D06141 Lesson 1 Movements in Dance

The ancient Tamils were experts in the art of dancing. Several books and "Natyasastra texts" were written in order to explain the techniques and nuances of dancing. This lesson talks about one of the most ancient classical dance forms of Tamil Nadu - the Baratanatyam. The lesson falls into 4 main sections that explain the movements in Baratanatyam. The basic rhythmic movements of the body alongwith hand gestures and simple footwork are called "adavus". In the first half of the nineteenth century, 4 talented brothers hailed today as the "Tanjore Quartet" organized all the basic baratnatyam movements into a progressive series, i.e. the adavus. Each adavu is a basic unit taught in a systematic order and then combined with others to produce choreographed sequences. An extensive training in the adavus prepares the dancers for more complex movements. It also disciplines the body and the mind. There are a total of 120 adavus. Karanam is the movement of the parts of the body to depict certain postures in dance. There are 108 karanams. All the 108 karanams are sculpted in the gopuram of the famous Chidambaram temple. "Tholkappiam" defines the attributes of the male and the female dancers. Based on this, dance is classified as "thandava" and "laasiya". "Thandava", which is the cosmic dance performed by Lord Shiva has vigorous, brisk movements characteristic of the male dancer. "Laasiya", performed by goddess Parvathi has soft, gentle and graceful movements associated with the female dancer. Literary texts such as the "Kalithogai", "Silapathigaram", "Thirumanthiram", "Thiruvasagam" and "Periyapuranam" abound in allusions to the thandava of Lord Shiva. Abinaya, which is the expressive aspect of dance, is the soul of Baratnatyam. As abinaya is the technique of communicating a message, the emphasis is on facial expressions and hand gestures. The hand gestures are called "mudras". The movement of the neck, the eyes and the position of the feet are also important in abinaya.