The oldest of all Indian Classical dances Bharatnatyam perfected and stylized over two thousand years still remains as fresh and fascinating in its richness, traditional movements, aesthetic appeal and variety of abhinaya. Bharatnatyam uplifts the dancer and the beholder to a higher level of spiritual consciousness, as the dancer is considered as a worshiper of God. The term Bharatnatyam was introduced in the mid thirties by S. Krishna Iyer in Tamil Nadu and later spread by Rukminidevi Arundale. It comprises of Bhava, Raga, Tala, and Natya put together as Bharatnatyam.

Many Tamilian dance gurus (Nattuvarans) and the temple dancers (Devdasis) through centuries have passed on this classical dance form. In the sacred environment of the temple these ancestors developed and propagated their heritage. The training traditionally took around seven years under the direction of the nattuwanar who were scholars and persons of great learning.

The history reminds of a story of the famous quartet, who made a rich contribution to music and Bharatnatyam. It comprised of Chinnayya, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu of the Tanjore Court during King Sarabojis time (1798-1824). They also completed the process of re-editing the Bhartanatyam programme into its present shape with its various forms like the Alarippu, Jathiswaram, Sabdham, Varnam, Tillana etc. The children of these four brothers formed the original stock of Nattuvanars or dance teachers of Bharatnatyam in Tanjore, since they tried to preserve the age-old traditions of dance and music passed on by their ancestors. There is also a mythological story behind the origin of Bharatnatyam, which says that Godess Parvathi taught, this dance form to Usha, daughter of Banasura, a demon. Usha taught the same to the Gopikas of the city of Dwaraka, Lord Krishnas birth place. Thus, the spiritual dance form Bharatanatyam was introduced to the mankind.

Even though Bharatanatyam has gone through lot of changes, it still has its roots deep into the religious and rich mythological heritage of India. In the modern day scenario both male & female artists perform it. It is considered that no other dance can exceed Bharata Natyam and very few can equal it in its grace, purity, tenderness and status and sculpturesque poses. It is also a dance that takes many years of vigorous practice, concentration and dedication. It hence happens that many learn as a hobby, but only few of them can make it as a profession.

Bharatnatyam is a solo, lasya (feminine) type of a dance, which is tender and erotic. Here, the basic theme is love, where the female dancers usually perform the devotional type of a dance; devotion to the Supreme Being; or of love of mother for child; or the love of lovers separated and reunited. Bharatnatyam is considered to be a fire-dance, where there is a mysterious display of the abstract element of fire in the human body.

Styles of Bharatnatyam
1. Pandanallur: The distinctive characteristics of the Pandanallur style are its deep sitting positions; its lasya padams, which are rather slow and difficult to perform and its performance in different positions like the deep sitting positions, on the ground, in standing positions and while moving or jumping.

2. Vazhuvoor (Vizhuvur): This style includes the following:
Wide range of dancing pace.
Static postures are inserted, most often in the tillana, to break the monotony and to add the variety of rhythms.
Softer facial abhinaya.
Abhinaya is subtle with more natyadharmi (spontaneous expressions), so the presentation is not "overdone".
The adavus flow smoothly, with rare abrupt movements.
Extremely elaborate movements.
Deep sitting positions.
Variety of positions on the floor.
Rich sringar elements.
Lasya dominates tandava.
The dancers body from the waist up is stlightly bent forward.
Leaps are introduced into every jati.
The jatis have more korvais (intervals), which creates a suspense effect.
Performance begins with a Thodaya mangalam in praise of Lord Gnana Sabesar of Vazhuvoor.
The dancer starts the performance while entering the stage from the wings.

Technique of Bharatnatyam the three aspects of Bharatnatyam are as follows:
Natya is the dramatic art, and is a language of gestures, poses and mimes (Abhinaya). Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya. Nritta are rhythmical and repetitive elements, i.e. it is proper dance, which can be further broadly classified into Nritta can be broadly divided into Chari, Karana, Angahara and Mandala. 108 Karanas and 32 Angaharas are defined in Natyashatra. The 13 Nritta Hastas are used to perform nritta. The rythmic body movements along with hand gestures are called aduvus. A number of aduvus constitute a jati. Jati will generally end with a Muktaya or Teermana. There are 12 aduvus in each type of aduvus, making it 120 aduvus in total. An average Bharathanatyam dancer generally practises only about 70-80. Aduvus are often confused with the 108 Karanas carved in the Chidambaram Temple in Tamilnadu, India.

Music in Bharatnatyam
The musical accompaniment is of the Karnatic School with the tala or timing, predominating over the raga or melody in the nritta passages.The chief musical instruments in Bharata Natyam are the mridangam and a pair of cymbals. Sometimes veena, violin, ghatam and flute are also used. The vidwan (expert) sets the refrain, which is repeated by the chorus. The cymbals provide the timing, while the mridangam supplies fractional measures of the broad beats. The dancer follows the mridangam and cymbals. A tambura is often incorporated in the orchestra to provide the swara or scale for the refrain. Mridangam, Manjira (Thalam), Vina, Violin, Kanjira, Surpeti, Venu & Tanpura.

Costumes in Bharatnatyam Dance
The costumes of the dancer are gorgeous. The costume consists of a dhoti for both male and female dancers. It is usually of richly embroidered needlework or shimmering silk or satin. It fits easily above the ankles and is pleated along the legs, which it protects. Over the dhoti, in the middle, is a pleated or frilled cloth hanging from the waist to perhaps the knees.

More on Bharatnatyam
Bharatnatyam Classical Dancers

Role Of Dancers in Bharatnatyam

Performance of Dancers in Bharatnatyam