Indian dancing

INDIAN DANCING

nique, rich in adavus, ot sweeping movements, eschews insipidness, working itself out in a throbbing rhythm and skilful patterns of sculpturesque beauty and perfection. The thirmanams, or flourishes - of the hands, are forceful, while the rechaka addiyams, ot neck movements, are executed with grace. Robustness is the keynote of this school. Without it, Bharata Natyam becomes an emasculated art.

A BHARATA NATYAM PRESENTATION

Let us now examine a Bharata Natyam recital in detail. It usually consists of: 1. Nrtya, including nrtta, or pure dance. 2. Abbinaya, or gesture play.

The musical accompaniment is of the Carnatac school with the tala, ot timing, predominating over the raga, ot melody, in the mrtta passages.

1. The Alarippu opens every Bharata Natyam performance. The name is derived from the Telegu a/arimpu, meaning to decorate with flowers. The dance is a pute #rt/a offering in double and treble rhythms, there being absolute harmony of movement between the head, the hands, and the feet. The body is seen to open out oo flower in a series of sculpturesque attitudes.

Hands joined above the head, feet touching, the dancer begins with rechekas, or neck movements, with the eyes and the hands acting in unison. The same vechekas are later executed in a semi-seated posture, after which, rising, the dancer moves back to the starting position.

2. The Jethiswaram is the next number. It is a dance expression of the ideas and impressions evoked by musical sounds. The rhythm of the dance is set to one of five jethis, or time beats, which may be 3, 4, 5, 7, Of 9. The time-keeper beats out the measure with his talas, or cymbals, while the drummer produces a variety of fascinating sounds. The dancer adds to the cadence with his feet, preserving the ¢a/a. The chief effect of this number is a pleasing harmony of sounds.

In the later movements of the dance, the performer displays, with matked emphasis, the swarams, or delicate nuances, which ate pronouncedly beautiful in the Pillay technique based on the Kalyani,