Bharatnatyam Notes

1. Introduction of different instruments used in Bharatnatyam dance?

Instruments mainly used in this dance form include 'Mridangam' (double-sided drum), 'Nadaswaram' (long oboe made of black
wood), 'Nattuvangam' (cymbals), bansuri (the flute), violin and veena.

2. Which body parts are included Anga, Pratyangya, and upaanga? Describe

Anga - All major parts of the body are the Angas, Head, Hands, Chest, Legs, Waist, and Bottom is the Six Angas. The neck is also
included at times.

Pratyanya - Shoulders, Arms, Stomach, Thighs, Knee are the Six Pratyangas. Some people include Wrist, elbow, and Ankle also.

Upaanga - All small parts of the body like the Eyes, Eyebrows, Eyelids, Eyeballs, Cheek, Nose, Gums, Lower Lip, Teeth, Tongue,
Chin, and Face are the 12 Upaangas. Heels, Fingers, Feet, Palm are included in upaangas.

3. Explain the devadasi tradition in Bharatanatyam?

In India, a devadasi was a female artist who was dedicated to worship and serve a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The
dedication took place in a Pottukattu ceremony that was somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony. In addition to taking care of
the temple and performing rituals, these women also learned and practiced classical Indian artistic traditions such
as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi. Their social status was high as dance and music were an essential part
of temple worship.

4. Describe the presentation of Nritta, Nritya, and Natya in Bharatnatyam.

Nritta - Nritta means pure dance, a presentation of rhythm through the graceful movement of the body. Tala and laya are the
basic concepts of nritta. Generally, the expressional aspect is given less importance and more emphasis is given to the
movement of various angas of the body.

Nritya - Nritya consists of footwork and abhinaya. Angika abhinaya which relates to Hasta, eyes, eyebrows, lips are very
important in Nritya. It can be termed as the explanatory aspect of dance where hand gestures and facial expressions convey the
meaning of the lyrics of the performing song.

Natya - Natya means abhinaya and it is the combined manifestation of bhava, rasa, and abhinaya. The term Natya is derived
from the part “Nat”, meaning movement and means to dance or act.

5. When is Alarippu presented in Bharatnatyam? Write its bol.

The Alarippu (meaning flowering bud) is traditionally the first dance piece that Bharatanatyam dancers learn and perform in this
type of classical dance recital. It is an invocation piece, symbolizing the offering of respect to both God, the guru, and the
audience.

It is a dance piece accompanied by a nattuvanar (verbal percussionist) and a mrudangist. While dancing this piece shows basic
steps. It contains no abhinaya (facial expressions). [3] The act is entirely based on rhythm and is focused on relaxing the body of
the dancer, thereby relaxing their mind and symbolizes their awakening.[4].It is generally taught to dancers first in Tishra Ekam
tala

6. Give 5 samyukta hasta with uses and slokas

  Kapotha

Sloka : Pranaamae Gurusambhashae Vinayangi kritaeshwayam

Meaning : To show respectful salutation to the teachers, as a mark of acceptance and to show politeness

 Dola

Sloka : Naatyarambhe Prayoktavyam Iti Natyavidovidhuhu

Meaning: Used at the beginning of a dance.

 Shivalinga

Sloka: Viniyogastu tatsyva Shivalingasya darshanae

Meaning: To show Shivalinga (Lord Shiva).

 Katakavardhana

Sloka: Pattabhishaekae Poojayam Vivahadishu Yujyate

Meaning: To show Coronation, to worship, and to show weddings.

 Kartaree swastika

Sloka: Shakhaasucha Adri Shikhare Vruksheshucha Niyujyate

Meaning: To show the branches of a tree, the tip of Mountains and Trees.

7. Two classical dances of India with short notes.

Odissi, also known as Orissi, is an ancient traditional Indian dance, originating more than 2,000 years ago. ... Odissi dance
involves flowing movements of the hands, eyes, and torso together with rhythmic movements of the feet. It originally comes
from the state of Orissa. Odissi is traditionally a dance-drama genre of performance art, where the artist(s) and musicians play
out a story, a spiritual message or devotional poem.

Kathak is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It originally comes from Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is
traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in the of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers. Kathak dancers
tell various stories through their hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility but most
importantly through their facial expressions.

8. Life sketch on Bala Saraswati and Vaadivelu

Bala Saraswati

Tanjore Balasaraswati, also known as Balasaraswati (13 May 1918 – 9 February 1984), was an Indian dancer, and her rendering
of Bharatanatyam, a classical dance style originated in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, made this style of dancing well
known in different parts of India and many parts of the world.

She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1957 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1977, the third and the second highest civilian
honours given by the Government of India. In 1981 she was awarded the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani award of The Indian Fine Arts
Society, Chennai.

Balasaraswati was a 7th generation representative of a traditional matrilineal family of temple musicians and dancers
(devadasis) who have been described as the greatest single repository of the traditional performing arts of music and dance of
the southern region of India. She learned music within the family from her infancy, and her rigorous training in dance was begun
when she was four years old. Balasaraswati's debut took place in 1925. She was the first performer of her traditional style
outside of South India, performing first in Calcutta in 1934. We travelled globally with performances in East Asia, Europe, and
North America and taught outside India also.
Vaadivelu

The Thanjavur or Tanjore Quartet of the early 19th century consisted of four brothers who made an enormous contribution to
South Indian classical dance. In so doing, they also left a permanent influence on Carnatic music by composing a number of
varnams and kritis (three-line songs).

The Pillai brothers, Chinnaya (1802-1856), Ponnaya (1804-1864), Sivanandam (1808-1863) and Vadivelu (1810-1845) served as
court musicians at Thanjavur. The four brothers received expert training and guidance from their family and esteemed
specialists of the era. They studied Bharatanatyam under their grandfather and their father. They learned the art's intricacies as
well as how to create a performance pattern for it.

They are best remembered for the revival and codification of the ancient temple dance style bharatanatyam, turning it into a
fully-fledged performance art with its own, specifically composed music as well as adding new sequences which enhanced
various aspects of the tradition. They mastered the art of primeval Bharatanatyam and eventually evolved it into its present-day
format by codifying its steps and rhythm patterns.

The youngest brother, Vadivelu, is generally considered the most exceptionally gifted of the four and was a favourite pupil of
Dikshitar. It is said that he was able to reproduce a song after just one hearing. At Travancore, Vadivelu studied the violin with a
European missionary and began looking into modifications to the instrument so it could be adapted for use in South Indian
classical music. It was chiefly Vadivelu’s efforts that finally won over the purists who had, until then, viewed the instrument as a
purely European one, therefore assumed to be unsuited to India's sacred music.

The Tanjore Quartet, and in particular, Vadivelu, is also credited with the revival and introduction of a new repertoire for the
classical dance form known as mohiniattam (‘dance of the enchantress’) which was specifically designed for women dancers. Up
until this time, the predominant dance form in Kerala was kathakali, a highly stylised narrative form which was entirely
masculine in character and could be performed only by men.