Bharatanatyam Dance
Bharatanatyam the oldest classical dance heritage of India is regarded as mother of many Indian classical dance forms and it originated in TamilNadu.
Bharathanatyam meaning : Bha meaning emotion (Bhava), Ra meaning music (Raaga) , Ta meaning rhythm (Taal) and Natyam meaning dance. Thus Bharatanatyam is the dance that encompasses music, rhythm and expression and strictly adheres to the Natyashastra (the scripture of classical Indian dance).
The theoretical foundations of Bharatanatyam are found in Natya Shastra, the ancient Hindu text of performance arts. Natya Shastra is attributed to the ancient scholar Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, however its timeframe varies between 500 BCE and 500 CE.
Many ancient Hindu temples are embellished with sculptures of Lord Shiva in Bharatanatyam dance poses. A famous example of illustrative sculpture is in the southern gateway of the Chidambaram temple (12th century) dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, where 108 poses of the Bharatnatyam, that are also described as karanas in the Natya Shastra, are carved in stone.
The style of dressing of a Bharatanatyam dancer is more or less similar to that of a Tamil Hindu bride. Women dancers wear a gorgeous tailor-made sari that consists of a cloth specially stitched in pleats that falls in the front from the waist. The sari worn in a special manner is well complimented with traditional jewelry. Hair neatly plaited in conventional way is often beautified with flowers. A jewelry belt adorns the waist while musical anklets called ghunghru made of leather straps with small metallic bells attached to it are wrapped in ankles. Dancers’ feet and fingers are often brightened with henna colour so as to highlight gestures of their hands.
Bharathanatyam meaning : Bha meaning emotion (Bhava), Ra meaning music (Raaga) , Ta meaning rhythm (Taal) and Natyam meaning dance. Thus Bharatanatyam is the dance that encompasses music, rhythm and expression and strictly adheres to the Natyashastra (the scripture of classical Indian dance).
The theoretical foundations of Bharatanatyam are found in Natya Shastra, the ancient Hindu text of performance arts. Natya Shastra is attributed to the ancient scholar Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, however its timeframe varies between 500 BCE and 500 CE.
Many ancient Hindu temples are embellished with sculptures of Lord Shiva in Bharatanatyam dance poses. A famous example of illustrative sculpture is in the southern gateway of the Chidambaram temple (12th century) dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, where 108 poses of the Bharatnatyam, that are also described as karanas in the Natya Shastra, are carved in stone.
The style of dressing of a Bharatanatyam dancer is more or less similar to that of a Tamil Hindu bride. Women dancers wear a gorgeous tailor-made sari that consists of a cloth specially stitched in pleats that falls in the front from the waist. The sari worn in a special manner is well complimented with traditional jewelry. Hair neatly plaited in conventional way is often beautified with flowers. A jewelry belt adorns the waist while musical anklets called ghunghru made of leather straps with small metallic bells attached to it are wrapped in ankles. Dancers’ feet and fingers are often brightened with henna colour so as to highlight gestures of their hands.