Bharatanatyam has many dimensions.
They include body movements, facial expressions, hand gestures, footwork,
costumes, music, repertoire, and themes of performances. Because Bharatanatyam
is so well developed, all of these aspects of the art have been codified, and
are documented in ancient scriptures as well as recent books. Our description
of Bharatanatyam is intended for a spectator, and one who is relatively
unfamiliar with the dance, as opposed to a dance student, professional, or
scholar.
Basic Features
On the surface, three aspects of
Bharatanatyam are evident, as with any dance form: movement, costume, and
music. In other words, what the dancer is doing, how the dancer looks, and what
are the accompanying sounds. We’ll describe these aspects of the dance, and
later on, attempt to explain their combined effect, which is the intention of
the dance.
Movement
There are two kinds of movements in
Bharatanatyam – abstract and expressive. The abstract movements are done to
show rhythm, to provide decoration, and to create beauty. There is no purpose
but movement for its own sake. Expressive movements convey meaning and show
emotion, through a vocabulary of hand gestures, postures, and facial
expressions. Their purpose is to portray a theme or feeling, and to transmit an
experience of it to the audience.
The movements of Bharatanatyam are
unique. They share elements with other classical Indian dances, but aren’t
found in any western dance style. They are often described as geometric, for
there is much geometry in the basic postures and movements of which the dance
is built, but this makes them sound static, which they aren’t. Bharatanatyam is
dynamic and energetic; it is also precise and balanced. The basic postures
center the weight of the dancer, and there is little use of the hips or
off-balance positions. Bharatanatyam has a variety of characteristic movements.
Along with the rhythmic stamping of the feet, there are jumps, pirouettes, and
positions where the knees contact the floor. Many are executed in the stance
with knees bent and turned outward. Performed by an expert dancer, these
movements flow together gracefully. An exceptional feature of Bharatanatyam is
the movements of the eyes, which complement and highlight the movements of the
body. Every part of the body is involved in the dance, and their movements are
defined and classified (in great number) in this system of dance. In our
description, we won’t go deep into the classifications of the elements of
Bharatanatyam. We’ll mention just enough terminology to show the important
elements that are present.
Costume
Bharatanatyam costumes for women
resemble Indian saris, but are specialized for the dance. Despite the
resemblance to saris, they are not single pieces of cloth, but combinations of
a number of specially stitched pieces. This customization makes them easier to
wear, and easier to dance in than a sari. Most costumes involve pleated pieces
at the waist than fan out attractively during various movements. The costumes
are bright and colorful. They inherit from the sari tradition the use of
contrasting border colors, and the borders of the various pieces of the
costumes form patterns that decorate the dancer’s form.
An essential item of the
Bharatanatyam costume is the pair of anklets or ankle bells (salangai in Tamil,
gungaroo in Hindi). They make the rhythmic footwork of the dance audible.
Dancers treat their salangai like musicians treat their instruments (in India,
that is). The salangai are blessed by the dancer’s guru, they are worshipped on
special occasions, and are never worn casually.
Women’s costumes involve a
significant amount of jewelry, including bangles, rings, earrings, nose rings,
and special ornaments for the arms and head.
There is, of course, makeup for the
dance, and Bharatanatyam makeup has a few unique features. Heavy lines are
drawn around the eyes, extending outwards past the eyes. Similarly, the
eyebrows are darkened and extended outwards with liner. The purpose of this
makeup is to accentuate the movements of the eyes and eyebrows, and make them
more visible, because they are an important part of the dance, especially for
expression. A red dye is applied to the soles of the feet and the tips of the
toes, as well as to the fingertips. It is also painted in a solid circle in the
palm of each hand. This unique decoration serves to emphasize the movements of
the hands and feet.
The costumes of men are simpler,
usually a dhoti covering the lower body and no upper garment. The men also wear
ankle bells or salangai. They wear much less jewelry than women. Men do apply
the same makeup to the eyes as women, since it serves an important purpose in
the dance, but not to the hands and feet.
The Bharatanatyam costume is
intended to look beautiful. It was the dress worn to dance for gods in temples,
or for kings in palaces. When a dancer enters, the costume leaves no doubt that
it is a special occasion.
Music
Bharatanatyam is accompanied by
music of the Carnatic style, that has been specialized for dance. The music is
specialized in a few ways.
In a music concert, the musician’s
talent is displayed; in a dance performance, the musicians must focus on
accompaniment and support the dancer. Excessive ornamentation and improvisation
in the music distracts from the dance. Improvisation is left to the dancer, in
particular phases of items. The musicians must be able to take cues from the
dancer to make impromptu adjustments.
The range of tempos in the music is
limited to what a dancer can physically handle. The percussionists must also
play so that they emphasize the beats that are important to the dancer, and
avoid virtuoso demonstrations that don’t support the dancer.
The musical group for a dance
performance includes someone capable of doing nattuvangam, that is, calling out
rhythmic syllables that denote dance movements, and striking cymbals on
particular beats as cues to the dancer. This skill usually belongs to dancers
and dance teachers, and not to concert musicians.
Bharatanatyam goes hand in hand
with Carnatic music. Many dance items, like the padam, varnam, kirtanam, and
tillana, share their names with musical items that have the same structure. The
thematic content of the music and dance are the same. This is natural, as both
art forms are South Indian in origin.
Music that is composed for dance
items typically makes use of rhythmic patterns (talas) and melodies (ragas)
that suit the theme of the dance. The synergy between the music and dance is
important in transmitting an experience of the theme to the audience. The
expressive power of Carnatic music is such that often the music alone can move
the audience. Depending on how you look at it, this either frees the dancer of
the responsibility to deliver a strong performance, or challenges the dancer to
do justice to the music.
