BHARATANATYAM

DONE BY
HARISH S
PHYSICS-1
I200415
INTRODUCTION:-

Bharatanatyam, is the oldest Indian classical dance form originated in the Tanjore
district of tamil Nadu and regarded as the mother of many other classical dance forms of India.
Firstly, it was initiated in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and eventually flourished in South
India. It was performed with excellent footwork and impressive gestures and it includes nrita,
nritya and natya.
Bharatnatyam Dance - Bha- Bhavam (means expression), Ra- Ragam (means music), Ta-
Talam (means beat or rhythm) and Natyam (means dance) in Tamil. Bharatnatyam was
performed by certain families of Tanjore district and these inheritors were known as ‘Nattuvans’
 REPERTOIRE:-
Bharatanatyam is traditionally a team performance art that consists of a solo dancer,
accompanied by musicians and one or more singers. The theory behind the musical notes, vocal
performance and the dance movement trace back to the ancient Natya Shastra, and many
Sanskrit and Tamil texts such as the Abhinaya Darpana.
The solo artist (ekaharya) in Bharatanatyam is dressed in a colorful sari, adorned with jewelry
who presents a dance synchronized with Indian classical music. Their hand and facial gestures
are codified sign language that recite a legend, spiritual ideas or a religious prayer derived from
Hindu Vedic scriptures, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Puranas and historic drama
texts. The dancer deploys turns or specific body movements to mark punctuations in the story
or the entry of a different character in the play or legend being acted out through dance
(Abhinaya). The footwork, body language, postures, musical notes, the tones of the vocalist,
aesthetics and costumes integrate to express and communicate the underlying text.
In modern adaptations, Bharata Natyam dance troupes may involve many dancers who play
specific characters in a story, creatively choreographed to ease the interpretation and expand
the experience by the audience
 The repertoire of Bharatanatyam, like all major classical Indian dance forms, follows the
three categories of performance in the Natya Shastra. These
are Nritta (Nirutham), Nritya (Niruthiyam) and Natya (Natyam).
The Nritta performance is abstract, fast and rhythmic aspect of the dance. The viewer is
presented with pure movement in Bharatanatyam, wherein the emphasis is the beauty in
motion, form, speed, range and pattern. This part of the repertoire has no interpretative aspect,
no telling of story. It is a technical performance, and aims to engage the senses (prakriti) of the
audience.
The Nritya is slower and expressive aspect of the dance that attempts to communicate
feelings, storyline particularly with spiritual themes in Hindu dance traditions. In a nritya, the
dance-acting expands to include silent expression of words through gestures and body motion
set to musical notes. The actor articulates a legend or a spiritual message. This part of a
Bharatanatyam repertoire is more than sensory enjoyment, it aims to engage the emotions and
mind of the viewer.
The Natyam is a play, typically a team performance, but can be acted out by a solo
performer where the dancer uses certain standardized body movements to indicate a new
character in the underlying story. A Natya incorporates the elements of a Nritya.
 SEQUENCES IN BHARATANATYAM
The traditional Bharatanatyam performance follows a seven-part order of presentation. This set
is called margam.
Alarippu:-
The presentation begins with a rhythmic invocation (vandana) called the Alaripu. It is a pure
dance, which combines a thank you and benediction for blessings from the gods and goddesses,
the guru and the gathered performance team. It also serves as a preliminary warm up dance,
without melody, to enable the dancer to loosen their body, journey away from distractions and
towards single-minded focus.
Jatiswaram:-
