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 […]
The designated space for the performance of productions in performing arts or theater is known as Stage or Rangamancha. According to the classical text Natyashastra it is called the ‘Natyagraha’. The stage serves as a space for actors to perform and the focal point for the members of the audiences. The celestial architect, Vishwakarman, has prescribed […]
Indian classical dance, or Shastriya Nritya, is an umbrella term for various performance arts rooted in religious Hindu musical theatre styles, whose theory and practice can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognizes eight Classical dances – Bharatanatyam, from Tamil Nadu Kathak, from Northern and Western India Kathakali, from […]
All the seven classical dances of India have a common genesis, be it Bharatnatyam or any other dance. Today we try to see how Kuchipudi and Odissi are different from each other while sharing many similarities. Kuchipudi is a classical dance that originated in Andhra Pradesh while Odissi developed in the neighbouring Orissa. They both […]
Abhinaya is one of the most important aspects in Bharatnatyam. A Sanskrit term, Abhinaya means to educate, or lead the way towards the audience. The Shloka of the Abhinaya Bhedas according to the Abhinaya Darpanam are described as under: Aangiko Vaachikah tatwadaahaaryah saatwiko aparah Chaturdhabhinaya tatra changiko- angaih nidarsitah Vaachavirachitah kaavya naatakaadishu vaachikah Aaharyo haarakeyura veshaadibhiralamkrtah Saatwikah saattwikaih bhavaih […]
Hand and fingers are used in Bharatnatyam to make a Mudra or a gesture to communicate multitude of things, situations and emotions. There are two kinds of hand gestures, Sanyukta and Asanyukta hasta mudras. The sanyukta hastas are the gestures made by both the hands combined together. These gestures make use of both the palms together to convey the […]
Varnam is the central and most elaborate number in a Bharatnatyam Margam. It is a demanding number testing not only the stamina of a dancer but the training, the skill, the imaginative faculty of a dancer to improvise and to successfully alternate between pure dance and abhinaya. If all these come together this engrossing number […]
Indian classical dances are essentially gesture dance. The Natya Shastra by Rishi Bharata has prescribed the movements and usage of all major and minor limbs depicting various meanings and denoting the when and how to use these gestures to tell a story. In many cultures, including ours, the human body became an instrument of gesture […]
Bharatnatyam, the classical Indian dance form is so much more than merely a type of dance. Ever since its origin thousands of years ago it has also been a powerful medium of communication too. This is further reinforced when we try to trace the origin and history of Bharatnatyam. According to the Natya Shastra, the classical […]