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What are the characteristics of Indian Bharatana dance?

Bharatha-Natyam is the most representative Indian classical dance. It is a traditional dance in Tamil Nadu, South India.

The development of Bharatana dance in the south is closely related to the gods and slaves in the temples in the south. Legend has it that the immortal Bharata is the ancestor of this dance. Bharat stands for Bhava (mood) Raga (music) Tala (rhythm) Natyam (movement), which clearly shows that Bharatana dance is a dance art composed of emotions, music, and beats.

Bharatana is a traditional dance in Tamil Nadu, South India, and it is one of the four major classical dances in India.

Indian scholars believe that the dance originated from the Aryan culture in North India, but was developed and perfected in South India. The development of Bharatana dance in the south is closely related to the gods and slaves in the temples in the south. Legend has it that the immortal Bharata is the ancestor of this dance.

Bharatana dance has a long history, and there are descriptions of this dance as far back as the 3rd century AD. After entering the 20th century, through the unremitting efforts and bold innovations of countless artists, they not only copied and reproduced Lord Shiva, the god of universe dance, from the stone carvings, murals and inscriptions preserved in ancient Indian temples. This kind of dance movement, through innovation, has made the ancient Bharat dance gain new artistic life.

Bharatana dance costumes are very delicate and exquisite, and are often regarded as costumes made of gold, which are very gorgeous. The dances include prayers and dances of worshiping gods, as well as pure dance “Chatti-Swarmah”. (Jathi-Swarma) and lyrical poetry-based “Shabdamas” and pure dance “Obhinaya” (Obhinaya), “Tirana” (Thi-llana), etc., Dancers should be very skilled and elegant in alternate movements in different situations, with rich facial expressions, emotions and various sign languages, to demonstrate the delicacy and difficulty of Bharatana dance.

Because the audience can fully understand the thoughts, emotions and stories that the dancers want to narrate and express through the dancers’ gestures, eyes, facial expressions, body language and the speed of the music rhythm, some people also call Bharatana dance “dumb” dance”.

Origin of Bharatana Dance

There are different opinions on the origin of Bharatana dance, but no matter which one is said, it is related to Arjuna. There is a story that when Arjuna was a sojourner, he taught this dance to Utra, the princess of the kingdom of Modesye (Virat). Later, the dance spread from Virat (today Jaipur) to all of India.

Another story says that Arjuna taught this dance to Jitrangada, the daughter of King Jitravahen (who later married Arjuna) when he was in Malag Badenmo, the capital of the Kalinga kingdom. marriage). So in South India, it is generally believed that Jitrangada later became a god-slave, and when Arjuna returned, she did not go with him.

There is also a theory that the dance was developed from the Gurawingi, a well-known folk dance in Tamil Nadu. Gulawingi is a mobile mountain tribe. They are active all over the country and make a living by reading palms and dancing. The dance they dance is called Gulawingi dance. Gurawingi is simpler than Bharatana, but it is very popular.

Features of Bharatana Dance

Dummy is the characteristic of Bharatana dance, expressing rich thoughts and feelings through the movements of various parts of the body, such as war, love, hatred and so on. It requires props, and wearing various masks to express different stories is also a major feature of this dance.

Bharatana is usually accompanied by Karnataka music. As soon as the allib played, the actors put their feet together and stretched out their hands above their heads. Then, with the sound of the musical instruments directing the actors’ movements from behind the scenes, the actors used the movements of their necks, mouths, eyes, hands and other parts of the body and Expressions, expressing various thoughts freely. The Bharatiya dance is vigorous and powerful, with a large range of movements, and it is like a kaleidoscope when it is fast.

Hinduism pays attention to symmetry, and Indian dance pays attention to the beauty of symmetry. There is a red dot on the center of a dancer’s forehead, which is the center. Basically, most movements in pure dance are done on each side to achieve symmetry.

Speaking of the red dot, Lord Shiva has a third eye, which opens when dancing, giving insight into the past, present and future.

Therefore, when dancers put on makeup, they have to put on red dots. If they don’t wear headgear and clothes, they must also put on red dots. In addition, it is said that it has many auspicious meanings in it, such as praying to God and so on.