Appreciating Bharatanatyam

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About the Book

A Bharatanatyam performance is an effective mix of communicative and non-communicative aspects. The communicative aspect is called Abhinaya.

The non-communicative Part comprises pure dance sequences. These segments called Nritta, add zest and life to a performance. Every Nritta sequence is a well-planned sequence of individual units called adavus.

A full-length performance usually goes on for about 1 ½ hours and consists of about 6-7 items. Alarippu, Pushpanjali, Jathiswaram, Sabdam, Varnam, Padam, Javali, Thillana etc. are the traditional items. Each item has its own unique proportion of Nritta and Abhinaya. A complete set of the traditional items is called Margam. The longest item is the Varnam. Here, long sequences of orally uttered rhythmic syllables called Jathi are performed. This is a unique speciality of Bharatanatyam.

The tradition jewellery of Bharatanatyam which is very typical of the style, is made by jewellers in Vadaseri in Nagercoil. It is made of silver and covered with gold foil and is embossed with stones of red and white having a characteristic dull and muted finish.

This book discusses all the above aspects of Bharatanatyam and more in full detail with lot of multi colour photographs. All single and double hand mudras, navarasas, conceptual pictures and so have been captured in multi colour in glossy in glossy foreign art paper making this book a visual delight. Another rare feature of the book is the capturing of the making process, work shop and artisans involved in the temple jewellary craft in the remote Vadaseri.

An added attraction of the book is the segment, Bharatanatyam-Word by Word, which is designed as quick scanner with a convenient index to enable referring to specific terms without necessarily running through the whole book.

This book, with its unique features, is sure to help readers to get closer to Bharatanatyam.

Contents