When I started my blog on dance, I began with writing a
review of a performance I had seen. Today, I thought it would be interesting
for my readers to get the South Indian classical dance, Bharata Natyam,
explained. I have often heard the complaint that people who watch Bharata
Natyam dancers do not understand the meaning of what they see. There is the
language problem (most Bharata Natyam music is in Sanskrit or Tamil or Telegu)
and for people who are not dance lovers, the gestures and compositions seem
meaningless. So my aim is to explain Bharata Natyam step by step for you. It is
a huge subject and I will need a series of blogs to explain it even a little.
This particular installment will discuss what happens when you or your child
starts learning the dance form.
The Posture
The classic posture for Bharata Natyam is the "ayata"
position where you stand with your knees half bent and feet facing outwards.
This posture is a little difficult to maintain but the more you practice it and
the more you bend your knees, the better it looks.
The Steps
The first step towards learning Bharata Natyam is learning
the basic steps, called Adavus. Adavus are grouped into, some categories, like
Tatta Adavus or Natta Adavus according to the similarity of the position and
steps. Each of these adavus teaches you the various small formations that you
will ultimately use in dance items, when you learn them.
The Gestures
Dancers express a lot of things with their hands – you can
call these gestures or “Mudras” the language of dance. You hold your fingers of
your hand in a particular way and it means something. For example, if you just
hold all the fingers straight together, pointed upward, it is the “Pataka”
mudra” which can show a flag, undulating waves, be used to point to someone or
something, or denote a sword. Mudras are divided into two categories –
“Asamyukta Hastas” – the ones that use only one hand and “Samyukta Hastas” –
the ones that use both hands. Pataka is an asamyukta hasta while Anjali, when
you join your palms together in a Namaste, is a Samyukta Hasta.
The classical dance forms follow either the Natya Shastra or
the Abhinaya Darpan. There are 29
asamyukta hastas and 24 samyukta hastas.
The Head Movements
Dance utilizes your whole body and this begins with the head
or the “Shirobhedas”.
The Neck Movements
In Bharata Natyam, the neck is used a lot, especially in the
side to side movements and the neck movements are known as “Grivabhedas”.
The Eye Movements
Eyes express much more than what the other parts of the body
can and “Drishtibhedas” are the eye movements that are used.
The Feet Positions
Along with the "Ayata" position, the feet are also used in
various other positions and these are known as the “Padabhedas”.
If you master these various basics, you are quite ready to
start learning a dance item. Dance items, that form the basic curriculum,
however will be part of my next installment. I hope that I have been able to
explain the basics in a way that you understand and like and your interest is
piqued. I will be back with more. Have a good one!
