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Indian Traditional dance: the origins
Traditional Indian dance, in particularly Bharatanatyam and Odissi, as
Balasaraswati puts it, is an artistic yoga (natya yoga), for revealing the spiritual
through the corporeal. Bharatanatyam is the most widely practised of Indiantraditional dances worldwide, as it is the style that most faithfully adheres to the
Bible of the traditional Indian dance, the Natya Shastra, and most comrehensivelyembodies it. It is also the most ancient of all the traditional dance forms in India.
The legend and the inspiration
Gods and Godesses pleaded with Lord Brahma for another Veda to be created that
would be simple for the common man to understand, which is particularly
important in Kali Yuga. Granting their wish, Lord Brahma created the
Panchamaveda, the Fifth Veda, or NatyaVeda, a quintessence of the main fourVedas. Brahma took pathya (words) form the Rigveda, abhinaya (communicative
elements of the body movements, cf. mime) from the Yajurveda, geeth (music andchant) from Samaveda, and rasa (vital sentiment and emotional element) from
Atharvaveda to form the fifth Veda, NatyaVeda. After creating this Veda, LordBrahma handed it to sage Bharata and asked him to propagate it on earth. Obeying
the fiat of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata wrote down Natyashastra. Bharata together
with groups of the Gandharavas and Apsaras performed natya, nrtta and nrtyabefore Siva. It became the most authoritative text on the artistic technique oftraditional Indian dances, especially traditional Indian dances of
Bharatanatyam and Odissi.
The Natya Shastra reads, "When the world had become steeped in greed and
desire, in jealousy and anger, in pleasure and pain, the Supreme One (Brahma) was
asked by the people to create an entertainment which could be seen and heard byall, for the scriptures were not enjoyed by the masses, being too learned andambiguous." "This art is not merely for your pleasure, but exhibits cosmic
expression (bhava) for all the worlds. This art has been created following themovements of the world in work and play, profit, peace, laughter, battle and
slaughter, yielding the fruit of righteousness to those who follow the moral law, arestraint for the unruly, and a discipline for the followers of the rule; to create
wisdom in the ignorant, learning in scholars, afford sport to kings, and enduranceto the sorrow-stricken; it is replete with the diverse moods, informed with varying
passions of the soul, and linked to the deeds of mankind the best, the middling
and the low affording excellent counsel pastime and all else."
Bharata along with the apsaras and gandharvas demonstrated Traditional Indian
dance to Shiva who improved and modified the art as demonstrated by Bharata and
instructed the science of dance to Thandu Maharishi. This field of dance derived
the name Thandava, the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. Shiva instructed Lasya Natya toParvathi who passed it on to Usha, the daughter of Banasura. Through Usha this art
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form was passed on to the Gopis of Dwaraka who in turn passed on the same to themaidens of Sowrashtra.
The Gods and the Goddesses, being dancers themselves, have been passing the art
of the heavenly dance through many other human channels, whose aptitude,understanding, and personal idiosyncrasies naturally varied from person to person,
and created a number of styles ranging from Odissi
to Bharatanatyam. Traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam has beenundergoing a lot of change over the centuries (click here to read more). It used to
be and is still mostly performed by women dancers. Centuries ago the Hindu
temples in South India had dancers-priestesses called devadasis who would sing,dance Dasi Attam (old version oftraditional Indian dance), play many musical
instruments. They were well-versed in Sanskrit and other languages as they had to
adapt compositions to suit the audience. The devadasi tradition gradually degraded.
Initially, devadasis lead a very strict and celibate life and were not allowed to havea family. As the dance entered the royal courts, the dancers were calledRajanartakis, who performed in the royal courts and gradually became royal
concubines. The British colonial rule has completely corrupted the devadasi
tradition.
In the first half of the 19th century much oftraditional Indian dance ofBharatanatyam was redefined by the contributions of four talented brothers
known today as the Tanjore Quartet: Chinniah, Sivanandam, Ponniah andVadivelu. Styles of traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam were preserved in
practice mostly by the guru's and performers of the Isai Velalar community ofTamil Nadu. The Tanjore Quartet organized all the basic traditional Indian dance
of Bharatanatyam movements of pure dance into a progressive series, adavus.
