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Bharatnatyam - Now, Then and Later By - Preetha Subramanian As a practitioner of Bharatnatyam for the last 20 years under the tutelage of Shobana Bhalchandra http://www.geocities.com/shoba_bhala (foremost students of the Dhananjayans of Kalakshetra, a prestigious Institute for Dance and Music, Chennai, India), I have been fortunate to learn the theory and practice of Bharatnatyam intimately. In the last few years I have been successful in creating a niche for myself in the kutcheri (classical-music and dance) culture of Chennai by giving numerous solo performances during the prestigious annual Margazhi Vizha (December Festival for Performing Arts). I have also had the opportunity to perform and co-choreograph compositions with some eminent practitioners in this field. Having been a part of many ballet productions, whose main objective was to escalate the creative element to the otherwise standard format of Bharatnatyam, has further whetted my expertise of this venerated art form. I have also had the privilege of leaning Mohiniattam (dance form of Kerala state) and Kuchupudi (dance form of Andra Pradesh) for a shot span of 5 years. Since Bharatnatyam is complimented by music I have a thorough understanding of classical Carnatic music and have been trained as a singer for the last 15 years. All these endeavors have prompted me to analyze certain aspects of Bharatnatyam, like stage decor, costume, jewelry, acoustics, lighting, specialized sound effects in music, and seating arrangements of the audience, which are otherwise not given much prominence. For more details about the researcher click on to this link http://www.geocities.com/raghavpreetha/Preethas_World.html

An Intro to Bharatnatyam

Bharatanatyam is one of the most popular dance forms in Tamil Nadu (South Indian state). It has grown to hold a prominent place in Indian culture today. Bharatanatyam is often referred as a science in itself. The name Bharatnatyam is synonymous to a display of visual geometry. This is because the dancer fabricates a series of body movements, which are geometrical designs, conceived in space, outlining straight lines, diagonals, circles, triangles, squares and other geometric patterns. However, the structure of Bharatnatyam is twofold. Through nritta a dancer creates formations that showcases the architectonic splendor of the art form. These are abstract progressions, which do not convey any particular meaning but finds the dancer creating complex patters. Units of nritta are called jatthis. Some pure nritta pieces, which find a place in a recital, are allarippu, jathiswaram and thillana. Through nritya, a dancer crafts poetry, conveying facial expressions while the body reacts to the emotions. This evokes sentiments amongst audience.

Almost always nritya pieces have a direct link to the lyrics of the song, which is usually sung by a live vocalist. Some of the pieces in a recital which are interwoven with nritya are varnam, a combination of expressions as well as pure dance; padams, javali, keerthanams and shlokas. Though the nritta sequences are set patterns, which cannot be changed during a recital, the nritya segment provides a lot of scope for on the spot improvisations. This is because; the story is presented as sancharis (in parts) in a Bharatnatyam piece, in which each line of the story can be interpreted numerous times. This paves way for the danseuse to go extemporaneous.

The accompanying music to all traditional Bharatnatyam recitals is classical Carnatic songs. Most of the lyrics are based on Hindu mythology and epics. The musicians of a Bharatnatyam recital consist of a mirdangist (percussionist), violinist, flutist, a veena (string instrument) player and natuvangist (a person handling the cymbals) and the vocalist. The mirdangist and the natuvangist play a vital role during the nritta segment while the flutist; veena player and vocalist play a key role during the nritya sequence. A Bharatnatyam recital in the present milieu is typically performed on a stage where in the musicians sit on the left corner of the stage, facing the right side of the dancer. The statue of Lord Natraja (god of dance) is placed on the right corner of the stage and the stage décor is always ethnic in nature.

In this essay, I trace the history of Bharatnatyam as well as focus on the significant milestones that has been influential in giving Bharatnatyam its distinct identity in today’s world. Subsequent to discussing these events, I have highlighted how this dance form is being practiced at present and how it is likely to evolve in future, in the second half of this essay.

