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Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s1.t7: Bharatanatyam

Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s1.t7

Language
English

Bharatanatyam

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Bharatanatyam is one of the Indian classical dances. It originated from Tamil Nadu, India, and is one of the most ancient dances of India. People mistakenly believe that Bharatanatyam is the meaning of “Indian (Bharata) dance (Natyam)”. But the authority believes that the name has only been used for 50 years, and its early name was ‘*Sadir*

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Hand movement (mudra) of Bharatanatyam

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*Kacheri*’, ‘*Dasiattam*’, etc. The most popular opinion is that Bharata is composed of the prefix of three words - bhava (expression), raga (melody) and tala (rhythm). These three main factors are like three pillars to support the pure style of Bharatanatyam. Another opinion is that Bharatanatyam was founded based on the theoretical system of ‘*Natyashastra*’, so it follows the name of the author - Bharata.

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**Performance style** Bharatanatyam is divided into three forms: absolute dance (nritta), narrative performance (nritya) and dance drama (natya). Absolute dance consists of some basic movements. Arms help enable a geometric figure such as straight lines, right angle or triangle, legs keep half squat with both knees open, and footsteps strike the ground fast or slowly with the music, displaying the beauty of balance, symmetry and strength. Narrative performance is a higher level of performance. It requires dancers to express emotions like joy and sorrow by facial expressions, hand gestures and body movements. Dance drama is the combination of absolute dance and narrative performance. It is to tell the story according to the theme. ‘*Abhinaya Darpana*’ is a masterpiece about performance art in ancient India. It was written in 5th century BC - 2nd century BC, and has detailed descriptions about drama, dance and music. It is generally believed that ‘*Abhinaya Darpana*’ appears before ‘*Natyashastra*’, with more contents, and is the essential reference book of theory for dancers of Bharatanatyam. ‘*Abhinaya Darpana*’ makes detailed regulation of the application of different parts of the body. For example, gestures can be divided into 28 one-hand gestures and 23 two-hand gestures, and it also expounds the various usages of gestures. For example, one-hand with five fingers outstretched successively is like a blooming lotus (Alapadma), and it can also represent mountain, face, bun, moon, beauty and other meanings. The use of these gestures and sign language is fully embodied in the narrative performance of Bharatanatyam.

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The traditional Bharatanatyam has several fixed parts in its performance process. Usually, Alarippu is the first part, meaning the blossoming of flower buds. Jati Swaram represents the perfect combination of rhythm and musical notes, which is absolute dance in the second part. From the third part - Shabdam, dancers begin to show the technique of narrative performance. Shabdam means vocabulary, which is the basic unit of the language, thus meaning the early stage of narrative performance. Varnam is the most important part of traditional Bharatanatyam, with absolute dance and narrative performance alternating, and the lasting time is longer, between 30 minutes and an hour. Varna is the touchstone of dancing level, so only independently accomplishing this part can dancers continue to learn. Then, there is Kiltanam with fast rhythm, and Padam with soothing and lyrical performance (Abhinaya), and the last part is Tillana, namely, the end of absolute dance. In the end, there are a few lines of a poem, accompanyed with a difficult dance and a fast rhythm.

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A Bharatanatyam performance at International Mahabalipuram Dance Festival 2013

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A sculpted image in copper of the Lord of Dance, Nataraj Shiva, discovered at India’s Tiruvannamalai, now preserved in the National Museum in New Delhi

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**Nataraja** Bharatanatyam is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and customs, which can be documented in literature, temple sculpture and philosophy. Dance is considered to be from Siva. He is the god of destruction, and also the king of dance. Siva first imparts dance on his wife Parvati. When he dances the Tandava, the most masculine beauty in the world, she will do the Lasya, which is the most delicate and feminine of dances displaying cooperation. Hinduism believes that the universe operates in the constant creation, protection and destruction. Brahma takes charge of creation, Vishnu takes charge of protection, while Shiva is to destroy the world with dance. Destruction is also rebirth, and Siva's dance rhythm is the rhythm of the universe. Among the numerous models of Siva, the king of dance is unique. His right hand holds Dhamaru, symbolizing the creation of the universe. According to legend, the first object created by the universe is sound, and sound constantly creates new sound again. His left hand holds a ball of fire, symbolising the destruction of fallacy and the spread of truth. Both hands balance the creation and destruction, and support the operation of the universe. The right hand is put before his chest, with palms in the front, which symbolises fearlessness and blessing, the other hand hangs down forward slightly, pointing to the left foot lifted, which symbolises the shake-off of all bondage. His waist is tied with tiger skin, which symbolises destruction of anger and majesty, and such anger and majesty are changed into compassion and kindness under Siva's sincerity (Satvikam). He puts the poisonous snake as a beautiful garland on his chest. Dwarf is a symbol of folly, so Siva steps on it. His body is the cosmic space, his eyes are the sun and the moon, the third eye on the forehead is the fire of wisdom, his flying hair is a symbol of wisdom, the meniscus on the head represents the highest creativity, and his smile can help eliminate the torment of Karma. The 108 dancing postures of Siva are inscribed on the stone pillars in Chidambaram temple, and it's said that they are left by Siva when he descends to the world and dances in this temple.

