Bharatanatyam has various rules laid down in a book called the Natya Shastra, written by Bharata Muni. These rules include the different ways to hold the hands, eyes, head, neck, legs while dancing. There are three shlokas which pertain to the different movements of each part of the body. Dhrishti Bheda Shiro Bheda Greeva Bheda Dhristi Bheda (eye movements) Drishthi in sanskrit means “vision”. Drishti Bedha's help us classify different movements as how we move our eyeballs. We use each of these different movements in our daily life, but they also have their own identification. In Drishti Bheda, there are a total of nine types of eye movements. 1. Samam: Eye straight forward without any movement. 2. Aalokitham: Roll eye balls in a circular pattern. 3. Saachi: Eye balls side to side to the corner of the eyes. 4. Praalokitha: Right to Left eye movement. 5. Nimeelithe: eyes half closed. 6. Ullokitha: eyeballs looking up. 7. Anuvritte: Rapid movement of eye balls up and down. 8. Thathaachaiva: Looking upwards. 9. Avalokita: Looking down. Shloka (saying) : Samam Allokitham Saachi Praalokitha Nimeelithe Ullokitha-anuvritte cha thathaa chaiva-avalokitha. Shiro Bheda (head movements) Shira in sanskrit means ” head”. Head movements are called Shiro bheda's. Shiro Bheda's help us classify different movements of how we move our head. While doing different head positions, bhava is also expressed. In Shiro Bheda, there are a total of nine types of head movements. 1. Samam: Head straight forward without any movement. 2. Udvaahitham: Head upwards. 3. Adhomukham: Head downwards. 4. Alolitham: Roll in circular pattern. 5. Dhutam: Right to Left head movement. 6. Kampitam: Up and down head movement. 7. Paravrittam: Sharp turn of head either right or left. 8. Ukshiptam: Head raised. 9. Parivahittam: Slight head shake right and left. Shloka (saying) : Samam Udhvaahitham Aalokitham Adhomukha-lolitam Dhutam Kampitham cha Paraavrittam Ukshiptam Parivaahitham. Greeva Bheda (neck movements) Greeva in sanskrit means "neck". Neck movements are called Greeva bheda's. These Bedha's increase the quality and enhance the manner of abhinaya. Neck movements are essential for grace and nritta. In Greeva Bheda's, there are a total of four typed of neck movements. 1. Sundari: Neck side to side, also called attami. 2. Tirashchina: Upward side to side, v-shape. 3. Prarivartita: Neck in semicircle motion. 4. Prakampita: Neck moved in and out like a duck. Shloka (saying) : Sundareecha thirashcheena thathaiva parivarthitha Prakampithaacha bhaavagner neya greeva chaturvidha. | |
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Araimandi is a very important posture in Bharatanatyam. It becomes a comfortable posture with practice. In this posture, the back should not jut out, the stomach should not protrude and the torso should not bend forward. The 'Brahmasutra' (the vertical imaginary line passing through the centre of the body) is in balance. This means that the araimandi (half sit posture) adjusts according to the height of the dancer. Adavus or steps are the building blocks of Bharathanatyam. There are different types of adavus and the nomenclature or naming also varies according to the style or Pani. There are many styles or tradition of Bharatanatyam , the most common of which being the Vazhuvoor, Kalakshetra, Pandanallur, Mysore and Thanjavur styles. It may be noticed all the styles were born in a particular region after which it is names. The styles may vary in the execution aspects, for example the postion of the head , the gait, leaps or a particular way the hand is held, or the dramatic extent of their expressions, but basically conform to the Fundamental Bharathnatyam Nritta and Nritya techniques.
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Nritta Nrtitta is the pure technical dance that is based on music alone and does not hold any meaning. It is sequences of dance, movements or gestures that are not meant to convey any message. They can be described as a series of poses conntected by a cerain pattern of movement. Nritta is meant to add beauty and elegance to Bharatnatyam. Nritta adds beauty for the audience to see and attracts viewers who have no background of indian art. Nritta is the beginning of training in Bharatnatyam, which consists of a certain sequence of systematized steps that are called aduvus. Adavus, the building blocks of the pure dance are a basic component of Nritta. Aduvus are formed through the posture, leg movements, and hand movements of the dancer. A rhythmic sequence of aduvus is called a jati. A combination of many aduvus forms a korvai and a series of koravais forms a theermanam. All these combinations of movements finally become a bharatnatyam dance item. Adavus Natya Natya can be described as explanatory dance that expresses emotions. The lyrics of the song are conveyed through hasta mudras (hand gestures) and primarily abhinaya (facial expressions). The dancer presents the story of the song through her movements, gestures, poses, and expressions. The main goal of Natya is to impersonate the character that the dancer is depicting for that dance item. The dancer’s internal emotions (bhaava) should be performed in a way that should be felt by the audience. This is the most advance aspect of Indian dance that requires long training, knowledge of Indian mythological and devotional background and lots of experience in order to capture the attention of the audience. Abhinaya Nritya Nritya is the combination of Natya and Nritta. It is an interpretive dance that involves emotions, expressions, and description. It is not mere movement; it has the additional aspect of dance that combines gestures and poses using hands and fingers (hastamudras) and the body itself with facial expressions (abhinaya). |