Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam, the 2000 year-old South Indian dance, is one of the oldest dance forms in the country itself. It had its origin in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and has roots in Natya Sastra, an ancient treatise on dance written by Sage Bharata. This can rightly be called a poetry in motion, with unfettered rhythmic movements and expressions.

Bharatanatyam is conceived as Natya Yoga, or the effort for revealing the spiritual through the corporal. Devotion is the key element of this dance form and the movements are highly stylized and sophisticated. The musical component of Bharatanatyam uses Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada.

The dance is a composition of the elements of Nritta (rhythm), Nritya (rhythm and expression) and Natya (drama). Symmetrical lines of the body, exuberant leaps and bends contrasting with subtle neck and eye movements and crisp, intricate footwork are the hallmarks of Bharatanatyam.

It is Anita Ratnam, the famous Bharatanatyam artiste, who performs here the composition ‘Priye Charuseele’, taken from Gita Govinda by poet Jayadeva.