If you completely immerse yourself in yourself, you will hear the echo of the jewels on Lord Shiva’s feet. Because the Highest dances his cosmic dance simultaneously in the Golden Temple of Chidambaram, the center of the world, as well as within yourself…
Observing the sprouting of seeds, the opening of buds, the scattered leaves in autumn, the crystals of snowflakes in flight, we notice movement that has its order, rhythm, harmony, beauty, its cycles and laws, its beginning, middle, and end. Every culture had its authentic expression and symbols to best and most beautifully convey cosmic events. Indian mythology is imbued with dance and often used dance as an allegory to explain the mystery of the creation of the Universe and natural life processes.
According to one legend, the god Brahma awakened the dead and motionless primal matter of the universe, and it began to tremble. Then he entered that primal matter and, swirling it, created movement, rhythm, time, space, and thought. According to another legend, the gods, holding hands, danced in the primal matter so passionately. A whirlwind of dust formed and became the world. The dance drama bharatanatyam, which combines dance, music, acting, and poetry, speaks of constant movement, creation, life, development, decay, death, and renewal that are not arbitrary but follow nature, the divine, and the ubiquitous. It originated in the far south of India, where the influences of the ancient Dravidian religion, also infused with dance expression, and Brahmanism, especially Shaivism – the cult of Lord Shiva associated with dance, blended. According to Shaivism, the world was created by Shiva, the god of dance, the creator and destroyer in one person. Each of his dances is a complete cycle, incorporating numerous rhythms of life. The source from which theoretical and practical learning was drawn was the ancient text Bharatijanatya Shastra, which, according to myth, was handed down by the supreme god Brahma to Bharati Muni, the father of the ancient Indian theatrical forms. The word natya denotes drama and dance, which are interconnected in Indian culture as stories and texts were performed through dance. It is believed that parts of this extensive work are several millennia old and originated from Vedic texts, but it is estimated that it was compiled between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. It contains all the elements of theatrical art: music, dance and dance symbolism, technique, dramaturgy, style, diction, metrics, as well as corresponding costumes, makeup, stage appearance, and had a great influence on the emergence of all dances in India.
Traditional dance forms in India include two types of dance: tandava – male, dynamic dance style and lasya – female, gentle and subtle. Bharatanatyam combines both types, representing the male and female aspects of the god Shiva, or Shiva and Parvati, the wife of the god Shiva. Additionally, complex dances use various types of dances to express important characteristics of specific parts of a drama. In this sense, according to Natyashastra, there are three types of dance: nritta, nritya, and natya. Nritta is The dramatic part of dance, which is performed with acting and poetry, is called the so-called absolute dance that conveys the cosmic rhythm of the creation of the world. Its most characteristic form is foot drumming, while nrtja represents a descriptive, emotionally emphasized expression that evokes certain mental states in the observer.
All the details in dance are important: body movements, hand gestures, facial expressions, clothing, makeup, jewelry, but also the inner state of the dancer. All of them speak in harmony, conveying a deep message and experience. As Nandikešvara says, teaching dancers in the work Abhinajadarpana:
Where the hand moves, the eyes should be directed,
Where the eyes move, the mind should be directed,
Where the mind moves, bhava should be directed,
And where there is bhava, rasa is created.
Through their inner state (bhava), the performer conveys the mood (rasa) to the gathered audience, which is a crucial part of the performance. According to the classical division, there are eight basic moods: love, courage, empathy, joy… Desire, excitement (amazement), fear, disgust, and anger, and later the ninth, tranquility, are included.
The movements of all parts of the body, as well as other details important for performance, are explained in detail in the work Abhinajadarpana [Mirror of Gestures]. All these complex and interconnected actions together make up the technique of abhinaja, which enables the expression of emotions, i.e., the essence of dance drama. This technique consists of four basic categories:
The training of dance drama artists began between the ages of five and eight and lasted for years. Although there were also male dancers, the most represented were devadasis, divine or sacred dancers. They were literate and educated and belonged to the dedicated and privileged devadasi caste, whose lineage continued through the mother. They had their teacher within the artistic temple schools who directly transmitted their teaching and enabled systematic development of technique and knowledge.
Dance dramas and sacred dances were performed in various dance spaces. There are various buildings in India for performing the rich art of Bharatanatyam, ranging from open natural spaces, temples, and palaces to specially constructed theater buildings. Different structures were built for the performance of this art form: the larger ones for the gods, smaller ones for rulers, and triangular-shaped buildings for the general public.
A complete Bharatanatyam performance lasts for three hours and consists of six parts. This sequence of dance pieces is compared to the process of entering a temple, approaching the altar, gradually establishing communication, and merging completely with the deity.
The dance begins with a greeting to the deity, an opening or blossoming. This is the introductory part of the dance performed through nrrtu, gradually accelerating the rhythm while following the guru who articulates rhythmic speech syllables. In this part, various forms and basic movements of the dance are presented.
The initial posture of the dancer truly resembles a closed bud, with her hands clasped above her head, the upper part of the body slightly inclined forward, and the legs pressed together… As soon as the music begins, her face lights up.
She lives, her lips dissolve into a smile, and her head slowly moves from the nape of her neck to the right and left, which is a typical Indian expression of joy. Then follow the movements of the eyes, shoulders, and hands. After that, she greets the teacher and prominent guests by folding her hands in front of her face, and the remaining presence in the same position in front of the chest.
The second part is also in the form of nrrta, but now accompanied by music and a drummer with whom the dancer improvises a rhythmic game by intertwining and encouraging each other for a more skillful performance. The third part of the dance, in which a short performance of nrrta is followed by the interpretation of a song through body movements, represents a certain introduction to the dramatic part of the performance. According to some interpretations, in this part of the dance, the dancer comes into contact with the sacred and indicates the moment of divine presence. The most complex, central part of the dance contains all the elements of bharatanatyam. It is in this part that the art of descriptive-sensory dance expression is most evident, which can last for about an hour. The dancer sings some songs while performing others through hand and body movements. This part is considered to depict the merging and connection with the divine and represents a complete blossoming of dance. In the fifth part, the dancer expresses the content of a love song, mainly using facial and hand movements. Bharatanatyam concludes with the performance of tillane, the final part of the dance drama, which represents catharsis in which lively movements of absolute dance and dramatic expressions alternate, until finally the dancer, in ecstasy, bids farewell to the enchanted audience with a dance greeting.
Bharatanatyam was a form of yoga – a striving for perfection and connection with the divine. Like any traditional art, it was associated with religious ideas, and the skill of the artist enabled the most faithful transmission of the metaphysical expression of the sacred story. The dance conveyed a message that stirred the inner being of the observer, leading them to contemplation of inner states, understanding, transcendence, cultivation, and transformation.
The presence in the dance drama enabled a ritual, a sacred act that provided the attendees with the potential for immersing oneself in a deep state of dedication and beauty, in order to experience the rare taste of divine inspiration in those special moments.