Bharata Natyam

The Bharata natyam is a form of Indian ballet dancing originating in the south of the India which was saved, at the beginning of the 20th century, of an almost total lapse of memory. Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986), which launched in 1936 the Fondation Kalakshetra close to Chennai, thus played an important role in the safeguard of this thousand-year-old art. The origin of the name Bharata natyam comes from Bharata , the Indian name of India and natyam , the word Tamoul for dance.

The bharata natyam is a dance of soloist whose training is very difficult and very length. Often taught with the young girls, it opens more and more to the boys, Raghunath Manet contributes today to diffuse it in whole world. This dance was prohibited to the men under domination English, but authorized in the French colonies (Southern of the country).

The spectacle

A typical spectacle includes/understands the following parts: (not always true)

Ganapati Vandana

A traditional prayer of opening to the god Ganesh, who draws aside the obstacles.

Alarippu

A presentation of the Catholic student (rate/rhythm), continuation of Syllable S sung by the dancer. They are in fact a Invocation the gods so that they bless the spectacle. This dance represents the opening : the increasingly complex postures and movements symbolize blooming of a flower and Article.

Jatiswaram

An abstract dance where the rate/rhythm is stressed by the drum. The dancer shows here her dexterity in the work of the feet and the grace of the movements of her body.

Shabdam

The dance is accompanied here by a poem or a song on a topic dévotionnel or in love. This dance often speaks about the gods. In the course of a recital, it is the first narrataive dance, using and developing expressive parts of the dance.

Varnam

The central part of the spectacle. It is also the longest part which shows the most complex movements and most difficult. The positions of the hands and the body tell a history, usually Amour and of desire.

Padam

Probably the most lyric part where the dancer expresses certain forms of love: devotion with the supreme being, maternal love, love of the brought together separate lovers then.

Tillana

This last part is an abstract dance where the virtuosity of the music finds its parallel in the work of the feet and the captivating installations of the dancer.

The spectacle ends in the recitation of some religious verses in the form of blessing.

Music

It is in the style carnatic south of India, considered by some as a form purer than that of the music of the north of India.

Instruments

The instruments used in the orchestra accompanying Bharata natyam are more current in the south than in the north of India, like the Mridangam (drum), Nagaswaram (a horn with the suggestive shape of body of snake), the flute, the violin and the Vina (a string instrument, Indian lute).

Modern artists

Medha Hari, T.M.Sridevi, Archana Rajah, T.Sangeeta, Lakshmi Priya, A.Vandana, Raghunath Manet popularized the dance throughout the world. Among the large professors of bharata-natya one can quote: Minakshisundaram Plundered, Chokkalingam Pillai, RAM Goppal.

Raghunath Manet

Dancer, choreographer, musician, type-setter, singer, Raghunath Manet are all that at the same time.

Spiritual sons of RAM Gopal, Raghunath is regarded as one of the largest Indian artists. It is appreciated to have innovated and have introduced for the first time the concept of choreography into the bharata-nâtyam.

Raise RAM Gopal, it revisited the Indian dance of the south of India and adapted it to morphology masculine.

Manet is also a remarkable player of veena, the oldest instrument of India of the South, Dr. Balamurali Krishna, the largest singer of India, known as of him: “Sri Raghunath Manet is a large player of veena and a marvellous dancer of bharata-nâtyam. It is an artist of great gauge, with the extraordinary talents. It controls all subtleties which requires Indian art. Incontestably, Raghunath Manet is the leader of the new generation”.

Raghunath Manet occurs on international plates (Opera-Bastille, Shakespeare Globe of London, Théâtre Olympico of Rome) and counts prestigious collaborations with Michel Portal, Didier Lockwood or Carolyn Carlson.

Devadâsi
Kathak
Kathakali
Odissi
the manipuri
Kuchipudi
Mohiniattam

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