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**Devadasi** Until the beginning of the 20th century, dancing still played a vital role in the religious rites of Indian temples. Dancers and their teachers (guru) and musicians were highly respected and accepted the offerings of the temple. In religious rites, dancers performed in front of the statue of Buddha. They were proficient in sacrificial ceremony, familiar with all kinds of offerings and praying scriptures, and played an extremely important role in the process of worshiping god. The dancing girl would be formally married to the gods and her first adorer, which was also the male's liturgy. These girls were called Devadasi. As dancers, they also often performed during auspicious activities. At that time, the temple was probably the most convenient place for people to watch such performances, and Devadasis enjoyed the living guarantee and highest honour. During the reign of British colonists, the position of Devadasis suffered a disastrous decline. They went to the palace or manor for performances, and sang praises of rulers accompanied with dance performances, which gradually lost religious significance. With political instability and change of artistic value of intellectual class, Devadasi lost the original social support, and Bharatanatyam was also on the verge of extinction.

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Dancer Balasaraswati

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*Bharatanatyam dancer Rukmini Devi*

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**Revival of Bharatanatyam and Rukmini Devi** The declining situation of Bharatanatyam deeply affected those who truly loved this art, so a revival movement gradually rose. Represented by Rukmini Devi, numerous supporters of Bharatanatyam started their rescue action, and wanted it to return to its previous glory. Indian theosophist, dancers and choreographers of Bharatanatyam and defender of animal rights - Rukmini Devi (February 29, 1904 - February 24, 1986) are the most important representatives of the revival movement of Bharatanatyam. Although born in a senior Brahman family, Rukmini Devi completely disregarded the pressure from public opinion, and learned Bharatanatyam from an unemployed Devadasi, which had become a vulgar art in the people’s eyes at that time. She also performedin public, fully displaying the beauty of the dance form. And she also rejected the dross and gave it a noble and elegant original appearance. In 1936, Rukmini together with her husband, established an academy of arts in the name of Kalakshetra, and hired a Brahman and Devadasi who worked in the temples to teach in the form of a traditional private school (Gurukul system). They collected the traditional dances and imparted them to students, and began to write new works. The school became a world famous professional school of Bharatanatyam, and cultivated a large number of artistic talents to carry forward the traditional art. Leela Samson, a famous contemporary dancer of Bharatanatyam in India, is one of the top students of Rukmini. When following the traditional art, she also constantly made verious changes to form her own style. Her performance is exquisite and vivid, elegant and dignified, receiving high praise from audiences. In the 1990s, she earned the Padma Shri, and served as the Dean of Kalakshetra Academy of Arts between 2005-2012. Now, she is the Chairman of the Indian Music and Drama Association (Sangeet

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*Chinese dancer Jin Shanshan’s Bharatanatyam performance*

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Natak Akademi), and President of the Indian Central Board Film Certification. Leela Samson has even taught Chinese students, including many artistes of Bharatanatyam, such as Zhang Jun. She is the one who made the largest contribution in the spread of Bharatanatyam in China.

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**Bharatanatyam in China** People who first brought the concept of Bharatanatyam to modern China is the Chinese dancer, Dai Ailian. Under the entrustment of premier Zhou Enlai, she opened an oriental music and dance class in Beijing Dance Academy in the 1950s, preparing for the opening up of China’s cultural diplomacy road. In the meantime, she even visited India, and brought back many teaching materials of Bharatanatyam to China. During this period, Zhang Jun, the expert on Indian dance, stood out. Zhang Jun studied in India four times, and mastered the systematical techniques of Bharatanatyam, and these techniques were more widely used after her graduation. The repertoire ‘*Alarippu*’ of China Oriental Performing Arts Group was her initial dance. In 1991, Zhang Jun led three students to perform Bharatanatyam for the Indian President, Ramaswamy Venkataraman who visited China, and received his praise. In 2002, Zhang Jun taught Bharatanatyam in the oriental music and dance class in Beijing Dance Academy, and in 2004, wrote the book ‘*Coursebook of Bharatanatyam*’. In addition, there were many people learning this dance form in India, such as Liu Youlan, Zheng Yun, Su Baohua, Lin Ping, Yu Feifei and others. Jin Shanshan, a Bharatanatyam dancer, has had excellent performances on stage in China now, and learned from Zhang Jun and Su Baohua when she was young. Because of her love for Bharatanatyam, she went to Peking University to study Indian language and culture. In 1994, she went to India for further studies, and while learning Hindi, she also learned Bharatanatyam. Jin Shanshan is one of the most brilliant students of Leela Samson. She held a solo dance performance in New Delhi in 1998, and later became the performer of Spanda dance troupe created by Leela, which is well-known in India and even across the world. In 2000, Jin Shanshan served as the dance demonstrator of Zhang Jun in her tutorial teaching demonstration video discs ‘*Coursebook of Bharatanatyam*’. In 2002, she assisted Zhang Jun’s teaching of Bharatanatyam in the oriental music and dance class in Beijing Dance Academy. In 2005, Jin Shanshan established Sangeetham Indian Classical Art Centre, and began to cultivate new emerging forces. Her students were not only from China, but also from India. In 2009, she led her students to perform Bharatanatyam for heads of state from India and China, receiving high praises.

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*Indian dancer Leela Samson*

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After Kamala Lakshman’s sisters visited China in the 1950s, there have been many Indian Bharatnatyam dancers who went to China for performances, including Indrani Rahman (1955), Mrinalini Sarabhai (1978), Rukmini Devi (1984), Leela Samson (1984, 2002, 2008), Mallika Sarabhai (2002), Rama Vaidyanathan (2012) and Sonal Mansingh (2012).

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(Jin Shanshan)

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