“Bharatanatyam”

Bharatanatyam is classical dance that originated in Tanjore district in

Tamil Nadu, India.
Glimes of “Bharatnatyam”
Introduction
• Bharatnatyam is one among the 
eight classical dances of India.
• The origin of this dance can be traced to the
sage Bharata Muni's Natyashastra.
• The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the
main sources of textual material, for the study of the
technique and grammar of body movement in
Bharatnatyam Dance.
• The style was kept alive by the devadasis, the young
girls 'gifted' by their parents to the temples and
married to the gods.
Characteristics
• Bharatnatyam dance is known to
be ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles
in a single performance.
• The dance involves transitional movements of the leg,
hip and arm. Expressive eye movements and hand
gestures are used to convey emotions. It
encompasses Bhav, Rag, Ras and Taal.
• This form of dance is slow and moving, but at
times fast and fluid and hence is also called Fire
Dance.
• The accompanying orchestra consists of a vocalist, a
mridangam player, violinist or veena player, a
flautist and a cymbal player. The person who
conducts the dance recitation is the Nattuvanar.
Attire & Jewelry
The costume of a Bharatanatyam dancer is created on the
It includes a long necklace, mattal, Nath bullakku, belt/oddiyanam, jimikki, bangles,
lines of a Tamil Hindu bride. A vibrantly colorful sari with a rakkodi, Chandran, sooryan, and headset and it is really beautiful and unique.
pleated stitched cloth in the front that fans out during leg and
knee movements is the most eye catching aspect of the attire.
Born on 29th February 1904, Rukmini
Devi Arundale was a theosophist,
dancer and choreographer
of Bharatnatyam. She changed the face
of Bharatnatyam by reviving it and
bringing back its due recognition. Not
only did she work on re-embellishment
of Bharatanatyam but also worked on
the re-embellishment of the traditional
Indian arts and crafts
 Maharaj- Kathak
        

Brijmohan Mishra popularly known as ‘Pandit Birju Maharaj’ as was born on 4th February 1938 in the family of Kathak dancers which
includes both his uncles ‘Shambhu Maharaj’ and ‘Lachhu Maharaj’, and his father and guru ‘Acchan Maharaj’. He brought a lot of
fame to the classical dance form of Kathak not only nationally but even globally.