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| Malavika Sarukkai |
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| Rama Vaidyanathan |
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| Urmila Sathyanarayanan |
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| Alarmel Valli |
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| SIFAS dancers in Krishna Bharatham |
Bharatanatyam is one of the most cherished and popular of classical Indian dance-forms. It is popular not only in India but also outside it. It is often considered the epitome of Indian cultural expression. Today it occupies the same niche in the East, as ballet occupies in the West. It is a highly revered art form, performed on concert stage. The dance is said to be based on the Natya Shastra, a treatise believed to have been written by sage Bharata between 500BC and 500 AD. Its grammar and aesthetics are today traced by many to this treatise and to later works like Abhinaya Darpana.
Themes are sacred and secular; myriad
stories and situations are depicted and it can take the form of a solo or group
presentation. It was not always performed on stage. It originated as a
solo dance form Sadir or Dasiattam, which was performed in temples and courts
in South India as ritual dance. Like all Indian performing arts, Bharatanatyam
too traces its origin to religion. Hereditary practitioners, many of whom were
supported by temples in South India, originally practiced it. Until the 1920s
this dance was the preserve of devadasis or temple dancers. However, during the
British rule of India, this dance form fell into some disrepute, which led to
the abolition of the institution of devadasis, who were deemed immoral by the
British. The devadasi's role in secular society was questioned, as she was
perceived not as an artist but as a courtesan.
As a temple dance, the purpose of Sadir or
Dasiattam was to give symbolic expression to religious concepts. Devotion or
Bhakti was the dominant mood of the dance and it was portrayed through the
medium of love or Sringara. The Supreme God took on the form of a lover so that
the devotee could gain access to the sacred through expression of love or
Sringara, which was the motif of most solo dances in those days. These concepts
permeated the lyrics of most of the songs in those days.
After the 1920s the dance form slowly
underwent a subtle transformation and re-emerged as a secular form performed on
stage by non-hereditary dancers. Educated elite, including E Krishna Iyer, a
lawyer and Rukmini Devi, a theosophist spearheaded this revival and the dance
form slowly passed from the purview of traditional families into the hands of
the educated. Many changes were brought into the presentation as a result of
this transition, including a new name, Bharatanatyam. Dasiattam, which was an
esoteric temple dance, metamorphosed into Bharatanatyam, an artistic
presentation performed on stage.
Though the form still remains rooted in tradition, it
flourishes in the modern milieu because it is immensely suited to adaptation on
stage. It has accommodated itself very well to new themes, and to the demands
of the modern world. New themes, new techniques and new methods of staging have
enabled the dance to make this transition from temple to stage in a smooth
manner. Rukmini Devi who was instrumental in starting Kalakshetra, was a
pioneer in this movement from temple to stage.
As Bharatanatymam moved from the temple to
the stage, some of the older themes were deemed as archaic and irrelevant to
the modern times, especially its predominant nayika-nayaka theme which was
considered somewhat out of tune with current secular practices. As with any art
form, what has prevailed today is a mix of the old and new. While traditional
repertoires called Margams centred around the nayika-nayaka theme with Sringara
(love) as the leitmotif are still performed by solo artistes, and are
considered most suited to unfold the major dimensions of the dance form, many newer themes are being performed on stage today to much critical acclaim.
While the traditional format has thrived,
many solo and group productions have turned to the vast repository of
literature available in India, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata to mount
productions not based on the Margam format. Many artistes have delved even
further and interpreted these classics in their own creative ways and have come
up with several abstract productions.
Rukmini Devi was one such icon- she was a pioneer of group productions.
Her greatest contribution to Kalakshetra and to Bharatanatyam is her production
and staging of dance dramas. She
invited several great musicians to Kalakshetra to guide her in this process. These dance dramas were meticulously
researched and exquisitely mounted ensemble pieces, originally choreographed by
Rukmini Devi herself. Beginning
with Kuttrala Kuravanji and Kalidasa’s Kumara Sambhavam, she went on to create
many master-pieces, including the six-part Ramayana series. These dance dramas
gave Bharatanatyam a hitherto unseen dimension.
In addition to the ever-popular original
dance dramas, Kalakshetra also encouraged its faculty and alumni to experiment
in newer themes. Sheejith Krishna,
an alumnus and erstwhile faculty member of Kalakshetra pioneered several such
thematic productions, which were both contemporary and abstract in theme, while
following the classical idiom. Pravaha, which will be showcased by SIFAS* at
Esplanade is one such endeavour. It will showcase the journey of rain, river
and cloud through stories both sacred and secular, through the medium of
Bharatanatyam.
We can see that Bharatanatyam has not remained frozen but evolved over time. The technique and vocabulary of this dance-form can indeed be used to depict a variety of themes and artistic concepts. Many practitioners, through their imaginative and creative interpretations, have given a new momentum to the traditional repertoire, and enhanced the value of this art form; many others have added to the treasure trove by exploring new aspects, prompted not only by their own artistic perceptions, but also by such factors as changes in the audience mix, changes in the performing milieu and societal context. Creative choreographers and dancers have used this dance form in recent times to present many abstract ideas like nationalism, feminine power (Shakti) and the sanctity of the environment. Thus, the dance-form has been anything but static in regard to its repertoire; indeed, it has shown a remarkable capacity for absorbing innovations
* SIFAS has been showcasing Bharatanatyam dancers in recitals, both at the SIFAS auditorium and in other venues for several years. The dancers who are pictured above have performed in the SIFAS festival of Classical music & dance over the years.
By Renuka Vaidyanathan
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