Each adavu is a basic unit taught in systematic order and then combined withothers to produce choreographed traditional Indian dance of
Bharatanatyam sequences based upon the rhythmic pattern of a musicalcomposition. The brothers composed new music specifically for traditional
Indian dance of Bharatanatyam, and introduced a different sequence of items
which integrated various aspects of dance and music into a carefully coordinated,aesthetically sound progression. This infusion of creative energy marks the early
19th century as one of the most innovative periods in the history oftraditionalIndian dance. In the 20th century, such prominent personalities asMangudiDorairaja Iyerand Krishna Iyer made their significant contributions. The social
status and image of traditional Indian dance was restored by Rukminidevi
Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra, who started teaching a simplified,Kalakshetra style invented by her after having learnt some of the Pandanallur style
of traditionalIndian danceof Bharatanatyam in a record 3 years' time. Traditional
Indian dance has undergone much change but is still deeply rooted in the spiritual
Hindu heritage. Contemporary traditional Indian dancers are both male and femaleartists. While most learn it as a hobby, very few make it their career and a lifestyle,
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as it is extremely demanding and complex in terms of dedication and dailypractice. While most university degree courses offer mainly a theoretical base in
traditional Indian dance, there areinstitutions that offer certificate and diplomacourseswith the focus on the practical skills.
Most of the contemporary choreographers and dancers may use some of the
formal traditional Indian dance technique or its elements to stage ballets
presenting various themes such as nationalism, unity of religions, the sanctity ofthe environment, the animal rights activism, the greatness of a king or a political
party, or even the delightfulness of Coca-Cola. In Vande Mataram, a dance festival
organised under the auspices of Natyarangam, a project of Narada Gana Sabha in1997 in Chennai, there was a host of topics: evils of the current education system,
the caste and reservation systems, threat of nuclear weapons, AIDS, the population
explosion, corruption in politics, bribery, religious fanaticism, secularism, the
greed for riches, the Chinese aggression, the Dandi March, literacy, agriculture,mechanisation, industrialisation. Most recently, some dancers ofNrityanjaliAcademy(Andhra Pradesh) managed to draw their divine inspiration even
fromCondom Songs.
The truetraditional Indian dance,it has to be stated clearly, is not a vulgarform of entertainment but a sacred ritual that is supposed to bring the rasanubhava
(catharsis, or spiritual upliftment) to the rasika (audience) and the dancer.
Traditional Indian dance technique
Balasaraswati has said: "Traditional Indian dance, 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 traditional Indian dance 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 inabhinaya, 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.
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If we approach traditional Indian dance 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 thedance. 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".
TraditionalIndian dancecomprises three aspects,Nritta,Nritya andNatya.
Nritta are rhythmical and repetitive elements, i.e. it isdance 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 ofaduvus constitute ajati.Jati will
generally end with aMuktaya or Teermana.
There are diferent types of Aduvus: 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 traditional Indian dancer. Aduvus are often confusedwith the 108 Karanas carved in the Chidambaram Temple in Tamilnadu, India.
The entire body is divided into Anga, Pratyanga and Upaanga.
Anga Pratyanga Upaanga
Head, Hands, Chest, Waist,
Bottom, Legs are the Six
Angas.Some traditional Indian
Shoulders, Arms, Stomuch,
Thighs, Knees are the Six
Pratyangas.Some traditional Indian
Sight, Eyebrow, Eyelids,
Eyeballs, Cheeks, Nose,
Gums, Lower lip, Teeth,Tongue, Chin and Face are the
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dance experts distinguish also
Neck.
dance experts distinguish also
Wrists, Elbows and Ankles .
12 Upaangas.
Some traditional Indian dance
experts distinguish also Heels,
Fingers, Feet and Palms.
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 - LeapsBhramari - Circling Movement
Chari - Leg Movement
Gatibhedha - Charecteristic walks
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Hastas or Mudras - Hand Movements:
Asamyuta HastaSamyuta Hasta
Deva HastaDashavatara Hasta
Navagraha Hasta
Jaati HastaBandhu Hasta
Nritta Hasta
When all Angas(main body parts) are coordinated (along with pratyanga andupaanga), the traditional Indian 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 abovemovements.
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 traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam:
Ananda Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samara Tandava, Kaali tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava.
