In Kannada, Alaripu literally means the blossoming of a flower- “Alar” meaning flower and “ippu” meaning lowering or bringing down. It suggests the blossoming of both dance and dancer in the presence of an audience. Alarippu is the first item in a Bharatnatyam recital. It is an invocatory dance performed at the beginning of the recital, like […]
Bhava is something which conveys the meaning intended, through words, physical gestures and facial expressions. It is the expression of the mental state which is the essential ingredient in Bharatnatyam dance. Bhava is that which leads to the result. The creation of expression by mode of vachika, angika and sattvika aspects is bhava. In dance, it indicates the emotional condition […]
Javali is a light classical love song which is presented in music and dance concerts. They are simple love songs depicting love of laymen. The term Javali is derived from the Kannada term “Jhavali” meaning a song or poetry. In Marathi, the term means the gesture of eyes in a language of love. The lyrics […]
As the name suggests, this is heroism which is born out of the state of energy and Utsaha is its sthayi bhava. The Rasa is manifested when there is valour, heroism, mastery, pride and steadfastness. The Rasa draws upon the firmness and steadiness of the mind. Its colour is pale red and it is attributed […]
Shringara Rasa, one of the nine rasas in the classical dance arts of India, can simply be translated as erotic love, romantic love or attraction or beauty. It is considered to be the Mother of all Rasas as it gives scope to a range of other emotion such as jealousy, fear, anger, compassion, physical intimacy […]
Rasa or emotion in Bharatnatyam is the cumulative result of vibhava (stimulus), anubhava (involuntary run) and ybhikaribhav (voluntary run) as we have discussed earlier. The Hasya Rasa is born from the sthayi bhava Hasa. In the art of acting, Hasya occupies a variegated position. Its colour is white and is attributed to Pramathas who are said to be the […]
“Pumnrityam tandavam, prahu: stree nrityam lasyamuchyate” Dance, as per the classical texts is classified into Tandava and Lasya like the Marga and Desi classification in music. According to Bharatha, the masculine form of dance Tandava, performed by Lord Shiva, is a combination of difficult poses and Angaharas, while Lasya anga is the feminine form. Performed […]
Tandava is the divine dance performed by Lord Shiva. It is considered to be the source of the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. The word Tandava comes from Tandu, the attendant of Lord Shiva, who at Lord Shiva’s orders, instructed Bharat muni, the author of Natya Shastra, the usage of Angaharas and Karanas, which […]
Bharatnatyam, the classical dance form, originated in the temples of South India. With its theoretical foundations in the ancient Sanskrit text, Natya Shastra, it remained exclusive to the Hindu temple complexes till the nineteenth century, was banned by the British in the early twentieth century and as a result expanded to the urban areas, on modern […]
This write up is a departure from the technical and general issues about classical dance that we have been doing during past few months. Today, I want to talk about my dear Guru, friend, mentor and guide Guru Shri Elangovan Govindarajan. Our association goes back many years, more than two decades, when I was starting out […]