RAMAA BHARADVAJ - Background Information

Dances of India

There are currently eight dance styles that have been officially categorized as classical dances of India by the Sangeetha Nataka Academy. They are:

Bharatanatyam
Kuchipudi
Kathakali
Mohini Attam
Kathak
Odissi
Manipuri
Sattriya Dances of Assam

The classical dances of India draw their inspiration from The Bharata Natya Sastra, a monumental theater manual, said to have been compiled 2000 years ago by great scholar-sage named Bharata. However, since the term “Bharata” was used to mean “performers” the manual might simply have been an encyclopedia relating to theater arts. Indian dances originated as part of theater and therefore incorporate 3 complimentary performance techniques.

In Nrtta or abstract dance, the dancer uses coordinated movements of the feet, knees, torso, arms and hands to execute intricate rhythmic patterns in space.
Nritya or expressive dance employs hand gestures, facial expressions and body movements to interpret the text of a poetry set to music. Drawn from the vast ocean of Indian literature, this poetry could be devotional, historical, or simply reflect an aspect of human life or nature.
Natya or theatrical presentation, involves dialogues and recitations.

While Nritta and Nrtya were present in all the seven dance styles, the Natya element was evident in dance styles that originated as dance dramas, like Kuchipudi and Katahakali.

Angahara offers training and performances in two dance styles from Southern India

Bharata Natyam & Kuchipudi.

Bharata Natyam, which was traditionally a solo dance form, is representative specifically of the culture of Tamil Nadu, South India. It was practiced as part of worship ritual within the sacred confines of the temples by families of temple dancers known as Devadasis. Protected and endowed with generous grants by the royal families, these artists developed the techniques of the dance, originally known as Sadir, to a high degree of artistic perfection, and transmitted it from generation to generation down the centuries. The technique was further codified in the 19th century by the famous Thanjavur brothers, and was renamed Bharata Natyam in the early 20th century.

A traditional Bharatanatyam concert consists of 6 to 7 dances beginning with Alarippu a dance that invokes the blessings of the Gods, as well as the energies in the dancer’s limbs in a methodical fashion starting with the eyes and neck, and moving on to shoulders, arms, knees, feet and so on. The main feature in a Bharata Natyam presentation is the Varnam, a colorful and challenging dance that balances intense rhythmic sections with storytelling sections. Most traditional Varnams are based on the concept of Love in Separation, where the heroine is yearning to be united with her beloved, a concept that stands as a metaphor for the longing of the human Soul to be freed from the material world and to unite with the Divine.

Although once performed strictly within the precincts of the temples, Bharata Natyam is now seen in a theater or concert hall, and most of its leading exponents come from Brahmin families, having thus replaced the Devadasis of old. What was once a solo dance form now features dance dramas and group choreographies. Because of its evolutionary nature, Bharata Natyam has come to be regarded as one of the most influential dances of the 20th century, inspiring such artists as Anna Pavlova, Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn.

Ramaa's Bharata Natyam Gurus

"Padmasri" Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai

"Padmabhushan" Kamala

Ramaa's Kuchipudi Guru

Dr. Vempatti Chinna Satyam

Kuchipudi belongs to the dance drama tradition of India. It originated in the 14^th century as an alternative to the Devadasi dances of Andhra Pradesh. The first dance drama was written by the scholar Siddhendra Yogi in a small village on the banks of the River Krishna. He recruited and trained good-looking young Brahmin boys of the village to sing, dance and act in his play and promised them salvation if they did so. He took his company of actors to a nearby wasteland and advised them to settle there. This settlement known as Kuseelavapuram (village of actors) later came to be called Kuchipudi and it is by this name that the dance drama itself came to be referred to.

Kuchipudi movements are extremely fluid, fast paced and almost flirtatious in nature. The dance dramas combined speech, song, mime and dance in equal measures. The performers would themselves sing and deliver dialogues. There are also special dances which gave full scope for the display of physical virtuosity, such as executing rhythm while balancing the feet on the sharp edges of a brass tray, or drawing images of animals on sand with the toes of the dancing feet. It was only in the beginning of the 20^th century that women performers were initiated into the dance form.

What is striking is that while Bharata Natyam which was once predominantly performed by female solo dancers has now grown to include group choreographies and male dancers, Kuchipudi which originated as a dance drama performed by groups of male dancers now incorporates several solo choreographic numbers, and is commonly presented as a solo dance form by many women dancers.