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Poetry in motion Bharatanatyam

Poetry in motion Bharatanatyam These are some of various dance forms throughout the world today. Most individuals are familiar with these forms of dancing, since they are the most prominent and most widely used forms of dances in modern society. Throughout history, dance has been a main source of entertainment, from early tribes to modern day theaters. Interestingly though, somewhere between the transition from tribes to theater, dance has played a role from temple to theater as well. The one form of dance that has made a progression from temple to theater is familiar to India. This form of dance is known as “Bharata Natyam.” (Pronounced: “Baaratha Naatyum”). Bharata Natyam, which originates in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu , is one of the oldest and most popular dance styles in India. It’s traditions date back even earlier than the Rig Vedic period of the Aryans (1500 BC). It is now widely spread throughout the rest of India as well. A popular interpretation of the name of the style is: Bhava (expression) + Raga (musical mode) + Tala (rhythm) Natyam (dance+acting) = BHARATA NATYAM (Chandra, 15). Named after sage Bharata, the author of Natya Shastra (manual of dramatic art), originated in temples, used to enact religious themes. Principles of classical dance have their origins in the Vedas, which detail the forms of dance, drama worship and meditation (Medhuri, 2). Upon looking up the definition of Bharata Natyam from a Webster’s dictionary, one will read the following: “ To move rhythmically to music using improvised or planned steps and gestures.” An interesting point to note about this definition is that the neither the term “acting” nor worship is included in the definition.. Therefore it is understandable that Bharata Natyam is quite different from most other forms of dance. The origin of Bharata Natyam is very much tied in with its religious significance as well. On that account it is important to speak of both these aspects simultaneously. These religious ties add to the beauty and vibrancy of this dance, since Hindu mythology is the core essence of Bharata Natyam. To begin, the highly cultivated art of Bharata Natyam has been handed down over the centuries by teachers called nattuvanars and ritualistic dancers called devidasis, in the temples of south India. This style of dance has descended as one of the devotional dances performed in the temples of South India, from the tenth century to the middle of this century. This is a very popular dance form in South India and was a major part in religious Hindu ceremonies. It is oldest of all classical dance forms in India. It originated in the great temples of the south and usually tells events of Krishna's life (Medhuri, 3). Concerning the religious history of Bharata Natyam, the Gods & Godesses pleaded Lord Brahma to create another veda (teaching) which would be simple for the common man to understand. It is believed that considering this request, Lord Brahma created the fifth veda, named Natyaveda, as a combination of the other four vedas. It is believed that Lord Brahma has taken pathya (words) form the Rigveda, abhinaya (gesture) from the Yajurveda, geet (music and chant) from Samaveda and rasa (sentiment and emotional element) from Atharvaveda to form the fifth veda, Natyaveda (Bhagyalakhsmy, 29). After creating this Natyaveda, Lord Brahma gave this veda to sage Bharata and asked him to popularize this veda on earth. Following the words of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata wrote Natyashastra or the Science of Dramaturgy, a great, comprehensive work on the science and technique of Indian drama, dance and music. This is why Bharata Natyam received its name from the sage Bharata (Chandra 38). Among another popular religious story tied to Bharata Natyam says that the Goddess Parvathi tought this dance form to Uma, daughter of Banasura, a demon, thus the divine dance form Bharata Natyam was introduced to the mankind. Admittedly there are no universal theories concerning Bharata Natyam’s origin , except for one. This is the mythological story of Lord Shiva, who is considered the supreme lord of dance. This divine dance form was first performed by Lord Shiva & his wife Goddess Parvathi in the heavens. This is the reason why the Bharata Natyam dancer is considered as a worshipper of the Divine. The dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava, meaning the dance of the universe. The following is a description of Lord Shiva's well-known pose of Nataraja: his right hand holds the drum of creation , which symbolizes