Bharatanatyam

Welcome all, this is my first post….

Today I would like to share history of my favorite dance “Bharatanatyam”. 

Bharatanatyam is one of the popular and oldest dance form in India. The word Bharatanatyam is derived from important aspects of dance:

Bha from Bhavam which means feelings or emotion

Ra from Raagam which means music or melody

Ta from Taalam which means rhythm

And Natyam means dance.

The name Bharatanatyam itself explains it as the dance that encompasses music, rhythm and expressional dance or Abhinaya. This classical dance form originated from the state of Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam was born in temples as an offering to Gods.

Lord of Dance – NATRAJA

 

Nataraja is the divine manifestation of Lord Shiva, assumed as the Lord of Dance especially Bharatanatyam. As a symbol, Shiva Nataraja is a marvelously unified and dynamic invention. In a single image, it combines Lord Shiva's roles as a creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe and conveys the Indian concept of the never-ending cycle of time.

Origin and the current Form

Natya Shastra is attributed to the ancient scholar Bharata Muni, comprises 36 chapters and it is possibly the creation of more than one scholar. It dates from between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st-century CE. The Naṭya Shastra (Science of Drama) is the earliest and most authoritative Indian text on the performing arts. Then, the dance was performed by community of temple dancers in the ancient temples. The present form of Bharatanatyam as we know it today has been codified and documented by four brothers Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Vadivelu and Sivanandam in the early 19th century. They are also famously known as the Tanjore Quartret. Their dance compositions form the bulk of the Bharatanatyam practiced today.