The Changing Faces of Bharatnatyam, a Classical Indian Dance Form (Part 1)

Laghu Bharatham –Vol. I (1991) states that, “There are few people who are privileged to witness a performance by an accomplished Bharatanatyam artiste who will contest the statement that it is one of the most subtle, sophisticated and graceful styles of dance in the world” (p. 7). I believe that Bharatnatyam is a complete form of classical dance. This is because all the elements of this art form are strictly followed as per the Natya Shastra, the oldest surviving text on stagecraft in the world. Faubion (1967) has stated in his book “The dance in India” that the Natya Shastra was written by Bharatha Muni between 3 BC and 5 AD and considered as the “dance bible” by many.

However, any kind of dance form, to preserve its appeal, cannot afford to be simply stuck in a loop. It must evolve. Bharatnatyam keeps evolving, albeit within the fixed boundaries that have been laid down by Bharatha Muni. Limiting Bharatnatyam to the traditional format of Allarippu, Jatiswaram, Sabdam, Varnam, Padam, Javelli and the Thillana could be monotonous. This makes the art form somewhat humdrum and stagnant.

Most of the songs used for choreographing a Bharatnatyam piece have traditionally been in Sanskrit or one of Southern Indian languages - Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Although Bharatnatyam has gained universal appreciation, language does act as a barrier to making it intelligible to everybody. In the past, the compositions of Bharatnatyam were based only on mythological themes. The background of such themes was based in mythological stories enacted through expressions and body movements. Most of the dances were stories narrating the lives and anecdotes of Hindu Gods such as Lord Ram, Krishna, or Shiva.

A period of change, a mild renaissance of sorts, started in the mid 1990s when many contemporary Bharatnatyam dancers in South India started to include the lyrics of famous Indian poets like Rabindranath Tagore, Subramanya Bharathi, Premchand and Sarojini Naidu in their dances. The works of these poets highlighted modern Indian themes, which prompted practitioners in the field of Bharatnatyam to employ them in the Bharatnatyam idiom.

In the present milieu the younger breed of practitioners are looking at more such social themes and interpreting it through Bharatnatyam. Their main motive is to make sure that their dance productions reach even the layman, which was not always the case in the past. There is a conscious drive towards making Bharatanatyam contemporary and relevant in the current social context all over again. Of course, continued work on similar grounds will gradually result in further change. After all, Lord Brahma (Hindu God of creation – one of the trinity) is said to have created this audio-visual art form to check the moral deterioration in the world!

Bharatnatyam and Hindu Mythology

According to Indian mythology, Lord Natraja (Hindu God of destruction – one of the trinity) is regarded as the supreme lord of dance. Banerji (1942) states that, “Natraja also known as Shiva was the first dancer according to Hindu conception… and the name Nataraja means the king of actors and dancers” (p. 8). It is believed that Nataraja’s gestures are the world processes, his speech the entire language and his costume is the moon and the stars. Yamini Krishnamurti (1995) one of the leading proponents of Bharatanatyam states in her autobiography titled “A Passion for Dance” that, “The essential significance of Shiva’s dance is threefold: first, it is the image of his rhythmic play as the source of all movement within the cosmos, which is represented by the arch; secondly, the purpose of his dance is to release the countless souls of men from the snare of illusion; thirdly the place of the dance, Chidambaram (a town in Tamilnadu), the Centre of the Universe, is within the heart” (p. 5). It is believed that Lord Shiva & his wife Goddess Parvathi first performed the divine art form of Bharatnatyam. The Dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava (a violent version of the dance). This dance when performed with joy is called Ananda Tandava and performed in a violent mood is called Rudra Tandava. The dance performed by Goddess Parvathi is known as Lasya, with, graceful and sometimes gentle and erotic movements. Many scholars have called Lasya, the feminine version of Tandava.

