CHENNAI: During the course of my writing this column, several readers have raised questions on understanding the technical aspects of classical dance. Let me begin with Bharathanatyam.
We are aware that the technique of Bharathanatyam took centuries to evolve and develop, but the consummate form, which we see today, was attained only in the first quarter of the last century. The credit goes almost entirely to the four famous Thanjavur Brothers – Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Vadivelu and Sivanandam, all great masters of dance and music, who served in the court of Raja Serfoji II in Thanjavur.
The Bharathanatyam dance form is rich and varied, embraces both generic aspects of Indian classical dance: Nrita and Nritya. While the former is pure decorative dance, which is performed for its own aesthetic appeal and also to convey any meaning to the beholder, Nritya is communication via dance through codified and stylised hand gestures and facial expressions.
If temple carvings came to life, it would be called nrita, an abstract dance. But Nritya, which is a more expressive form, is often referred to as abhinaya. Whoever sings the song – whether it’s the dancer or the supporting musician, its meaning and interpretation is rendered by the dancer through his or her facial expression. Hand gestures, or the external communication, are called mudras or hasthas.
Secondly, the expressional work in Bharathanatyam, also extensively employs sanchari bhava, which implies interpretation and elaboration of a single line or piece of a song in a number of ways, gives ample opportunities to a dancer to show his or her virtuosity. Nrita, presents parallel and synchronised patterns of rhythmic beats and musical notes. Nritya is represented by dances like the sabdam, padam, javali, keerthanam and slokam.
Any formal presentation of Bharathanatyam, which follows the pattern evolved by the Thanjavur Brothers, has been ingeniously devised. Normally, the opening abstract – Alarippu, is followed by Jathiswaram. Next is sabdam, with which nritya is introduced. Then follows the ponderous varnam or swarajati, which taxes the concentration of both, the dancer and the audience. After this, the tempo suddenly relaxes, and there is a series of padams, javali and keerthanams, which are restful to both eyes and mind.
No art can remain static. A bold development has been the introduction of the karnas or dance phrases as poses. Bharathanatyam is witnessing countless offerings in the form of ‘dance dramas’ and these have given the art form an additional dimension.