There are some traditionalIndian danceexperts who distinguish 16 types
of Tandava. Tandava produces vigourous, brisk movements.
When the dance is performed by Goddess Parvathi, it is known as Lasya, wherethe movements are soft, gentle, graceful and sometimes seen as er otic.
Some traditional Indian dance scholars consider Lasya as the feminine version of
Tandava. Lasya is of 2 kinds:
Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya.
Abhinaya in traditional Indian dance
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The techniques ofcommunicating a message
areAbinaya. Here theemphasis is more on facial
expressions and gestures.While some authentic styles
of traditional Indian dance,
such aMelattur style,emphasise a highlyexpressive, spontaneous and
elevated mode of abhinaya,
the late Balasaraswatytradition's abhinaya was
extremely subtle and
understated, while theKalakshetra style expressions
are largely theatrical. Somecontemporary styles, such as
the one propagated byShobana, favour theBollywood-type expressions.
While gestures can be seen from any distance even in a large dance hall, the subtle
facial expressions can only be seen from the front rows. This is the main featurethat distinguishes traditional Indian dance from the western ballet. Thus, unless
a traditional Indian dance recital is held in a small hall, a close-up, high-
resolution video is the only adequate medium of presenting theAbhinaya. Traditional Indian dance is essentially ekaharya performance: asingle dancerpresenting various characters, regardless of their gender.
The Abinaya is comprised of
Angikabhinaya
Vachikabhinaya Aharyabhinaya Satvikabhinaya
Angikabhinaya : communicating the meaning of the songs using the body, i.e.head, hands, legs, etc. The Bhedas come under Angikabhinaya.
Vachikabhinaya : communicating the story using narrations.
Aharyabhinaya : use of costumes, jewellary, make-up etc.
Satvikabhinaya :expressions of Bhava(moods)
Lord Shiva is praised as the embodiment of the above 4 types of abinaya in this
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following shloka.
Angikam bhuvanam yasya
Vachicam sarva vangmayamAharyam chandra taraditam vande satvikam shivam.
The meaning of the above shloka:
We bow to Him the benevolent One
Whose limbs are the world,
Whose song and poetry are the essence of all
language,
Whose costume is the moon and the stars...
In Lord Shiva's well-known pose ofNATARAJA:his right hand holds the drum of creation,
symbolising a new awakeninghis left hand holds fire, representing destruction ofthe old order
his other right hand is raised in blessing
the other left hand points to his left foot, whichhas crushed demon Muyalaka who represents
ignorance.
There are nine main or primary emotions, Sthayibhavas, also termed
asRasas (Moods):
Shringara - Love Hasya - Mirth Veera - Heroism Roudra - Anger Bhayanaka - Terror Bheebatsa - Disgust Adbhuta - Wonder Karuna - Compassion Shanta - Tranquility
Vatsalya (parental fondling) rasa is also sometimes included as one of the
stayibhava.
Vibhava (cause of emotion), Anubhava (effect of emotion) and Sanchari bhava(subordinate emotions) constitute the state of rasa.
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Nayika (the Heroine)
andNayaka (the Hero) bhavas:
The Nayika Bhava
The shastras have classified thebasic mental status of woman, the
Nayika, into 8
types,Ashtanayika bhavas. Thesedivisions portray the heroine in
different situations, express
different feelings, sentiments andreactions.
The Ashtanayika bhava are
Abhisarika Kalahantarika Khandita Proshitapathika Swadheenapathika Vasakasajjika Virahotkantita Vipralabda
Abhisarika - She is the one whoboldly goes out to meet her lover.
Kalahantarika - She is the one who is repenting her hastiness in quarrelling with
her lover, which has resulted in their separation.Khandita- She is the one who is angry with her lover for causing her
dissapointment.
Proshitapathika - She is the one who is suffering and missing her beloved who is
away on a long journey.
Swadheenapathika - She is the one who is proud of her husband's or beloved'slove and loyalty.
Vasakasajjika - She is the one who is preparing for the arrival of her beloved, by
decorating herself and her surroundings to provide a pleasent welcome for herlover.
Virahotkantita - She is the one who is seperated from her lover and is yearningfor reunion.
Vipralabda - She is the one who is dissapointed that her lover has not turned up at
the tryst as he promised.
