Bharata Natyam

Bharata Natyam is a classical dance form of India and is said to be based on the dance (natya) treatise composed by the sage Bharata (100–200 CE). Considered to be one of the fastest growing dance forms in the world, it is also the most visible form of Indian culture outside the subcontinent.

Although there has been an evolution of several dance forms in the subcontinent, the most popular in South India had been one called dasiattam (dance of the servants [of God]). Performed in salons and courts, at domestic and public rituals, and in temples by women, some of whom were courtesans, it was transformed into a “national” art in the 1930s by several artists, including Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904–1986). T. Balasaraswati (1918–1984), the legendary dancer, was one of the first to perform this dance form on a secular stage. Bharata Natyam includes sensual and spiritual love in many forms, including romantic and devotional. Some lineages have emphasized the devotional [Page 140]aspects; yet others argued that the refined erotic elements should not be expunged in the name of “purifying” the dance.

Bharata Natyam involves coordination of eye, head, neck, arm, hand, body, leg, and foot movements, and although not restricted by gender or religion, most dancers today are women and Hindu. Dances involve facial and bodily expressions (abhinaya), pure dance movements with rhythmic foot work (nrtta), and a combination of both (nrtya). The musicians for the dance are proficient in classical Carnatic music, and the ensemble includes a nattuvanar (a person who conducts the dance performance, holding the cymbals and periodically calling out the rhythmic syllables for the dance steps) and a vocal singer. Instruments such as a violin and the mridanga (a percussion instrument) are also very important. The costume for Bharata Natyam dancers is frequently a rich silk sari with gold borders and design, stitched to allow freedom of movement. The dancer also wears flowers in the hair; heavy, gold jewelry; stage makeup; and painted designs on the palms and feet. Dancers go through years of training, culminating in a major ritual of “reverence for the anklets” and a dance debut (arangetram) that is said to mark one's competence and proficiency in the art.

From temple sculptures in Southeast Asia, it seems probable that Hindu narratives and traditions were disseminated through classical dances. In the contemporary world, among diaspora communities, dance classes become popular venues of socialization for young girls, where they meet other children of Indian origin and connect directly with Hindu religious culture. Through Bharata Natyam, students learn stories about Hindu gods and goddesses, both Pan-Hindu deities such as Rama or Krishna and more local ones, who are known only in particular places in South India. They learn stories of the deities one's ancestors worshiped, the Hinduism that they grew up with in India, Trinidad, or South Africa. Students also learn the body language and the affective ethos encountered in the subcontinent and the emotions that are intricately tied into the depiction of the human-divine relationship. Through the lessons, one learns the received traditions of power structures and social relations in the Hindu culture; the relationships between kings and ministers, teachers and students; or how to depict love, especially romantic love.

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