a look at the elements of indian classical dance from natyasastra

excerpts from "Movement and Mimesis" The idea of dance in the sanskritic tradition by Mandakranta Bose.

The Nataysastra of Bharata muni is the earliest and most extensive work on all aspects of drama, dance and music. The fourth chapter of Natyasastra (NS) is entirely devoted to dance.

dance, as as said in NS, was created for beauty's sake. The terms bharata muni uses for this dance are two- nrtta and tandava.
NS chapter 4 (259-61)

Recakas, angaharas, and the pindibandhas were created by god (siva) and then given to the sage Tandu. That method of dancing which was then created by him (Tandu) accompanied by appropriate songs and drums is known as Tandava.
The compound nrttaprayoga in the last line equates tandava with nrtta.

Nrtta is described as an artform which is beautified with angaharas made of various karanas.

Karana is the basic unit of dancing and NS has prescribed 108 karanas.

A combination of karnas numbering six to nine makes an angahara, which can be descibed as basic dance sequence.

NS says such nrtta beautify a dramamtic performance when used in the purvanga or prelimeneries of a dramatic presentation.

Recakas are defined as the basic movements of the feet, hips, hands and neck which Bharat describes in chapter four.

Pindibandhas are group dances that constitute a distinct phase of the prelimenaries following the introductory dancing. the purpose of pindibandhas is to invoke the blessings of the gods. Pindibndhas are dedicated to different gods who are denoted by their emblems, which are represnted by the formations created by the dancers.

The presentation of Dance as described in fourth chapter;
A performance meant for the offering of flowers (pushpanjali) at the beginning of a play which consists of abstarct dance movements ((paryastaka)non-mimetic) with the accompaniment of drums and (abhinaya)mimetic action set to songs without the accompaniment of drums.

Bharata doesnt specify the names of movements to be employed. There is mention of only the opening posture; vaisakha sthana, which incidently is the initial stance of the bharatantyam style today.

The presentation is described thus: a female dancer performs nrtta to the palying of the drums, offers flowers, moves around, bows to the gods and mimes the meaning of a song without the accompaniment of drums. After this she exits and a group of dancers enter and present various formations (pindibandhas)resembling the emblems of various gods and then they exit. the main dancer enters again and repeats her performance and abhinaya. she exits and group dancers re-enter and repeat their group formations.
This presentation seems to be similar to what we see in the varnam of the bharatanatyam of today except for the part played by group dancers.


(to be cont...d)

interview- bharati sivaji

The one who came from outside the state to kerala in the 1970s to understand the flavour of the region in order to enrich its very own classical dance form called mohiniyattam; bharati sivaji whose unrelenting and untiring efforts have greatly contributed in giving mohiniyattam its present stature by adding its own flavour to it and spreading it world over.

In her sixties, her untiring effort continues and is all set to take mohiniyattam to the common wealth games cultural event.


Q: you had a long journey in mohiniyattam, how has it been so far?
It has been a great journey with many facets. The beginning of the journey was in darkness as I didn’t know what exactly I was looking for. I was groping in the dark. Then slowly things started coming into light. It has been a wonderful experience to tap the soil of kerala and feel its hidden flavour. It has been a journey of discovery and re-discovery; a divine experience which many people wouldn’t have had.


Q: you came to kerala in the 1970’s to work on mohiniyattam, what was your expectation when you came to kerala and what was your experience
I had no expectation to begin with but I had a certain idea about mohiniyattam, the lasya style(lasya nrittam) of dance. I didn’t know where to look for the lasya element in the kerala and a major part of my journey was spent in surveying the various facets of the culture and tradition of the region. Then I had to see what I could take to enrich mohiniyattam by adding more of its own flavour. I was very sure from the beginning that mohiniyattam needed some embellishment/ enrichment to improve its stature as a dance form.

