vary fron 2-4 or 5.The stories are usually about one deity or theme usually composed in ragamalika and misrachapu(thakita thakadhimi).The movements are leisurely and abhinaya is unfolded in a controlled manner.

BHARATA NATYAM

Jathiswaram :An item of traditonal Bharathanatyam repertoire, which is usually performed after Alarippu. As the name suggests it is a combination of one Jathi and a few Swarams....hence called JATHISWARAM.It is styled as a collection of five or six rhythmic sequences. The first one is performed to a Jathi ,while the other pieces are performed to Swara patterns. Each rhythmic sequence is separated by an interlude that consists of short steps finishing with elegant postures. There are quite a few Jathiswarams available , the ones in Vasantha raga and Kalyani raga being the most popular. Jathiswaram is devoid of any abhinaya .Even the mudras are used as ornamental .There is no specific meaning. But the music is enthralling.

BHARATA NATYAM

Alarippu is a very traditional part of Bharatanatyam repertoire.After the ADAVUS it is the first item that is taught to a student.It is a uniquely styled full length item with its own identity and is perhaps one of the most beautiful presentations . I still remember fondly my own ARANGETRAM where I had performed ALARIPPU with much enthusiasm at a very young age ! It is clear uncluttered and graceful.It has some interesting numerical facts.It is performed in 3 stages : standing , full-sitting , half-sitting using the same rhythmic syllables.Each stage is performed in 3 speeds.5 types of ALARIPPU is possible based on 5 basic counts. Accordingly , the respective ALARIPPUS are known TISRA ,CHATURASRA ,KHANDA ,MISRA and SANKEERNA alarippu.

BHARATA NATYAM

The Tanjore QUARTETS were well informed about SADIR , the dance form which was much popular in the temples and courts. They codified and systematized the dance and designed the MARGAM {solo repertoire} , standardized the body technique {Adavu} and made a syllabus for the dance.The term MARGAM means "The Way".In this context it can be construed as the route of a traditional Bharatanatyam dancer. In todays scenario , A Margam denotes PUSHPANJALI/ALARIPPU ,JATHISWARAM ,SHABDAM , VARNAM ,PADAM AND THILLANA.Most performances follow more or less the same scheme with little changes here and there.The torch bearers also composed a large music collection ,and translated the temple and court presentation for the modern stage. A solo Bharatanatyam repertoire unfolds gradually with a balanced representation of Nritta{rhythmic performance of combined Adavu} and Abhinaya{harmonic interpretation of the lyrics through mind and body expression}.

BHARATA NATYAM

At this juncture we need to mention the unparalleled contribution by the four Tamil brothers of Tanjore famously known as the Tanjore Quartets. They are Sri.CHINNAYA {B.1802}, Sri.PONNIAH {B.1804} ,Sri.SIVANANDAM{B.1808}, and Sri.VADIVELU{B.1810}.The PARAMPARAI , artistic family lineage of the Tanjore Quartets goes back to 1638 to Sri.Gopala Nattuvanar {B.1638} who was a great artist. The brothers were groomed in carnatic music by Sri.Muthuswami Dikshitar of the celebrated Trinity of Carnatic music. Thus the dance which was popular only in the temples and courts was designed and codified as a stage art by these four well versed born artists.The QUARTETS thus became court musicians and the early promoters of ART.

BHARATA NATYAM

The ancient temples were centres of religion ,science and various artistic expressions.They were built by the kings as an expression of devotion to religion and art.As we all know, Bharatanatyam one of the oldest form was nurtured in the temples and courts of South India since ancient times.The art was handed down as a living traditiion from generation to generation by the Devadasi system, under which women were dedicated to temples ,to serve the deity as dancers and musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals.The Devadasies were trained by highly talented artistic male gurus{Nattuvanars} who were the sole repository of the art until the 19th century.

BHARATA NATYAM

Without giving an introductiion to "Natyashastra" it may look very incomplete to move forward into the various aspects of this beautiful artform.Bharata Natyashastra is a detailed treatise and handbook on dramatic artform that deals with all aspects of classical sanskrit theatre or Bharatanatyam.It is believed to have been written by the mythic Brahamn sage and priest Bharata sometime between{1st century BCE-3rd century CE.Its many chapters contain detailed summary about all the diverse arts that encompass other Indian classical genres like drama,dance,music ,poetics and general aesthetics.The book exhorts that the indian classical drama is a vehicle for religious enlightenment.

BHARATA NATYAM

An important matter that we have to keep in mind is that "BHARATA NATYAM" is a term just more than half a century old.The original version of the same called "SADIR" has certainly been influenced by the "NATYASAHSTRA" the ancient sanskrit text of dramatology.The "Natyashastra" is believed to have been created in the 2nd century B.C.