a new awakening. Next, his left hand holds fire, thereby representing destruction of the ignorant people. His other right hand is raised in blessing, the other left hand points to his left foot, which has crushed demon Muyalaka, who also represents ignorance (Chandra, 38). This pose of Nataraja, is best understood and experienced when seen personally. One need not be a religious Hindu in order to appreciate the exquisiteness of the Nataraja’s philosophy. This is the philosophy that states the destruction of all human ignorance toward their fellow mankind. Bharata Natyam has definitely gone through lot of changes over the years. In olden days it was performed mostly by female artists. They were called Devidasis, who would perform in the temples. These Devidasis were accomplished artists who would sing, dance, and play many instruments. They were very fluent in Sanskrit & other languages which helped them to interpret the compositions which they would perform. But this tradition came to an end as the Devidasis lost their position in the society, due to their lack of “formal” education (Rai, 2). Then, Bharata Natyam was performed for kings and queens in the royal courts. Now the artists were called Rajanartakis (kings dancers), instead of Devidasis. These people too, were accomplished 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 Bharata Natyam dancer. Quite simply Bharata Natyam can be described as poetry in motion. Hand gestures and facial expressions narrate mythic, heroic and romantic tales. One dance enacts all the roles, switching from emotion to emotion - joy to anger, , fear, anguish, sorrow and so on. Bharata Natyam is known as the dance of the mind and soul, simply because it uplifts the dancer to a higher level of spiritual consciousness through the trance- like use of geometrical dance postures, sharp movements, and highly subtle mimes. Bharata Natyam is extremely traditional and known for its grace and purity , along with many statuesque poses, made to resemble many of the religious Hindu sculptures. Like the Hindu gods and goddesses the dancers take their positions from bent knees, never standing upright, and use a huge repertoire of hand movements. Bharata Natyam is a solo dance, which involves elaborate use of postures, hand gestures, foot movements, eye movements and head movements. (13 postures of the head, nine of the neck, 36 of the eye, 37 of the hand). The Indian classical dance involves body as well as mind. An embodiment of beauty, charm and gracefulness. Bharata Natyam is sub-divided into three classical forms: Nritta, Nritya, and Abhinaya (Bhagyalakshmy, 223). Bharata Natyam in its pure form, Nritta interprets the language of rhythm and melody through various patterns traced by the body. In this style the patterns traced are either square, triangular or diamond shaped. Essentially, Nritta is a dance without a theme (Bhagyalakshmy, 112). Most people would find this to be the most easiest dance to learn and watch. In the second form, Nritya, the goal is to convey a poetic meaning through the use of gestures and facial expressions combined with rhythmic gaits and postures (Chandra, 11). Basically Nritya is a dance that tells a story by interpreting words recited by a singer. This is a very soul touching experience. It seems as if the singer and dancer are in complete sync with each other. The third form, called Abhinaya, meaning expression, purely expresses the poetic meaning of the composition, without emphasis on rhythmic patterns (Bhagyalakshmy, 98). This is a dance technique that is not as easy for the beginner audience to understand. As far as the dancers appearance itself is concerned, the aim is to look as extravagant and vibrant as possible. This is accomplished by adorning oneself with an elaborate silk costume, along with much jewelry and make up. This too is done to represent the exquisite beauty and royalty of the gods and goddesses. Also, at the beginning of a performance, the dancer is presented with an anklet of bells by his teacher. These anklets are known as jingles, and for a dancer, are considered divine. This presentation of the jingles is considered an honor for the dancer, since it signifies that he is deemed talented enough by his teacher to perform for an audience (Chandra 28). Once again this may all seem too gaudy for the beginner audience to understand, yet over time it all begins to fall into place with the colorful performance. The duration of a full length Bharata Natyam recital today is between two to three hours. To perform for such long hours one must have good stamina and concentration. The people in the audience are expected to be a