Q: during your course of study, has there been any other art form that particularly interested youI cant pin point any one art form or any particular element that inspired me. Like how it’s a combination of various ingredients that make a particular taste/flavour (ruchi). The flavour of kerala lies hidden (layichu kidakkunnu) in the different aspects of its culture and tradition like the temple architecture, musical tradition, sculpture, dance dramas, tala patterns, et al. the flavour of kerala is hidden in many aspects of its cultural heritage. It is upon a dancer’s sensibility what he or she wants to pick from various sources.


Q: do you think some of the traditional art forms need special attention to preserve itMost of the traditional art forms of kerala like the dance drama tradition of koodiyattam, kathakali, krishnantattam et al are very rich, structured and codified. Generally if you see, the audience for classical dance is reducing but that doesn’t mean the art form is dying. They are there still very rich and able to withstand the test of time. Probably this kind of rich art tradition one may not find in any other culture.


Q: in what way have you been able to enrich mohiniyattam after your study of the diff aspects of kerala.

I worked on the adavus (the basic body movements) and started structuring and codifying them. I felt the nritta (pure dance Shuddha nrittam) aspect of mohiniyattam has to be given great importance as it is very unique. And secondly the format of mohiniyattam repertoire (kutcheri) had to be re-constructed. It couldn’t survive just on certain usual padams which was composed some years ago. It needed to be refreshed and so I looked at the rich literary tradition that kerala has. I thought of adopting from that using my own sensibilities. Here I have to mention that I had the guidance of Sri kavalam narayana panikker to fulfill my desire to give a new, higher stature for mohiniyattam nationally and internationally.

Q; are u happy with the present status of mohiniyattam?
Very much. Very happy to see that mohiniyattam which was always clubbed with kathakali has now got its own identity and is considered as one of the major classical dance forms of India.

Q: considering that mohiniyattam is a dance form of kerala do u think there are enough number of mohiniyattam dancers from kerala who have made a mark in the national and international scene?Now there are many dancers from kerala getting recognition because of their good work. Wherever there is good work it will be recognized. Jut because you are a keralite you can’t be excused. You have to prove your worth as an artiste.

Q: you said the audience for classical dance is reducing, according to you what can be done to improve the situation?
Today the film and pop culture has taken the centre stage. There is lot of scope in classical dance to be tapped in and given a cotemporary feel. The beauty of tradition is that it can be modernised. Tradition can be re-intrepreted, re-discovered and re-looked. The human emotions, its intricacies and complexities are so beautifully depicted in our epics that it has tremendous scope for re-interpretation. Similarly in traditional/classical art forms, refreshing changes can be brought about without deviating from tradition. Anything that’s monotonous can become uninteresting. So one need to constantly re-invent. The artistes themselves are responsible to create interest in the audience. The new generation has lot of enthusiasm and creative ideas which they should put to good use. One has the freedom to widen the scope of rasa and bhava in the compositions. Not necessary that mohiniyattam should deal with only lovelorn nayikas.

Q: though mohiniyattam is an indigenous dance form of kerala, the general tendency is that people prefer fast moving dance forms like kuchipudi.
I personally feel that every state should promote their art forms. In tamilnadu or Andhra Pradesh it’s bharatanatyam and kuchipudi respectively that’s promoted and accepted. Why can’t kerala do that? Why the state and the people can’t be proud of their art forms?? It is the state government that holds the responsibility for the current situation. If a non-keralite like me had to take up mohiniyattam seriously for its promotion and propagation, there is something drastically wrong in the system. Why give mohiniyattam, bharatanatyam and kuchipudi equal status? People will naturally like whats fast and kicking.

Q: similarly the trend here is that students learn bharatantyam, mohiniyattam and kuchipudi, all at the same time.

This practice is faulty. Because where is the need and how is it possible to learn all the three dance forms at the same time? Each form has its own distinct style and to learn the different technique of each style correctly is humanly impossible.

Q: so what would you advice the students.

It takes one’s life time to specialize or master one style of dance; it’s not meager changing of costume that makes a particular dance style. The youth festival is what has corrupted the scene in kerala. This trend is found only in kerala. You have to practice and perfect one style of dance form.

