As the name suggests, shabdam is the first item in a bharatnatyam recital, which has words in it, also commonly called “sabda”. Therefore, it is the first item of a maargam that has abhinaya or expressions in it. Previously called Yashogati in Sanskrit, It is usually in praise of lord Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Muruga or […]
Karana is described in the natyashastra as “hastapaada samaayogaah nrttsya karanam bhavet”. It is a combination of three elements, namely nritta hasta (dance movement of the hands), sthaana (a dance posture for the body) and a chaari (a dance movement of the leg). The karanas form the basis of the adavus. Therefore, each karana was practised as […]
It is a movement of the pada bheda. In this movement, the heels are placed on the ground and the forepart of the foot and toes are raised. It suggests the following acts: Moving with a wound on the forefoot Turning in all directions Being struck by something It is also used in various bhramaris
It is a classification of the Aangiga Abhinaya, which means expressing through the means of the limbs of the body. It includes the following 12 parts of the head. Upanga: The shloka is as follows: Drishti bhru puta taarashca kapolou naasika hanu, Adharo daasana jihwaa cubukam vadanam tatha, Upaangani dwadasaiwa sirasyangantaresu cha, Parshnigulphou tatha aangulyah […]
Tillana: It is the concluding piece of any bharatnatyam recital and is purely a nritta number ending with a short line of Sahityam. In terms of movements, Tillanas have designs in space along straight lines, diagonals, triangles and rectangles. The outstretched arm positions, leg extensions, bhramaris, the pirouettes etc give the tillanas a certain dynamic quality. The […]
By definition, tillana is a musical composition used profusely in bharatnatyam. The pallavi and anupallavi use only solkattu and occasionally swaras. At the end, there is usually a short charanam in praise of a king or God. It is generally performed towards the end of a recital. It is the concluding piece of any bharatnatyam […]
Although bharata himself makes no direct reference to lasya in the natya shastra, the term lasya, in the context of Hindu mythology, describes an extremely feminine, graceful and fluid type of dance, generally with shringara as the dominant rasa, that the goddess Parvati performed. It was as a response to the male energy of the cosmic […]
Angiga Abhinaya is shown by the body and the use of the limbs. It can be further classified into three categories, namely, the anga, the Upanga and the pratyanga. Anga – The angas include the following six parts of the body, head, hands, chest, sides (flanks), waist (hips) and feet. Some scholars include the neck also […]
Jatiswaram is an example of a pure dance or nritta sequence in which the performer weaves several patterns on a basic musical composition. Just like its name, it is executed to the tune of a combination of swara passages in a particular raga and tala. It is so named on account of the fact that it is […]
In Bharatnatyam, like in any other classical dance form, there is a close relationship between rasa and bhava. In simple words, bhava is the sentiment and rasa is the emotion or love, which it develops into. “Anubhavyate anen vagang krotobhinaya iti”: This shloka by Bharata simply defines the bhava as the constant state of mind […]