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Tamditham tei ta thei…
A hush falls over the audience as the silk-clad dancer, bedecked
with fresh flowers and jewellery steps onto the stage. In perfect
harmony with the recitation the danseuse unfolds the powerful yet
gracefully feminine movements.
As the audience is being
transported into the world of rhythm and joy, few of them realize
that years of rigorous training as well as enormous mental and
emotional discipline has gone into the blossoming of the Bharat
Natyam dancer.
Many people wonder what
the name Bharata Natyam really mans. Most of us know that it is the
name of one of India’s ancient classical dance styles, but few
realize that the term Bha-ra-ta implies the triple components of
bhava (expressional dance), raga (melody) and tala
(rhythm) all of which are judiciously combined in this beautiful
dance style. Originally Bharat Natyam was ritual dance wherein a
young women occupied the hallowed position of a temple dancer and
performed to the accompaniment of a number of devotional songs while
giving vivid facial expressions which conveyed the meaning of the
accompanying lyrics. The name Bharata Natyam was given to this dance
much later, when it was formally introduced on the stage for the
enjoyment of connoisseurs and the general public. It was earlier
known as Sadir.
Bharata Natyam originated
from Tamil Nadu. Earlier, rigid provincial broders did not exist and
each great dynasty that ruled in any area, spread their powerful
empires far and wide. During the time of Vijayanagar dynasty Bharata
Natyam absorbed a number of influences of its neighbourings late, the
culture of Andhra Pradesh.
Thus, the Telgu language
of Andhra Pradesh forms a substantial part of the background music
for Bharata Natyam, besides the original sons in Tamil language.
Later, during the early 18th century the Maratha rulers of
Tanjore also patronized this dance by employing female dancers to
entertain their royal assemblies. There were many great composers
who were employed in the court of Sarabhoji, a noteworthy Maratha
ruler, and most prominent among them were four brothers called
Ponnaiah, Chinnaiah, Sadasivam and Vadivelu.
These learned men gave a
proper shape to Sadir. Today’s Bharata Natyam owes much of its
stylised structure to these four brothers who came to be known as the
‘Tanjore Quartet’. From then onwards Bharata Natyam has
largely remained in the format that the Quartet had given it, though
individual variations can be found in the presentations of some
contemporary Bharata Natyam dancers.
A recital of Bharata
Natyam dance begins with an invocation. This song offers prayers to
a certain god or goddess, associated with knowledge, wisdom and
auspicious omens. Then the dancer presents the very first item,
usually drawn from the ancient temple repertoire, such as a formal
offering of flower petals at the altar, followed by an introductory
dance sequence showing the basic stances of Bharata Natyam. This
sequence is called pushpanjali (floral offering) and alarippu
(introductory sequence).
The second sequence is a
melody and rhytam combination (jathi swaram) wherein
complicated techniques (footwork, body movements, hand gestures all
combined) are performed with a serene expression, to a series of
musical notes. There is, notably, no story telling or facial
expression in this sequence.
The third piece presented
is usually a sabdam. This is a form of singing in which a
popular legend or myth is told in a simple metre. Accordingly, the
dancer conveys through facial expressions, the contents of the
lyrics.
The fourth item is one
which occupies the central position of the concert, in which the
dancer’s concentration, stamina and artistic competence are all
put to test. This is a dance called Varnam. Varnam is a complicated
edifice which starts with an impressive rhythmic passage, leading on
to mimetic sequences and concluding in a faster tempo.
The dancer is expected to
alternate technique and facial expressions effectively while
maintaining the emotional intensity of the song. Varnam is danced
for a duration of 40 minutes or even one hour by accomplished
dancers.
After a brief rest of a
few minutes, the Bharata Natyam performance is resumed with leisurely
and slow paced love songs and devotional songs to which the dancer
gives appropriate expressional interpretation. This part of the
dance is called abhinaya and the songs – known as padams
and javalis. One must not be misled into thinking that these
are by any means, easy to perform. To the connoisseurs of dance,
abhinaya represents the real essence of Bharata Natyam and a
dancer is acknowledged only after she has mastered this aspect. More
mature dancers are expected to freely improvise their expressions and
give unusual and varied interpretations even to common songs. Thus
abhinaya tests authority of an artist. Having satisfied the
highest aesthetic demands of the connoisseurs, the dancer ends the
performance with a fast and sparkling thillana in which once
again rapid footwork, pleasing body postures and other techniques of
Bharata Natyam are presented.
In this manner, the
contemporary performer of this ancient classical dance preserves and
portrays all aspects of the dance style.
The question always
arises as to how individual contributions of various teachers and
dancers can figure in a rigidly stylized form. A sensitive audience
usually welcomes any innovation that falls within the norms of a
classical style but rejects those forms which spoil the familiar
beauty of such as a style. So, innovative dancers have a great
challenge to meet and always try to work within the precincts of
their chosen style of dance.
A Bharata Natyam dancer
wears a specially made costume of brightly coloured silk, bordered by
gold thread work. In olden days, a silk sari of 8 or 9 yards would
be wound elaborately around the dancer’s body, and tucked in
several places. Now, this same costume, is stitched by special
tailors, is easier to wear and drapes better. The dancer also takes
less time to change into different costumes. Every limb of the dancer
is adorned with traditional jewellery made of semi precious stones
set in gold leaf. Her hair is made into a single long braid and
decorated with flowers. The ankle bells worn by the dancer
(numbering from 30 to 50 on each ankle) make musical sounds which
emphasise her foot beats, (but a good dancer must never be caught on
the wrong foot!).
The accompanying singer
may be female or male and one or more drummers may be engaged for the
performance. They play the mridangam (a cylindrical drum
placed in the horizontal position); ghatam (the earthen pot
placed in an inverted position and tapped rapidly; the kanjira (a
leather bound tambourine) and other drums. A flautist ad violinist
also feature in the orchestra. One of India’s most ancient
string instruments is the Veena. Two dried gourds are
connected with a long hollow wooden stem at opposite ends. Four
strings are stretched over frets and affixed on the wooden stem. By
pressing the strings with one hand and strumming them with the other,
every note that the singer sings is reproduced sonorously by the
Veena player. Veena forms a part of the orchestra of
Bharata Natyam. But the pride of place is occupied by the conductor
of the orchestra. He or she is usually the guru (teacher) who
has coached the dancer, though professional orchestra conductors are
also engaged from time to time by senior dancers who have graduated
to work independently. The conductor wields a pair of brass cymbals
which he claps together and at the same time utters rhythmic
sound-syllables matching with the foot beats of the dancer.
This continuous stream of
strong and often rapidly pronounced syllables have no linguistic
translation other than in dance terms. This technique is known an
nattuvangam and the conductor is called the nattuvanar.
Modern day dancers may
keep up their practice with taped music though a live orchestra is
always preferred. But professional level concerts give results only
when a live orchestra is playing, as is the usual practice in India.
A Bharata Natyam dancer
also learns various methods of applying facial make up, selecting and
adjusting jewellery and costumes etc., as well as a wardrobe manager
or makeup man can. The dancer learns methods of selecting
appropriate items for a particular concert, the tempo suitable for
each item, with her knowledge and experience.
Bharata Natyam in India
has travelled a long way since the time of its days in the temples.
Today it is a complex performing art learnt over a period of at least
six years, which also serves the social purpose of knitting together
the cultural identity of the young and old generations. It is famous
both at home and abroad. A number of academies have come up though
individual tuition is also given. Many young women and men from
various parts of India and the world flock of Tamil Nadu to acquire
training in Bharata Natyam.
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