Other classifications of the Nayika bhava in traditional Indian danceare:
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Mugdha -Inexperienced in
love.Madhya - Partly
experienced in love.
Pragalbha - Maturein the art of love.
This Pragalbha
Nayika is furtherclassified as
Dheera Adheera Dheeraadheera
Sweeya - Married and
faithful to her husband.
Parakeeya - Married but inlove with another man.
Samanya - A free woman,
who truly belongs to any man for a price.
Jyeshta - The preferred one.Kanishta- The other woman.
Further classifications are
Uttama - Self-controlled and tolerant.Madhyama - Literally the middle one, who gives as she gets.
Adhama - Literally the low one, who has no self restraint.
The Companion to the Nayika plays an important role in any padam, javali or
Ashtapadi. This Companion is the one to whom the Nayika will convey her
feelings, she is the one who will take the message,if any, from the nayika to thenayaka, she is the one who will sort out the differences between the nayika and the
nayaka. This companion is usuallly a girl who is close to the Nayika. Theclassification of the Companion types in traditional Indian dance:
Daasi -Servant
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Sakhi -Friend
Kaaroo -Woman
from a lowercaste
Chatriya -Step Sister
Prativamshini -
Neighbour
Lindini - Saint Shilpani - Artist Swaa - Nayika herself as a messenger
The Nayaka BhavaJust like the heroines, the moods and emotions of the hero are also classified into
different types. The main types:
Dheerodaatta eg. Lord Rama Dheeroddhata eg. Demon Ravana Dheeralalita eg. Vatsaraaja Dheerashanta eg. Buddha
Another classification is:
Pati - Married and faithful to his wife.Upapati - Married but in love with another woman.
Vaisika - One who pays and enjoys women.
Further Nayaka classification:
Anukoola - Faithful to the Woman. eg. Lord RamaDakshina - Loves all his wives or women. eg. ArjunaDrishta- When rejected, pleads to be accepted by his woman. eg. Vaali
Shatha- The deceitful one. eg. Lord Krishna
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Most of the ashtanayika bhavas areexperienced by the Nayaka also though
the depiction of ashtanayika is morethan the nayaka. Nayaka's Companion
plays an important role too. Thiscompanion is categorised into
Peetamardhana Vita Cheta Vidooshaka
These traditionalIndiandanceelements are also seen as the
mystic symbols of Bhakti Yoga.Sringara means love, but this is not
confined to rati sringara. There is
bhakti sringara and vatsalya sringarabesides rati sringara. Even among
some of its practitioners, traditionalIndian dance is often misinterpreted
as being limited solely to bhakti. Balasaraswati believed traditional Indian dance is
based on bhakti and that "it is justified in being called a yoga because it is aspiritual discipline perfecting the mind to thought-free serenity".
Styles of traditional Indian dance in Bharatanatyam
There are several original traditionalIndian dancestyles that are over 150 years
old:
MelatturPandanallur Vazhuvoor (or Vizhuvur) Thanjavoor (orTanjore)Mysore
KanchipooramThe distinctive characteristics of theMelattur styleof traditional Indian dance are:
natural (spontaneous) and highly expressive abhinayalargest amplitude ofmovements, which requires a higher degree of flexibility emphasis on
sringara bhakti emphasis on crisp adavus, accuracy of jathis/ gathis, fluid
variations of patterned korvaisdramatic elements (characterisation)
original methods of application of principles of "loka dharmi" and "natyadharmi"
traditional indian dance
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The Pandanallur style of traditional Indian dance stresses:
its deep sitting positionsits lasya (feminine dance style) of padams is ratherslow and difficult to perform
it is performed on three levels: in deep sitting positions, on the ground, instanding positions and while moving or jumping.
The Vazhuvoor style of
traditionalIndian danceincludes:
wide range of dancingpacestatic postures are
inserted, most often in the
tillana, to break the monotony
and to add the variety ofrhythmssofter facial
abhinayaabhinaya is subtle
with more natyadharmi
(spontaneous expressions), so
the presentation is not
"overdone"the adavu's flow
smoothly, with rare abrupt
movementsextremely
elaborate movementsdeep
sitting positionsvariety ofpositions on the floorrich
sringar elementslasya
dominates tandavathe
dancer's body from the waist
up is stlightly bent
forward leaps are introduced
into every jatithe jati's have
more korvais (intervals), which creates a suspense effectperformance 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
The modern Kalakshetra style is a simplified form based on Pandanallur and, to
some extent, Thanjavoor styles.
