Beginner-classes

Knowledge of Bharatanatyam

Brief history of the tradition: 

Bharatanatyam is perhaps the oldest among the contemporary classic dance forms of India. It has a rich and overwhelming literary, sculptor and historical heritage. The art of classical dance has been reflected other art forms like painting, sculpture and literature etc. References dance are found in Vedas, Puranas like Mahabharata and in the gram old temple sculptures. Its history can be traced back to over a period nearly 2000 years.

• The history of dance can be divided into three or four periods. 

• The first prehistoric. This period comprises the evidence found in the cave paintings, engravings, the evidence of Mohenjodaro and the Harappa civilization, the literary evidence from the Vedas, Upanishads Brahmanas and Epics. 

• The second period could be dated from 2 century BC to 9th century AD. The caves of Ellora, the early temples c Gupta along with the temples in India from Kashmir to Odisha. And the Buddhist Viharas, belong to this period. 

• The period from 10th century AD to 18th century AD comprises of the third period where in the earl medieval and late medieval monuments are included the developments from the late 18th century AD to the present day could be considered as the fourth period. Political turmoil, which lead to a near degeneration of the art forms, marks the fourth period.

•  Overall, Sanskrit played a great influence on the artistic life of the people and the development of arts throughout the country. 

• Bharatanatyam can be associated without any doubt to Natyashastra but tracing its history, the two different kinds of sources are :- 1) The Tamil works, 2)  Manimekalai which are of the Sangam literature (500 BC-500 Sanskrit texts.

•  The two important Tamil works namely, Shilapadhikaram AD), refer to the art of dancing. The word "Kuttu" is used to refer to dance. Kuttu is of two types viz "Shanti Kuttu" and "Vinoda Kuttu". These works also have information on the audience reaction, presentation styles and technique of dance. 

• The Natyashastra has various phrases that describe the actor using the four types of Abhinaya. Therefore the origin of Bharatanatyam is from the type of dance form mentioned in the Natyashastra.

Development of the style:

• Bharatanatyam as we know today is about 400 years old. The evidence of this style were found in the temple sculptures belonging to the 5" century AD. The Ardhamandala (Araimandi - Half siting) position with the out-turned knees, which is characteristic to Bharatanatyam, is found in these sculptures. 

• After the 10th century AD, Bharatanatyam got more focus in Tamilnadu and gradually developed as the main art form. It also received patronage from the Chola and Pallava kings during the 4th to 12th century AD. In the temples of Madurai, Chidambaram, Kumbhakonam, Cholapuram and Gangaikonda there are sculptures of the Chari's and Karna's. 

• The sculptural evidence of paintings can also be seen in the temple sites of Brihadesvara, Kanchipuram, Punamalai and Chidambaram. 

• Dance became more important and a part of everyday life by the end of 17th century. It became a form of worship because of the Bhakti or devotional movement. 

• Many South Indian Saints and poets and musicians made their contributions to Bharatanatyam. 

• The literary content and the compositions that featured in the repertoire of Bharatanatyam was determined by them. The solo or Sadir Nritya is the direct descendant of this tradition. 

• During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, Sadir Nritya received a definite shape and a better form. The word "Sadir" owes its origin to the Marathi word "Sadir " which means to present.

• This form was also known as "Dasi attam". The Tanjore quartet Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Vadivelu and Sivanandam gave Bharatanatyam a repertoire and definite structure.

The tradition of both temple dancing and dancing in the court continued till early 20th century. Many of these temples in South India had the tradition of Devadasis or "servants of god" who danced and sang for god in the temple as part of the daily rituals and also on festivals and special occasions. Since their dance was part of the temple ritual the compositions used to be in praise of the presiding deity of the temple. Many Kautuvams and Kirtanams etc. were performed by the Devadasis.

