Indian Classical Dance - Bharata Natyam
May 27, 2008
One of the most popular forms of Indian classical dance, Bharata Natyam has undergone some significant transformations during its 2,000-year old history. Originating in southern India in the state of Tamil Nadu, it started as a temple dance tradition i.e. Dasiyattam, and is perhaps the most evolved of all Indian classical dance forms.
The name Bharata Natyam is derived from the four most important aspects of dance (in Sanskrit) e.g. Bha from Bhava meaning emotion, Ra from Raaga meaning music or melody, Ta from Taala meaning rhythm and Natyam meaning dance. As legend has it, Bharata Natyam is said to have been revealed by Lord Brahma to the sage Bharata, who went on to codify this sacred dance in a Sanskrit text called the Natya Shastra. In time, Natya Shastra became a fundamental treatise on Indian drama and aesthetics, dividing dance into two distinct forms: nritta, or pure dance, and nritya, or dramatic interpretive dance. Nritta is all about the dancer focusing on mastering abstract hand gestures and movements, while in Nritya; the dancer employs a complex system of hand signals and body language to depict emotional expressions of episodes from Hindu mythology. Furthermore, each Bharata Natayam piece is further subdivided into a corresponding bhava, or emotional mood, raga, or melody, and tala, or rhythm. Encompassing music, rhythm and expressional dance or Abhinaya, Bharata Natyam strictly adheres to the Natyashastra - the scripture of classical Indian dance.
During the medieval period, the Indian classical dance Bharata Natyam prospered in the Hindu temples of South India, particularly those of Tamil Nadu. Called devadasis, or servants of god, temple dancers flourished in a system of royal patronage and religious devotion, becoming an integral part of South Indian temple ritual. However, during the colonial period, the British took the relationship between devadasis and patrons to be one of prostitution and Bharata Natyam dancers were eventually outlawed from performing at temples. In the first half of the twentieth century, in a struggle for independent India, Bharata Natyam was rescued from its colonial reputation by nationalists and reformers, who sought to promote a uniquely Indian cultural heritage.
Today, the Indian classical dance of Bharata Natyam is an immensely popular form of cultural expression, a source of deep pride among the Indian Diaspora communities around the world. Non-resident Indians now view Bharata Natyam as an integral part of every Indian girl’s upbringing, using it to solidify ties between second generation immigrants and their Sub-continental cultural heritage. There are even Bharata Natyam schools in every major US city that has a flourishing Indian community. Additionally, these schools innovatively fused Bharata Natyam with classical western dance forms like ballet and jazz, with this ancient Indian dance form beginning to exert some influence on American culture.
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