Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

DANCE

The musical accompaniments of the Bharatanatyam perform-

ance consist of the mridangam (drum) and a pair of cymbals. The

items in the repertoire are

Alarippu, Jathiswara, Sabda, Padams,

Javalis

and

Tillanas.

These items are planned to bring out the

salient features of the style. Similarly in Andhra Pradesh and Kar-

nataka this style evolved on similar lines maintaining its regional

Among the exponents of this style, Meenakshi Sundaram

Pillai, the grandson of Ponniah Pillai, is well known. Kandappa

Pillai, the grandson of Chinnaiah, is another able exponent. Bala-

saraswathi, his disciple, has earned universal acclaim as the grand

lady of Bharatanatyam. Rukmini Devi, who also rendered immense

service to the art founded the Kalakshetra at Adyar in Madras for

the promotion of Bharatanatyam.

While following the pattern of items set by the Tanjore broth-

ers, the Mysore school conforms more strictly to the rules of

pur-

vanga

or preliminary rites, mentioned in the ancient texts. The

repertoire consists of the following items: Pushpanjali followed by

Sabha Pooja, Choornika and Ganesh Vandana. Jetti Tayama,

Dasappa, Kittapa and Puttappa were some of the Gurus while Smt

Venkatalakshamma is a celebrity.

The other forms of Bharatanatyam are Kuravanji and Bhagavat

Mela which are more akin to the ‘

Natya'

defined by Bharata.

Kuravanji is a form of Natya in which six to eight women take

part. The theme of the dance-drama is usually

‘the fruition of the

love of a girl for her hero’

who is either the deity of the temple or the

patron to whom the composition is dedicated. Kutrala Kuravanji is

one of the famous Kuravanjis performed in the temples of Tanjore.

Bhagavat Mela of Tamil Nadu is a form of dance which was

inspired by the Bhakti cult. Only men are allowed to take part in this

dance drama which came into existence in the fifteenth and six-

teenth centuries. These were performed for temple festivals from

the time of Achyutappa Naik, a great patron of art and music.

Melattur, Soolamangalam, Oothukadu and other villages in Tanjore

were famous for the Bhagavat Melas. Some of their dramas are

Prahalada Charitam, Markandeya, Rukmangada, Usha Parinayam

and Harishchandra.

KUCHIPUDI

: Kuchipudi is the dance-drama art ot Andhra

Pradesh in South India. Swami Siddhendra Yogi and Tirtha Nar-

ayan Yati, who were ardent devotees of Krishna, created this

drama by bringing about a synthesis of music, dance and drama for

the purpose of expounding the philosophic truths of the epics and

puranas. Tirtha Narayan Yati wrote an opera

“Krishna Leela

Tarangini”

and his disciple Siddhendra Yogi wrote

‘Parijata-

paharana’

and presented

it at Kuchelapuram, the

present Kuchipudi, with a

group of boys. The play

was received with such

great enthusiasm that the

village itself has been

immortalised as the home

of Kuchipudi style of

dance.

Kuchipudi

was

patronised by the Vijay-

anagar rulers in the 15th

and 16th centuries.

During the course of

its evolution the dramas

were influenced by the

padas of Kshetragna and

other compositions. The

repertoire

the

Kuchipudi artistes mainly

consist of Bhava Kalapam, Golla Kalapam, Prahalada Charitam,

Usha Parinayam. Items like

Kannakola

and

Abhishekams

can be

performed as solos, independent of the play.

The exponents : Chinta Venkatratnam and Venkatramayya, the

disciples of Vidya Guru, Vedantam Laxminaryan Shastry, Ven-

dantam Satyanarayan and Chinna Satyam.

Note : In recent years Kuchipudi has gained recognition as a

classical dance form. Hence we find solo dance performers in the

style now like Yamini Krishnamurthy, Raja Reddy, Radha Reddy

and others. Dr. Natraja Ramakrishna has also rendered yeoman

service to the art.

KATHAKALI

: As a classical dance style of Kerala, Kathakali

has evolved from the vernacular and popular dance dramas per-

formed by the rural folk and professional troupes who were inspired

by the myths and legends. The

roots of Kathakali can be traced

back to a thousand and five

hundred years. Kathakali (Katha

= story, Kali = play) is the most

Colourful dance form of India. The

themes of Kathakali are taken

from the epics, the

Ramayana

and the

Mahabharata,

and Hindu

mythology. By tradition the danc-

ers are all male. They wear mask-

like make-up and elaborate cos-

tumes to represent deities, de-

mons,

heroes

and

sages.

Kathakali has assimilated vari-

ous elements of the Aryan and

Dravidian cultures. It also draws

inspiration from the traditional