Bharatnatyam

Last Updated on March 4, 2017

Bharatnatyam :

  • Bharatnatyam is one of the eight classical dances of our country
  • Bharatnatyam originated from the southern state of India, Tamil Nadu
  • The dance is almost 2000 years old
  • Bharatnatyam is practiced by both male and female dancers
  • Bharatnatyam has movements that resemble those of a dancing flame

Bharatnatyam : (Short Essay)

Bharatnatyam is one of the oldest and traditional forms of classical dance in India. The dance originated from the temples in the southern state of India, Tamil Nadu. We can see many sculptures of Temples having Bharatnatyam Postures. Bharatnatyam is basically called the Fire Dance (one of the 5 major elements of life – Fire, water, earth, sky, air). If we closely watch the movements of Bharatnatyam, it resembles the movements of dancing flame. Bharatnatyam has basically two aspects – the Lasya and the Tandava. The dancer expressed the story in the form of the “Abhinaya” and the story can also be understood using a narrative singing.

Bharatnatyam : (Brief Essay)

India is a land of Tradition and Culture. We can see a lot of left backs of our ancestors that makes us feel proud of our country. One such great symbol of our culture is the classical dances of India. India has 8 major cultural dances. One among them is Bharatnatyam. Bharatnatyam originated from Tamil Nadu and we can see many sculptures in the temples that have Bharatnatyam Postures.

Bharatnatyam in simple can be called the “Dance of Fire”. The cultural dances of India are considered the dances of the 5 major elements of life ( Odissi – Water, Kuchipidi – Earth, Kathakali – Sky, Mohiniyatam – Air, Bharatnatyam – Fire). We can see the dance resembling a dancing flame when we watch it closely.

Bharatnatyam is generally performed in solo. But nowadays, it is performed by two or more people. Bharatnatyam is practiced both men and women. Contemporarily, the dance was practiced more by women. The dance involves split character that is beautifully depicted by the dancer. To make it easier to understand, Bharatnatyam is divided into 3:

  • Nirutham
  • Niruthiyam
  • Natyam

The costume for Bharatnatyam has been changing from time to time. The jewels used for Bharatnatyam are very famously called Temple jewellery. An important thing all Bharatnatyam dancers wear is anklets. The anklet is made of rope or leather with lot of bells on it. A perfect dancer knows how to dance and coordinate the sounds of the bells too. The talent of a Bharatnatyam dancer is judged by the number of ringing he or she can make with the use of bells. Bharatnatyam is accompanied generally using Carnatic Music and the languages used for singing are generally Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit. Musical Instruments like Flute, Mirudhangam, Violin,Veena and Nagaswaram are used in the ensemble.