Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam
A classical dance of South India known for its precise nritta, sculptural form, and depth of abhinaya — one of the oldest continuously performed dance traditions in the world.
AT A GLANCE
Origin
Tamil Nadu
Root Language
Tamil / Sanskrit
Century
Ancient — codified 2nd century BCE; revived 20th c.
When the hands move, the eyes follow. Where the eyes go, the mind follows. Where the mind goes, the heart follows.
Translated from Abhinaya Darpana, Nandikesvara (ancient treatise on expression)
What Is
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam is among the oldest continuously performed art forms in the world. Its roots lie in the devadasi tradition — women dedicated to the service of temple deities, whose ritual performances were the original form of what we now call Bharatanatyam. The form is codified in the Natyashastra, a treatise on the performing arts attributed to the sage Bharata Muni, composed between 200 BCE and 200 CE.
The dance combines three elements in a single recital: nritta (pure movement), nritya (expressive storytelling), and natya (drama). The geometry of the form is immediately recognizable — the araimandi (half-seated position), the angular lines of the arms, the precise vocabulary of the feet — and yet within this strict grammar, each performance is an act of interpretation and devotion to art.
Bharatanatyam was nearly erased by colonial-era legislation banning temple dancers. Its 20th-century revival — led by figures like T. Balasaraswati and Rukmini Devi Arundale — transformed it from a temple ritual into a concert art seen on stages worldwide.
The Three Components
Nritta — pure, abstract movement with no narrative meaning
Nritya — expressive dance telling a story through gesture and emotion
Natya — dance-drama combining movement, music, and text
CONNECTED ON THIS SITE
SOURCE READING
Kapila Vatsyayan — Indian Classical Dance (1974)
Mrinalini Sarabhai — Understanding Bharata Natyam (1981)
Douglas M. Knight — Balasaraswati: Her Art and Life (2010)
Avanthi Meduri — Rukmini Devi Arundale: A Visionary Architect of Indian Culture and the Performing Arts (2005)
Padma Subrahmanyam — Karanas: Common Dance Codes of India and Indonesia (1997)
KEY VOCABULARY
Adavu — the basic unit of movement, combining footwork, hand gesture, and body position
Mudra — hand gesture encoding specific meaning
Abhinaya — expressive storytelling through facial and bodily expression | Alarippu — the opening invocatory piece
Varnam — the centrepiece of a Bharatanatyam recital
THE TRADITION TODAY
Bharatanatyam is today taught across India and the diaspora, with major schools in Chennai, Bengaluru, and cities worldwide. The margam (recital format) — a fixed sequence of pieces from alarippu to thillana — remains the standard concert structure, though contemporary choreographers increasingly work outside it to explore new forms and subjects.
