A typical bharatnatyam recital or a complete performance routine is called a Maargam. It consists of the following Items: The programme begins with a Pushpanjali which is an offering of flowers to the gods. This is usually set to Raga Naatai or Gambhir Nattai. The Pushpanjali is usually followed with a Kauthuvam. This is an invocatory piece in which […]
Nattuvanaar is perhaps the most important person in a Bharatnatyam orchestra. Simply put the person who plays the nattuvangam is a nattuvanaar. However in reality it is so much more complex. Nattuvangam, also known as Thalam are a pair of metal alloy cymbals, one being flat, hard and base while the other being small, cup-shaped and shrill, which […]
Today I once again go back to the basics, the fundamentals, the essence… Bharatnatyam, ever since its origin centuries ago, has always been a powerful medium of communication. On tracing the origin and history of bharatnatyam, this fact can be further reinforced. According to the Natya Shastra, the monumental work on theatrical art by Bharata, in […]
Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986), the renowned Bharatnatyam dancer is the person who is credited for the renaissance of Bharatnatyam dance form and more significantly making the dance which was primarily a forte of Devdasis, main stream and respectable in the society. Daughter of a well-known Sanskrit scholar and a theosophist Nilakant Sastri, Rukmini Devi was […]
Bharatnatyam, as we know today is a culmination of a process of evolution of the classical dance form through centuries. Once cultivated and nurtured in the temples and courts of South India it is a dynamic living tradition that is continuously evolving and metamorphosing through the socio cultural influences, political alignments and individual contributions through […]
Indian classical dance includes diverse dance forms and multitude of styles, each significantly different from the other but at the same time sharing many features in common. All eight classical dance forms are primarily region specific, from Manipur in the North East to Kerala in the south, with their own distinct rhythm, beauty, costume, music, language […]
Although there can be music without dancing, there can be no dancing without musical accompaniment. Music therefore is undoubtedly an integral part of dancing. Aside from the vocal support rendered to a dancer, the other musical instruments widely used in Bharatnatyam are the cymbals, violin, veena, flute, tanpura and mridangam. As we all know that the […]
Indian classical dances are rooted in mythology and borrow liberally from the literature be it Sanskrit or other classical languages such as Tamil, Telegu or Oriya. As such through the centuries many writers and poets have been adapted into the dance tradition, no one more often than the celebrated Sanskrit poet Jayadeva. Born in Kenduli, Orissa, […]
Jayadeva, the renowned Sanskrit poet and lyricist was born in Kenduli, Orissa in the 11th century AD. The works of Jayadeva have had a profound influence on Indian culture. It forms the basis of the Indian classical dance form, Odissi, and has strongly influenced the Bharatanatyam classical dance as well as Carnatic music. Jayadeva was instrumental in […]
Devdasi, servant of God or Godess, is the Sanskrit word for a girl dedicated to worship and in the service of a deity or a temple for rest of her life. Devdasis, though an essential part of the temple worship tradition by taking care of temple duties and rituals also practised Sadir, the original form of […]