The poetry in motion

Sirulu Minchina, presented in the video, is a Bharatanatyam composition which belongs to the Sabdam category, the traditional dance piece that is taught to the young dancers. As Anita Ratnam, the renowned Bharatanatyam artiste gracefully presents the theme of a young, handsome man walking through the streets of Kandukuri with the admiring eyes of women on him, the dance becomes a poetry in motion, with all its subtlety.

Originated in Tamil Nadu, Bharatanatyam is a 2000 year-old art form and has gone through different ages of development. It has roots in the principles of Natya Sastra, the classical treatise on Indian dance by Sage Bharata. The dance combines the elements of the abstract and the emotional through its fusion of nritta (rhythm) and nritya (expression).