From Thanjavur came the great Kandappa Pillai in the late 20th Century, with a lineage to boast of. Guru Kandappa Pillai was himself the inheritor of a great tradition. For over six generations, the family were nattuvanars and dance teachers. Kandappa’s great great great Grandfather Gangamuthu must have been a contemporary of Papamamal. Two generations […]
The Shanta Rasa, one of the nine rasas, is the state of peacefulness or tranquillity. It is marked by is the feeling of calmness, quietness and peacefulness. Its Sthayi Bhava is Sama, ie, state of freedom from everything be it worldly desires or actions. Its foundation is patience, service-mindedness, philosophical knowledge, self- control, pure spirits […]
The History of dancing can be categorised broadly into three periods: The initial pre- historic period where references of dance in some form can be traced to ancient cave paintings, engravings, older civilisations, Vedic references in Upanishads, Puranas, Bramhana, epics etc. The period starting from the 2nd century B.C. through 9th Century A.D., wherein we get references […]
The Natyasastra is probably one of the earliest and most exhaustive treatises on Indian Dramaturgy. The book dates back to the 7th or 8th Century AD. Its authorship is traditionally ascribed to Bharata, but it is attributed to Lord Bramha who originally created it for the celestial immortals ruled by Indra. The lore behind the […]
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 […]