The next stage of the performance adds melody to the movement of Alarippu, and this is
called Jatiswaram. The dance remains a prelim technical performance (nritta), pure in form and
without any expressed words. The drums set the beat, of any Carnatic music raga (melody).
They perform a sequence (Korvai) to the rhythm of the beat, presenting to the audience the
unity of music, rhythm and movements.
Shabdam:-
The performance sequence then adds Shabdam (expressed words). This is the first item of
margam where expressions are introduced. The solo dancer, the vocalist(s) and the musical
team, in this stage of the production, present short compositions, with words and meaning, in a
spectrum of moods.
VARNAM:-
The performance thereafter evolves into the Varnam stage. This marks the arrival into the
sanctum sanctorum core of the performance. It is the longest section and the nritya. A
traditional Varnam may be as long as 30–45 minutes or sometimes an hour. Varnam offer huge
scope for improvisation and an experienced dancer can stretch the Varnam to a desirable
length. The artist presents the play or the main composition, reveling in all their movements,
silently communicating the text through codified gestures and footwork, harmoniously with the
music, rhythmically punctuated. The dancer performs complicated moves, such as expressing a
verse at two speeds.Their hands and body tell a story, whether of love and longing, or of a battle
between the good and the evil, as the musicians envelop them with musical notes and tones
that set the appropriate mood.
Padam:-
The Padam is next. This is the stage of reverence, of simplicity, of abhinaya (expression) of the
solemn spiritual message or devotional religious prayer (bhakti). The music is lighter, the chant
intimate, the dance emotional. The choreography attempts to express rasa (emotional taste)
and a mood, while the recital may include items such as a keertanam (expressing devotion),
a javali (expressing divine love) or something else.
Tillana:-
The performance sequence ends with a Tillana, the climax. It closes out the nritya portion, the
movements exit the temple of expressive dance, returning to the nritta style, where a series of
pure movement and music are rhythmically performed. Therewith the performance ends.
Shlokam or Mangalam:-
The seventh and final item in the sequence can be either a Shlokam or a Mangalam. The
dancer calls for blessings on the people all around.
The overall sequence of Bharatanatyam, states Balasaraswati, thus moves from "mere meter;
then melody and meter; continuing with music, meaning and meter; its expansion in the
centerpiece of the varnam; thereafter, music and meaning without meter; a non-metrical song
at the end. We see a most wonderful completeness and symmetry in this art".
COSTUME:-
The attire of a Bharatanatyam dancer resembles a Tamil Hindu's bridal dress. It consists of a
fitted, brilliantly colored Sari which is mainly of warm colors with mirrors on them. The Sari is
made of a specially stitched pleated cloth which falls in front and opens like a hand fan when
she flexes her knees or performs footwork. The Sari is worn in a special way, wrapped upwards
along the back and tightly to the body contour, past one shoulder, with its end held at the waist
by a jeweled belt.
The dancer is typically adorned with jewelry on her ear, nose, and neck that outlines her head
or hair. Her face has conventional makeup, eyes lined and ringed by collyrium, which help
viewers see her eye expressions. Her hair is tied up in the traditional way, often braided in with
fragrant flowers (veni or gajra). She wears one or more leather anklets (ghungroos).
The outlines of the dancer's fingers and feet may be partially colored red with kumkum powder
or alta, a costume tradition that helps the audience more easily view her hand and foot
gestures.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS:-