TheBalasaraswati style, although derived from the authentic devadasitraditions, is still a relatively recent introduction.
Note that, most recently, Dr.Padma Subramaniam's school, claiming to bethe one which is the most faithfully reflects the techniques described in
Natya Shastra, is calledBharatnrityam.
Traditional Indian dance
traditional indian dance
traditional indian dance
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Traditional
Indian dancersIn the ancientscriptures, aprofessional danseuse
was called "patra".
The AbhinayaDarpanahas a sloka that
describes Patra Prana
Dasha Smrutaha - the
ten essential qualitiessof the professionaldancer:
1.Javaha
(agility), Sthirathvam
(steadiness), Rekhach
a (graceful
lines), Bhramari(balance in
pirouettes), Drishtir
(glance), Shramaha
(hard work), Medha
(intelligence),Shraddh
a(devotion), Vacho
(good speech), and2. G
eetam (singing
ability).
According toAbhinayadarpanam,
one of the two most
authoritative texts on
Traditional Indiandance, a patra must be
TraditionalIndian dance
traditional indian dance
traditional indian dance
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young,slender,beautiful,large-eyed,with well-rounded breasts,self-confident,witty,pleasing,capable of keeping time (following the
rhythm)splendidly dressed of a happy disposition.
See more details in Natya shastra (XXVII.97-98).
The ten disqualifying criteria according to Abhinayadarpanam:
1. white specks in the apple of the eye scanty hair thick lips pendant breastsbeing either very fat or very thin, being either very tall or very short being
hunch-backed2. being either voiceless.
Traditional Indian dance recitals and arangetram
A traditional format, margam (path), of a traditional Indian dance of
Bharatanatyam performance, especially important in the graduation performance,orArangetram, is rather rigidly structured, and reflects the different stages of the
dancer's consciousness.
Aranga means raised stage andEtram meansclimbing in Tamil, one of the south
indian languages. It is also calledRangapravesha in Kannada, another south indian
language,Ranga meaning Stage and Pravesha meaning Enter. Ideally this should
be the first public appearance of the traditional Indian dancer. This is theoccation for the guru to present his/her deciple to the public. This is the testing
time for both the guru and the shishya(deciple) as the guru's knowledge and thedeciple's talent both are judged by the public. Hence, the guru will decide when the
deciple is ready for public graduation. Usually, at least 10-12 years of training isnecessary before the traditional Indian dancer is ready for Arangetram.
Arangetram was known as Gejjepooje in the old Mysore district,meaning worshiping the jingles in Kannada. For a traditional Indian dancer,
jingles are considered divine. Formerly, deciples were not allowed to wear jinglestill their first public performance when they consecrated the jingles, wore them andthen performed.
Accompaniments play a major role in the making of a memorable danceperformance.Basic accompaniments comprise a singer, a mridangam player, a
violin player and the Natuvanga. Veena, flute and other instruments are optional.
These people sit in the corner of a stage or in a place in front of the stage whichwill be in a lower level than that of the stage. The traditional Indian
dancer wears lot of jewellery, make-up and a specially stitched dress. Jingles are a
must. Usually duration of an arangetram will be 2 1/2 - 3 hours. To perform for
such long hours one must have good stamina and concentration. This time isdivided into two parts.
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In the first half the traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam artists generally
performs
Pushpanjali orAlaripu
,Jatiswaram,Shabda
m Varnam
In the second half:
PadamAshtapadior Tillana
Mangalam
PushpanjaliThis is an item where
the traditional Indian
dancer ofBharatanatyam salutes togod, guru and the audience.
This item is a warm-up
item where the artistprepares the body for the
next hours of vigorous
performance.
Alaripu ("buddingflower")
Includes pure nritta. The
movements are performedfor syllables set for a beat
(Tala). The complexity of
the movements graduallyincrease, as the dancer's
attention focusses moreand more.. The steps are so
formed that it looks like a
bud blooming into aflower. This is also awarm-up piece to prepare the body for the next hours oftraditional Indian
danceperformance. Even though there is no obvious message communicated here,this can also be considered as an item where the artist salutes god, guru and the
Traditional Indian dance
traditional indian dance
traditional indian dance
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audience.