rasikas, meaning, people who are well versed in appreciating the arts, and also a 'sahridaya' or a person who has come with an intention of appreciating, learning and savoring the richness of the art. The performance begins with a prayer sung in praise of God Ganesha or Ganapathi (the elephant headed deity) in a brisk pace, called the melaprapti. To the left of the stage, as viewed from the audience, one sees the musicians sitting on a raised platform or on a mat. The main conductor is the nattuvanar who leads the singer(s) and other accompanists with the help of cymbals (nattuva talam). There is a percussionist seated to the right of the nattuvanar who plays on a drum called the mridangam. Either flute, violin, veena or all three accompany the singer. To the right of the stage there usually is a statue of God Nataraja, the presiding deity of dance. The dancer enters from the right and performs the 'namaskaram' or salutation to the gods, the stage, the presiding deity, the musicians and the audience. The first item in the dance recital is an introductory piece called, thodaya mangalam in praise of different deities or pushpanjali, in which floral tributes are offered. This is followed by alarippu a pure dance or nritta item. Jatiswaram is the next piece where the dancer performs to a song of melodic patterns (swaras) and complex rhythmic syllables (jatis). Each of these items is usually around ten minutes long. This is followed by shabdam. This is an important turn in the recital because from here the expertise of the dancer is at test. The shabdam is a narrative piece. The lyrics of the song are enacted through mime-like gestures. Next either a kriti or a padam is performed (Koirala, 2). This is an abhinaya or an expository piece where the dancer's histrionic talents are exhibited. These items build up to varnam, the centerpiece of the recital and the most difficult piece of all. Few people understand the tremendous emotional and physical exertion that this item demands. The first half of the varnam is slow in pace and has abhinaya alternated with rhythmic syllables (jatis), which are carried out in complex patterns. The second half of the varnam is performed at twice the pace of the first, and has abhinaya alternated with melodic patterns (swaras). Every aspect of the dancer's training and preparation (speed, control over rhythm and depth of expression) is on display in the varnam. The theme is sringara bhakt' or worship through love. The richness of Bharata Natyam in expressing philosophical concepts is shown in this item. The last item is the tillana (grand finale), a sparkling piece where dancer abandons herself to rhythm and movement. The patterns traced by the dancer resemble the sculptures in South Indian temples. Finally, Mangalam or a short prayer marks the end of the recital (Koirala, p.3). Training for Bharata Natyam under the right teacher, known as a Guru can be a process that requires many years to complete. At least 10 - 12 years of training is necessary to give a commendable performance to a public audience. Hence, the guru will decide when the student is ready for public appearance. Admittedly , this long process is the reason why many dancers never complete the whole course. Whether taken as a hobby or a profession Bharata Natyam certainly needs lot of practice, concentration and dedication. The sequence of items taught is traditionally the same as the sequence described above. These views and facts area mere overview of Bharata Natyam. To discuss it in detail would require an extensive amount space and time. It is sad fact however, that despite being one of the oldest dances, in the world Bharata Natyam is not known to many people outside of the Indian culture. Overall, Bharata Natyam can be a wonderful theatrical, emotional and spiritual event for audience and the dancer alike. A final thought which I personally wrote on the experience of Bharata Natyam: “We bow to Him the benevolent One Whose song and poetry are the essence of all language, Whose costume is the moon and the stars..." 1. Bhagyalekshmy, Shanker. Approach to Bharata Natyam. Pennsylvania: Rodale Press, 1997. 2. Chandra, G.S. Sharat. Bharata Natyam Dancer. New York: Ind-US, 1976. 3. Koirala, Manisha. “Bharata Natyam.” 3 Nov. 1995. Indian Cultural Association. 16 November 1998. *http://www.ibm.park.org/indiantro.html* 4. Medhuri, Avanthi. “Classical Bharata Natyam.” India Worldwide 31 December 1995: 12-21. 5. Rai, Aishwaria. “Classical Dance From South India.” 21 July 1996. Natyalya Dance Academy. 15 November 1998. *http://www.wesleyan.edu/~k.poursine/bharata.htm* Bibliography:

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