The accompanying music to Bharatanatyam is in the Carnatic style of South India, as is the

recitation and chanting. The vocalist is called the nattuvanar, typically also the conductor of the
entire performance, who may be the guru of the dancer and may also be playing cymbals or one
of the musical instruments. The recited verses and text in Bharatanatyam are
in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit.
The instruments used include the mridangam (double-sided drum), nadaswaram (long type
of oboe made from a black wood), nattuvangam (cymbals), the flute, violin and veena.
SYMBOLISM:-
Bharatanatyam, like all classical dances of India, is steeped in symbolism, both in its abhinaya (acting)
and its goals. The roots of abhinaya appear in the Natyashastra text, which defines drama in verse 6.10 as
something that aesthetically arouses joy in the spectator, through the medium of actor's art of
communication, that helps connect and transport the individual into a sensual inner state of being. A
performance art, asserts Natyashastra, connects the artists and the audience through abhinaya (literally,
"carrying to the spectators"), that is applying body-speech-mind and scene, wherein the actors
communicate to the audience, through song and music. Drama in this ancient Sanskrit text, thus is an art
that engages every aspect of life to glorify and give a state of joyful consciousness.
The communication through symbols is in the form of expressive gestures and pantomime set to
music. The gestures and facial expressions convey the ras (sentiment, emotional taste) and bhava (mood)
of the underlying story. In the Hindu texts on dance, the dancer successfully expresses the spiritual ideas
by paying attention to four aspects of a performance: Angika (gestures and body language), Vachika (song,
recitation, music and rhythm), Aharya (stage setting, costume, make up, jewelry), and Sattvika (artist's
mental disposition and emotional connection with the story and audience, wherein the artist's inner and
outer state resonates). Abhinaya draws out the bhava (mood, psychological states
 The gestures used in Bharatanatyam are called Hasta (or mudras). These symbols are of
three types: asamyuta hastas (single hand gestures), samyuta hastas (two hand gestures)
and nrtta hastas (dance hand gestures). Like words in a glossary, these gestures are presented in
the nritta as a list or embellishment to a prelim performance. In nritya stage of Bharatanatyam,
these symbols set in a certain sequence become sentences with meaning, with emotions
expressed through facial expressions and other aspects of abhinaya.
Bharatanatyam contains at least 20 asanas found in modern yoga,
including Dhanurasana (the bow, a back-arch); Chakrasana (the wheel, a standing back-
arch); Vrikshasana (the tree, a standing pose); and Natarajasana, the pose of dancing Shiva. 108
karanas of classical temple dance are represented in temple statuary; they depict the devadasi
temple dancers who made use of yoga asanas in their dancing.  Bharatanatyam is also
considered a form of Bhakti Yoga. However, Natarajasana is not found in any medieval hatha
yoga text; it was among the many asanas introduced into modern yoga by Krishnamacharya in
the early 20th century.
VAST EXPANSION:-

Bharatanatyam rapidly expanded after India gained freedom from the British rule in 1947. It is now the
most popular classical Indian dance style in India, enjoys high degree of support in expatriate Indian
communities, and is considered to be synonymous with Indian dance by many foreigners unaware of the
diversity of dances and performance arts in Indian culture. In the second half of the 20th century,
Bharatanatyam has been to Indian dance tradition what ballet has been in the West.
When the British tried to attempt to banish Bharatanatyam traditions, it went on and revived by moving
outside the Hindu temple and religious ideas. However, post-independence, with rising interest in its
history, the ancient traditions, the invocation rituals and the spiritual expressive part of the dance has
returned. Many innovations and developments in modern Bharatanatyam, states Anne-Marie Geston, are
of a quasi-religious type. Major cities in India now have numerous schools that offer lessons
in Bharatanatyam, and these cities host hundreds of shows every year.
Outside India, Bharatanatyam is a sought after and studied dance, states Meduri, in academic institutes in
the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Gulf States, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. For expat
Indian and Tamil communities in many countries, it is a source and means for social life and community
bonding. Contemporary Bharatanatyam choreographies include both male and female dancers.
In 2020, an estimated 10,000 dancers got together in Chennai, India, to break the world record for the
largest Bharatanatyam performance. The previous record of 7,190 dancers was set in Chidambaram in
2019.
SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS IN BHARATNATYAM