Q: having studied the culture and tradition of kerala what’s the unique feature that you found about the region

I found that kerala is very distinct and independent from its neighboring states. In terms of traditional values kerala has an identity of its own.


Q; the colour of the costume in mohiniyattam is white and also people generally wear white attire, what do u think is the reason behind it?The reason could perhaps be the early Jain influence which had a certain satvik quality about it. At one point of time Buddhism was prevalent in kerala after which Jainism spread.

Q: now dancers are adding some colour to the mohniyattam costume, your comment on that
Yes, I feel there is nothing wrong as long as the white base is kept intact. A little change here and there is always refreshing.

Q: you have been a great patron of sopana sangeetha. Why do you think it suits mohiniyattam better?
Sopana sangeethanm isn’t very different from carnatic music. The base of sopana sangeetham lies in carnatic music but the difference is in the rendering which gives it a very distinct regional flavour. It brings in more bhava and hence called bhava geetham. I feel sopana sangeetham greatly compliments mohiniyattam.

Q: why aren’t many mohiniyattam dancers patronizing saopna sangeetham?It is because there are very few practitioners of sopnana sangeetham and also carnatic music has become so popular and established with mohiniyattam kutcheri itself from the time of maharaja sri swati tirunal. It takes a great effort to understand sopana sangeethama and know the nuances of its rendering. One must be musically inclined too. It’s thus easier to adopt readily available carnatic compositions.

Q; could u tell us something about ur mohiniyattam institute and ur teaching methodology.

It was first established in delhi in 1984 as kala ambalam later it was renamed in 1995 as centre for mohiniyattam. I give great importance to technique in my style of mohiniyattam. The upper body(parsvam (olachil) movement and andolika movements (chuzhippu) is unique for this dance form. To any beginner I start with this basic training to loosen their torso. We cant only talk about lasya and not show it.

Q: what do you think is the ideal age for a student to start training in mohiniyattam.
Mohiniyattam is a very difficult dance form unlike bharatanatyam which is easy to teach and learn and a child can learn it from very young age say by five or so. But in mohiniyattam, because of the rounded movements, torso movements as well as its fluidity, it is difficult for a child to get it in the body. The movements has to co ordinate with the footwork and there should be grace which cant be taught. So I feel 14 or 15 is a right age to start training in mohiniyattam. Children can be inititated to bharatantyam meanwhile for a base in any dance discipline. Baratantatyam is a good base where a child learns as to how the body moves and how it can be disciplined. After a while they can specialize in their chosen dance form.

Q: your daughter vijayalakshmi has also taken up mohiniyattam and has taken the dance form to different venues in India and abroad what do u feel about it??She is much more modern and caters to the modern audience but has firm roots in the dance form. She knows what today’s audience wants and tries to present mohiniyattam to a wider audience. She feels tradition need not be stagnated but can grow with the input of the dancer.


Q: whats the significane of classical and traditional art forms, how does it add value to the society.
Very much. You find human values ingrained only in classical or traditional art forms. It is something which grooms you to be a fine human being if you practice it properly. You don’t find these values in any other discipline. These dance forms are more of a philosophy rather than entertainment which has to be practiced, experienced and interpreted all through your life. Such is the magnitude and the essence of traditional and classical art forms, which you find only in india. It is a mind and body discipline. Very few of the present generation is aware of its values. People are drawing from tradition but don’t know its value and they tend to dilute it. That’s very sad.

Q: what would you like to tell the young dancers of KeralaI would like to say that they should be proud of their art forms. Let them not get into the youth festival attitude where you learn a bit of mohiniyattam, bit of bharatantyam and so on. It doesn’t do justice to an art form. Would a kathakali artiste do that?? Do something for the dance form and be focused on it. You can do a lot for mohiniyattam. Quality is important. Whatever you do in life do it qualitatively not quantitatively. Build up that quality and your work will be appreciated.