An Indian Art

Bharathanatyam technique

Balasaraswati has said: "Bharathanatyam, in its highest moment, is the embodiment of music in its visual form.... For more than thousand years, the sastra's have confirmed that an individual dedicated to dance must be equally dedicated to music and must receive thorough training in both the arts.. In demonstrating the art of Bharathanatyam abroad, I have made a special point of showing audiences how delicately linked is the realisation of movement to raga expression in abhinaya, including the subtle expression of gamaka's, intonation of sruti, and the unfolding of improvisation in niraval. In the same way that we look for perfect blending of raga and tala and of raga and bhava in abhinaya, so also it is essential that the raga and the sahitya be perfectly matched and in accordance with the necessities of expression in the dance."

"Sringara stands supreme in this range of emotions. No other emotion is capable of better reflecting the mystic union of the human with the divine. I say this with great personal experience of dancing to many great devotional songs, which have had no element of sringara in them. Devotional songs are, of course, necessary. However, sringara is the cardinal emotion, which gives the fullest scope for artistic improvisation, branching off continually, as it does, into the portrayal of innumerable moods full of newness and nuance.

If we approach Bharathanatyam with humility, learn it with dedication and practice it with devotion to God, sringara which brings out the great beauties of this dance can be portrayed with all the purity of the spirit. The flesh, which is considered to be an enemy of the spirit and the greatest obstacle to spiritual realization, has itself been made a vehicle of the divine in the discipline of the dance. Sringara thus is an instrument for uniting the dancer with Divinity. Since the dancer has universalized her experience, all that she goes through is also felt and experienced by the spectator".

Bharathanatyam comprises three aspects, Nritta, Nritya and Natya.

Nritta are rhythmical and repetitive elements, i.e. it is dance proper
Natya is the dramatic art, and is a language of gestures, poses and mime. cf. Abhinaya
Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya

Nritta can be broadly divided into Chari, Karana, Angahara and Mandala.

• One-leg movement are called Chari.
• Two-leg movements are Karana.
• 3 Karanas make a Khanda.
• 3 to 4 Khandas make a Mandala.
• 4 to 9 Karanas make a Angahara.
• 4 to 5 Angaharas also make a Mandala.

108 Karanas and 32 Angaharas are defined in Natyashatra. The 13 Nritta Hastas (see below) 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 diferent types of Aduvus in Bharathanatyam: Tattaduvu, Mettaduvu, Nataduvu, Kattaduvu, Kudittamettaduvu, Maiaduvu, Mandiaduvu, Jati, Nadai, Ardi. There are 12 aduvus in each type, making it 120 aduvus in total. Only about 70-80 are generally practised by an average Bharathanatyam dancer. Aduvus are often confused with the 108 Karanas carved in the Chidambaram Temple in Tamilnadu, India.

In Bharathanatyam, the entire body is divided into Anga, Pratyanga and Upaanga.

Pratynaga and Upaangas should move along with the Angas. Anga Lakshana, the movements of body parts, are described below.

• Shirobhedha - Head Movement
• Greevabhedha - Neck Movement
• Drushtibhedha - Eye Movement
• Paadabhedha

Mandala - Standing Posture
Utplavana - Leaps
Bhramari - Circling Movement
Chari - Leg Movement

Gatibhedha - Charecteristic walks in Bharathanatyam

Hastas or Mudras - Hand Movements:

Asamyuta Hasta
Samyuta Hasta
Deva Hasta
Dashavatara Hasta
Navagraha Hasta
Jaati Hasta
Bandhu Hasta
Nritta Hasta

When all Angas(main body parts) are coordinated (along with pratyanga and upaanga), the Bharathanatyam dancer is said to possess Angashudhi. Anga meaning body parts, and shudhi means perfection or purity. The Natyashastra has shlokas describing how to perform all the above movements.

The Dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava, virile aspect. The tandava performed with bliss is called Ananda Tandava. The tandava of the violent and destructive aspect is called Rudra Tandava. There are 7 types of Tandava in Bharathanatyam:

• Ananda Tandava,
• Tripura Tandava,
• Sandhya Tandava,
• Samara Tandava,
• Kaali tandava,
• Uma Tandava and
• Gauri Tandava.
  
  There are some Bharathanatyam experts who distinguish 16 types of Tandava. Tandava produces vigourous, brisk movements.

When the dance is performed by Goddess Parvathi, it is known as Lasya, where the movements are soft, gentle, graceful and sometimes seen as er otic. Some Bharathanatyam scholars consider Lasya as the feminine version of Tandava. Lasya is of 2 kinds:

• Jarita Lasya and
• Yauvaka Lasya.