In those days there used to be some of these dancing girls who would perform in the king's court and were called Rajadasis. During the Maratha rule, the dance came to be known as "Sadir attam" or the court dance. Devadasis were given specific duties in the temple but the rest of their time was spent in learning dance and music. These dancing and singing girls and women contributed immensely to the art of Bharatanatyam. The above tradition came to a halt through an act of the Madras Presidency which banned temple dancing. The Devadasis who were once revered as artists were looked down upon. This saw the decline in arts. The British rule added to the above situation and the art received severe destructive blows.

Prominent individuals and institutions that have contributed to the development of the style: Somewhere between 1910-1935, a powerful single handed voice by E. Krishna lyer was started. He was a lawyer by profession. He learnt the dance from the few Devadasis who were still around and gave performances to show people how wonderful this art performed in the villages of Nellore, Melattur etc. was performed by men form was. Bharatanatyam which was part of the Bhagavata Mela Bharati, Kalanidhi, Kalyani daughters and Rukmini Devi started to learn only. Girls from Brahmin families began to learn this dance style Kum. the art and performed in public.

Rukmini Devi established her very first school of dance "Kalakshetra" in Madras. Initially parents were reluctant to send their daughters to learn dance but when a few parents who were progressive in their outlook sent their daughters and they learnt this art form and began to present it, others also realized the beauty and dignity of this dance style.

In those days Devadasis like Mylapore Gauriamma and great Gurus like Pandanallur Meenakshisundaram Pillai, Kittappa Pillai, Chokkalingam Pillai, Ramaiya Pillai, K. N. Dandayuddhapani Pillai etc. Taught this art form to the few girls whose parents dared to send their daughters to learn dance. The post-independence years saw many more interested girls coming forward to learn this dance style. The teaching of Bharatanatyam spread to the major cities apart from Madras to Bombay, Delhi, Bengaluru, etc..

In Mumbai, Guru Govindaraj Pillai, Guru Mahalingam Pillai and Guru Kalyansundaram Pillai established the Shri. Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kalamandir about 50 years ago. They trained a number of dancers who today are successful performers and teachers In India and abroad like the Travancore sisters, Vani Ganapathy, Meera Dhanu, Malvika Sarukkai, Savita Shastri, Viji Prakash etc.

Bani or schools of Bharatanatyam and their characteristics:

Though the dance style of Bharatanatyam remain unchanged, few differences in the technique, presentation, items performed etc. give rise to different Banis or schools of Bharatanatyam.

Prominent among these is the Pandanallur style named after the famous Meenakshisundaram Pillai who hailed from the village Pandanallur. This style has many silent features like broad sweeping movements, inherent beauty of lines and postures. The vitality of this school is remarkable. His well-known students are Chokkalingam Pillai and Kittappa Pillai who was his grandson. Guru Kittappa Pillai had studied dance, he was trained as a musician and hence musical excellence was an obsession to him even in the choreography of Bharatanatyam. Those who studied under him are Mrinalini Sarabhai, Vyjayantimala, Hema Malini, Dr. Sucheta Chapekar etc.

Another Bani of Bharatanatyam that has given many dancers of repute is the Vazhuvur(pronounced Vallavur)style. Guru Ramaiya Pillai is said to be the pioneer of this style that is known for elegance, polish, perfection and grace. Use of poses related to sculptures is another salient feature of this style. The recitation of Shollus (Bols) in his school had a special flavour and a distinct stamp.

Today many dancers and teachers conduct classes and run institutions that teach Bharatanatyam to young girls and boys. Some of them are:-

1. Kalakshetra - Chennai

2. M.S. University - Baroda

3. Darpana Acadamy -Ahmedabad

4. Mysore University - Mysore

5. Kerala Kalamandalam Kerala

6. Govt. College of Dance And Music - Hyderabad

7. Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya - Mumbai

8. Lalitkala Kendra University of Pune - pune

There are many others who teach this dance style all over India and abroad. It is indeed a reflection of the popularity of this dance style.