Historical Evolution of Bharatnatyam

Bharatnatyam as a very ancient and traditional art form has been associated with the temples of South India. It is believed that Bharatnatyam used to be known as the “temple dance”. Bharatnatyam was also known as the dasi-attam (dance performed by the dasis - the servants of God) or the sadir-attam (court dance) or the nattuva-mela (a rhythmic carnival), Ragini Devi (1980). It was choreographed, so that it could be performed unaccompanied by a woman dancer. These women, called devadasis, are said to have devoted their lives to God. They performed useful functions at temples like cleaning, lighting lamps, dressing the deities etc. They also sang devotional songs and danced in devotion to the deities. Apart from this, they taught music and dance to young girls. These devadasis were accomplished artistes who could play many musical instruments. They were well versed in Sanskrit and other languages, which helped them to interpret the compositions that they would perform. They were instrumental in developing a tradition of classical music and dance in South India. Gradually the devadasi system started getting plagued with several notorious ills. Initially most of the dances in Bharatnatyam were choreographed to be in praise of God. Many padams (narrative pieces) depicted the love story of a nayak (hero) and a nayika (heroine). In most cases, the nayak was in the form of Lord Krishna, or Shiva or any other mythological hero. While Shiva was said to be serious, Krishna was full of pathos and love. Uday Shankar (a famous dancer from Shanti Niketan, West Bengal) has deciphered Rasa Lila (compiled stories of Lord Krishna) in numerous ways. Gosh (1975) believes that the Saiva ritualistic dances of the Nilapuja in Bengal are closely related to these pieces. Likewise, the dances of Java and Bali in Indonesia depict similar themes.

Around this time, it was customary for the Indian people hailing from royal or aristocratic families to invite a devadasi to a celebration, to sing and dance. Some of the best dancers were invited to the royal courts. Here the devadasis were called Rajanartakis (royal dancers) who performed in the courts of kings who in turn gave them shelter. Bowers (1967) believes that in this period the devadasi was linked to the Apsaras (heavenly nymph), who danced for the entertainment of the gods. Over a period of time, rich men started eyeing these women and attracted them with money and a good life, to become their mistresses. Their dances were no longer devoted to the Gods but were erotic pieces, choreographed to appease the men folk. The temple dancers who wanted a life of security and luxury got enticed into this kind of life. Thus, these devadasis who were initially seen as women married to God, and whose social status was in par with the temple priests, lost their high status in the society. However, the urban society in India has painted all devadasis as prostitutes. The truth is that devadasis were an essential part of the South Indian temples.

When the Europeans first arrived in India during the mid 18th century, they were shocked to see girls who sang and danced in temples. From a European’s point of view, a dancing girl was just an entertainer performing for the pleasure of rich men. The idea of art as an offering to God was strange to them. According to their mindset, a dancer’s profession was a promiscuous one and was no better than a prostitute’s. Yet, there has been no mention in any historical book written by early European visitors to indicate any evidence of prostitution on the part of “temple-maids.”

Between 1800 to 1850, Bharatnatyam as a performing art took a back seat. Under the British rule, the art of dance suffered a lot on account of several reasons. The political instability and the loss of patronage was a setback for the art of dance. The British system of education did not give any recognition to dance as a subject of study. The trend of the times was to appreciate western styles like ballet and deplore the Indian dance genres. In 1892 an appeal was made to the Viceroy of India and to Lord Hobart who was the then Governor General of Madras by an organization consisting of some famous missionaries who formed the “Hindu Social Reforms Associations”. These reformists started campaigning against the devadasi system. From all historical records, it appears that until that point of time a devadasi was considered auspicious. In fact, a bead from her necklace was essential for the managalsutra (a symbol of matrimony for women) of any bride (This practice continued till very recent times). In the 1980s, the Indian government banned the devadasi tradition and began working with various non-governmental organizations to help reinstate these women into the society, as well as raise public awareness of the demeaning nature of their life work. The government launched programs to “rehabilitate” the women, such as teaching them embroidery, knitting, tailoring and other skills to help them pursue an alternative livelihood. Despite the governmental ban, hundreds of girls are secretly dedicated to Goddess Yellamma every year. These days, though there is no doubt that the institution of devadasis is vanishing, there are still around fifty thousand devadasis (including former devadasis) in the country, who are not practicing the customs anymore. In fact, some of them are doing very well in other professions. For example, the world-renowned Carnatic music singer M.S Subbalakshmi hails from a family of devadasis.

End of part 1...to be continued

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