Bharatanatyam - Tamil Classical Dance

 Bharatanatyam - Tamil Classical Dance

Bharatnatyam is one of the most popular classical Indian dances. Bharatnatyam is more popular in South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Bharatnatyam dance is almost 2,000 years old. It is believed that Bharatnatyam was revealed by Lord Brahma to Bharata, a famous sage who then codified this sacred dance in a Sanskrit text called the Natya Shastra. The Natya Shastra is one of the fundamental treatises on Indian drama and aesthetics. Natya Shastra divides dance into two distinct forms- nritta, and nritya. In nritta, focus is on mastery of abstract hand gestures and movements, whereas the dancer employs a complex system of hand signals and body language to depict emotional expressions in nritya.

This is the most famous and practiced dance form in the the state of Tamil Nadu that has fascinated one and all. This is one of the oldest forms of performing arts not only in south India but in the entire country. You will find to your amazement that Bharatanatyam is not just a simple dance that is performed just for the sake of entertainment but it is an amalgamation of many different essences. Few of them are Bhava(expression), Tala (rhythm), and Natyam (dance). Take a close look at the flow of the body and discover new definitions for expressions and rhythm. Though the exact time of origin of Bharatanatyam is not known, but reference even in the Natya Shastra written by the great sage Bharata, confirms it as one of the oldest forms of dance. Along the path of its development it has gone through quite a few changes. Earlier, Bharatanatyam was considered the practice of only devdasis in the temples of south India and was not considered a reputed profession. But then it was taken up by Rukmini devi who learned Bharatanatyam from these devdasis, practiced it and perfected this art. She then started performing this divine art form in public and slowly and gradually, Bharatnatyam started gaining recognition and number of people who wished to get trained in this increased drastically. Bharatanatyam was no longer considered the profession of devdasis. It had now become one of the most sought after dance form in the world. Learn the art in one of the many institutes that specialize in the area of Performing arts like the Kalakshetra, which is the most famous of all institutes.