JatiswaramThis is also an item where the movements will not convey any meaning or theme.
Here the steps are more complex than the previous items. The composition canhave amazing postures and teermanas or muktayas (ending of a jati). This is a
musical composition set to a raga unlike alaripu which has only syllables.
ShabdaThis is a dance item with both nritta and abinaya. Usually the theme of the lyrics
will be devotional like praising lord Krishna, depicting Krishna's childhood,
praising a king etc.The movements here are leisurely. In the Sabdam, emotions arewithheld at the beginning; thereafter, when the dancer has clarified herself, they
are released in a measured and disciplined manner. It is after, mastering this
discipline that she dances the Varnam which is a living river that holds togethermovement and interpretation.
VarnamThis is the item where the traditional Indian dancers are tested for their capacityto perform both abinaya and nritta. This can be treated as a benchmark to judge theartist's talent.The item will contain many complex steps and will have lot of room
for expressions also. To perform this item one should have lot of stamina and
concentration. The lyrics can be devotional, praising a king etc. Varna can alsohave shrigara rasa as its theme.
Traditional Indian dance
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PadamIn this dance item the dancer's
abhinaya is put into test. Itnarrates expression of divine love
or pangs of seperation in love.
The tempo is slow and theperformance is based on a specificmood of love.Padams will
haveNayaka (Hero, Supremelover, Divine
Lord)andNayika (Heroine, the
yearning soul). Heroine will talk
to her friend (sakhi) and narrateher feelings towards her hero.
The traditional Indiandance lyrics can be about how the
hero has betrayed, how he hasdelayed his arrival, how she isangry with her beloved hero etc.
AshtapadiThese are poet Jayadeva's Sanskrit compositions called Geetagovinda, an
extremely romantic composition. It describes the love of Krishna and Radha in
twelve cantos containing 24 songs. The songs are sung by Krishna or Radha or byRadha's maid. Each Canto is named differently considering Krishna's status of
mind.
Saamodadamodara - Joyful KrishnaAakleshakeshava - CarelessKrishnaMugdhamadhusoodhana - Bewildered
Krishna Snigdhamadhusoodhana - TenderKrishna Saakankshapundareekaksha - Longing KrishnaKuntavaikunta -
Indolent KrishnaNaagaranaaraayana - CunningKrishnaVilakshalakshmeepatihi - Abashed KrishnaMandamukunda -Languishing Krishna Chaturachaturbhuja - IntelligentKrishna Saanandadamodara - Blissful Krishna
Supreetapeetambara - Ecstatic KrishnaExpressions are given foremost importance while performing these poems. Needs
lot of grace. The traditional Indian dancer should be mature enough to
understand the lyrics and the situation to show the rasas.
DevaranamaThis item is a devotional piece where the lyrics are in praise of god, describing the
indian dance
traditional indian dance
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god etc. This is a pure abhinaya item with almost no emphasis on nritta. Thesesongs are the traditional Indian dance compositions of great mystics
like Purandharadaasa, Kanakadaasa, Vijayadaasa, Vyasaraaja to name a few.Thetraditional Indian dance compositions are popularly known asDaasa
Sahitya. It is a devotional literatures written in simple language understood bycommon man. It has made remarkable contribution to the spiritual and cultural
upliftment of people by preaching phylosophy of Love, Devotion and Peaceful Co-
Existance.
TillanaThis is usually the last item in any traditional Indian dance performance. Tillana
is full of complicated movements and postures. This will also havecomplicatedMuktayas or Sholkattu, ending of any step or aduvu. This is mainly a
nritta piece which might have a charana, a meaningfull lyrics for which abinaya is
shown.
MangalaMeaning ending the performance. Here the traditional Indian dancer of
Bharatanatyam will again salute god, guru and the audience for making theperformance a success.
A traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam recital resembles the structure of a
Hindu temple: first, one passes through the gopuram (outer gate) of alarippu, then
one crosses the ardhamandapam (midway hall) of jatiswaram, next the mandapam
(great hall of worship) of sabdam and enter the heart of the temple in the varnam.