A little bit of History..

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It is one of the oldest Indian dance forms, has a tradition of more then 2000 years. It is said to be performed in temples by Devadasis (women dedicated to serve the lord) in ancient times. Many of the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples are based on Bharatanatyam dance postures.

Bharatanatyam is also thought to have been created by the Bharata Muni, a Hindu sage, who wrote the Natya Shastra, the most important ancient treatise on classical India, which describes everything from Classical Dance, Music, stage craft, literature and fine arts of India.

The two hundred year colonial rule in India brought massive changes to the society and the Arts and everything else Indian. In the westerners' eyes, the Devadasi tradition was considered little better than prostitution, and thus treated; it was inevitable that it fell into disrepute. The medieval Rajas (Rulers of kingdoms) gave less Patronage to the art form and used the dance as entertainment. The classical science of dance was ignored. At that time a dancer was considered a woman of ill repute.
By the 1930s however, the rising national consciousness that had awakened across India led to reformation not only in the social, but also in the cultural spheres. Rukmini Devi Arundale of Kalakshetra and E. Krishna Iyer are one of the few who purified and raised the social status of the dance form. It is now respected and performed on stage by both men and women.

Bharatanatyam is traditionally performed on Carnatic music (South Indian Classical) and both together are deeply grounded in Bhakti tradition (devotion).

Bharatanatyam dancers now have now taken this dance form to new heights with their creativity and included it in contemporary and modern Indian choreography.

Bibliography:
wikipedia.org
geetachandran.tripod.com

My tryst with Bharatanatyam

The dance form dearest to me is Bharatanatyam, which i began learning at the age of 6 with my first guru Padmashri Geeta Chandran in Delhi, after 1o years of training i performed my Arangetram in 2001, which is a full margam's (repertoire) debut performance in the field of Bharatanatyam. Really, what an experience that was! After that day, there wasnt any looking back. I started performing with Natya Vriksha dance company i.e. Geeta akka's company. I loved performing so much that i began to stop caring about my final examinations! I cant forget the date, 11 May was my Income Tax Delhi university Board exam and i performed on the night of 10 May. Another wonderfully crazy stunt ive performed is to have three shows in one day! Gosh i loved my college life! (2003-2006) and LSR gives you plenty of opportunity if you are involved in a creative field..
Right so about Bharatanatyam (BN), Geeta akka gave us ample opportunities aswell, i performed a solo for an ICCR event and travelled across the country! In 2006 when i came to London i had the pleasure to work with a different guru, Stella Subbaiah, who taught me a different understanding of BN. My school also provided me with some lovely guest teachers in BN like Mavin Khoo, Geeta Sridhar and Krishnamurty sir. With Krishnamurti sir i learnt rhythms, he is so technically brilliant! He helped me compose and work with rhythms id never imagined!

How can a dance form be so rich? It has everything u need - expression, pure dance, abstract qualities, melody in music, unbelievable rhythms, devotion, theatre, discipline, mythology, beauty & aesthetics and a tradition of over 2000 years.

Dance surrounds my life

It felt wierd as a commerce graduate to eat, sleep, drink, work, holiday, educate in dance at first, and now i feel im so use to it that i cant imagining living without eating, sleeping, drinking, working, holiday-ing, educating in dance!
Three dance forms literally surround my life these days. It feels like as if i gave everything up to put myself in this position! ha Im not upset, im ridiculously thrilled to the extent i decided to create this blog! Anyway coming back to the dances that rule my training, performing and teaching abilities are Contemporary dance, Bharatanatyam and Bollywood! yes bollywood, something i had never imagined myself to do being a true classical dancer. But it didnt take time for my mind to open up and i'am happy about it. What is the point of closing yourself to one style of dancing? I dont know if this is the right example but for me, it reminds me of the famous economic theory of 'Diminishing Marginal Utility'. Believe it or not but i actually remember the example printed in my 1st year Eco text book! The example of the glass of water. The first time you drink its awesome specially if your thirsty, second time is good too, but when you drink it over and over again the utility of water diminishes. Iam not saying that i would never have water again! Water is life! it is so required on a hot summer day! It also forms seventy percent of the human body. Similarly like water, Bharatanatyam forms me. It is already inside me and i cant change that.. However i wouldn't mind drinking the glass of water with a lil bit of lemon and sugar. It would probably hydrate me a bit more.