Sitting in the ‘Arai mandi’ posture the dancer moves his/her feet in certain directions at a certain
speed. This is where the matter of velocity is to be discussed. The dancer will have to perform
these steps gracefully, maintaining a proper balance, speed, and rhythm by following
mathematical progressions precisely. Also while making turning movements during the
performance, constant angular velocity is to be maintained by the dancer to maintain a constant
radius. Centripetal force is involved in these turning movements.
Facial expressions (Nritya) is an integral part of the dance. The language of classical dance,
articulated using “Mudras” (hand or finger gestures), is often not communicated to the non-
dancers (observers). Thus the facial expressions have to fill these gaps in communication
In order to show wonder, the dancer’s eyes should be widened, eyebrows relaxed, mouth half
opened. To make this visible to the observers, force has to be exerted on the muscles of the
eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and cheek of the dancer in the proportionate amount.
 Dancers never consciously apply any mathematical or scientific principles while they
perform. The dance is as such framed considering precise posture to attain balance. Even the
dance teachers train their students to execute ‘adavus’, turnings, fast-paced steps, etc.
rhythmically, with grace, unaware of the fact that they are making their students follow
mathematical progression and certain principles in science. Talking about facial expressions, the
dance becomes unenjoyable if the expressions are not expressive or over expressive. It should
be very subtle. The dancers should train themselves to present fine expressions. Actually in
doing so, the dancers are adjusting the force that they exert on facial muscles, of which they are
ignorant of. The knowledge of mathematical and scientific principles in dance, helps the dancers
feel and understand it more than the observers of dance who can only simply read it in articles
like this. This is because the dancers are experiencing the things discussed here while they are
performing.
 BALANCE

Balance is a very important aspect to be considered in dance. Dance is well executed not merely
by the fast-paced graceful movements of the dancer, but also the dancer should cover the space
on the stage he/she is performing, by his/her precise balance. When talking about
Bharatanatyam, there are three basic body postures that are perfectly tied to balance.

1. Samapadam (Standing position)

2. Arai mandi (Half sitting position)
3. Muzhu mandi (Full sitting position)
Samapadam Arai mandi Muzhu mandi
It is with the ‘Samapadam’ position that a Bharatanatyam dancer begins with. Here the dancer
stands erect, keeping the feet close to each other, placing their hands at the back of the waist,
such that each elbow forming an isosceles triangle

The Bharatanatyam dancer is found sitting in the ‘Arai mandi’ posture, almost in every
Bharatanatyam step. In Tamil ‘arai’ means ‘half’ and ‘mandi’ means ‘to sit’. Here also feet are
kept closer, but unlike ‘Samapadam’, here heels face each other. The position of hands is same
as in ‘Samapadam’. Here, by bending halfway down, the centre of gravity is lowered.

The third posture is the ‘Muzhu mandi’ or ‘Muru mandi’. Here the dancer sits completely,
keeping the back erect. The position of the feet is similar to that of ‘Arai mandi’ and the hands
are placed in the same positions as in the above two postures. Here, by completely sitting on
the toes, the centre of gravity is lowered.
 VELOCITY:-

Velocity is defined as the rate of change of displacement with respect to time.

Where V is the velocity of the object (m)

X is the displacement of the object (m)
T is the Time (s)
•  
In Bharatanatyam, the steps are performed in three speeds which are also known as the ‘kalams’.
The steps that are performed in the slow speed are known as the ‘Bilambita laya’, the medium
speed is called the ‘Madhya laya’, the ’, the fast speed is called the ‘Druta laya’
First, the dancer must learn in a slow speed, then in the middle speed and at last in a faster
speed.
FORCE:-
Force is defined as the rate of change of linear momentum of the object .It can be represented
as

Where M is the mass of the object (kg)

a is the acceleration of the object (m)
TORQUE:-
Torque is defined as the rate of change of angular momentum of the object. IT can aIso be
defined
•   as the turning effect of the force. It can be represented as
T=I
Where
I is the moment of inertia of the object
is the angular acceleration of the object
ANGULAR MOMENTUM:-
It is defined as the quantity of rotation of a body, which is the product of its moment of inertia
and its angular velocity. It can be represented as
L =I.
Where
I is the moment of inertia of the object
is the angular velocity of the object

•  
In the absence of external torques, the total angular momentum (I) of an object remains
constant. This is known as Law Of Conservation Of Angular Momentum. A dancer manipulates
to rotate faster and slower in dances. When stretch their hands while rotating, (moment of
inertia) I increases hence (angular velocity) decreases. When they withdraw their hands,
(moment of inertia) I decreases and hence (angular velocity) increases.