ccomplished artists like the Devidasis, yet they differed in the sense that they possessed a formal education ( Rai, 1)This definitely gave the Rajanartakis a definite advantage over the Devidasis. The Rajanartakis were so admired , that the kings gave them room and board inside the palace quarters (Medhuri, 5). The next well-documented period of Bharata Natyam history is much more recent. In the first half of the 19th century the dance tradition was revitalized and defined anew through the contributions of four talented brothers (known today as the Tanjore Quartet): Chinniah, Sivanandam, Ponniah and Vadivelu. By coordinating their diverse talents, the four managed to organize all the basic dance movements of pure dance into a progressive series of lessons (adavu chapters). Each adavu (basic unit of motion) was taught in systematic order and then combined with others to produce choreographed sequences based upon the rhythmic mechanics of a musical composition. In addition the brothers composed new music specifically for the dance, and introduced a different sequence of items which fused the various aspects of dance and music into a well coordinated, sound progression (Medhuri, 5). This combination of talent marks one of the most major evolutions of Bharata Natyam from temple to theater. Without this major step, Bharata Natyam would still be a temple based dance only. Even though Bharata Natyam has gone through lot of changes, it still holds deep religious and mythological roots. In the modern day scenario it is performed by both male & female artists, as opposed to the previous notions of females only. Many learn as a hobby and few make it as a profession (Rai, 1). Now, after all of this discussion over Bharata Natyam’s historical and religious ties, the ultimate question to be answered is: What is Bharata Natyam? This question can be answered by taking a brief view of the techniques, poses, performances, and costumes of the Bhar...
