10 Minutes With Shantha : Chapter 10 Summary - Nritta, Nritya and Natya

Narrated by Shantha Lakshmi

Chapter 10 of Shall We Dance explores the intricate art of Bharatanatyam, emphasizing its synthesis of various fine arts, including music, poetry, drama, painting, and sculpture.

The chapter begins with a quote by Constanze Mozart, "Dancing is like dreaming with your feet," highlighting the expressive nature of dance. It discusses the universal instinct for dancing and how Bharatanatyam, rooted in the Natya Shastra, has achieved unparalleled technical excellence in India.

The chapter delves into the fundamental aspects of Indian dance—Nrittya, Nritya, and Natya—along with the vigorous Tandavam and graceful Lasya styles. It emphasizes the importance of Abhinaya (gesticulatory expression) in conveying the dance's meaning, dividing it into four types: Angika, Vachika, Aharya, and Satvika.

The traditional structure of a Bharatanatyam performance, including Alarippu, Jatiswaram, Shabdam, Varnam, Padam, and Tillana, is also outlined. The chapter concludes by highlighting the goal of evoking rasotpatti (aesthetic emotion) in the audience, achieved through the dancer's deep connection with the character and emotions portrayed.

Episode Transcript

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Chapter 10 Dhrita, Dhritya and Natya

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The chapter begins with the quote of Constance Mozart,
Dancing is like dreaming with your feet.
It explores the intricate and profound art of dancing, particularly Bhartanatyam, which
synthesizes several fine arts such as music, poetry, drama, painting and sculpture.

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Dance is portrayed as a natural vehicle for the spontaneous expression of human emotions
evident even in children who express joy through rhythmic movements.
Universatality and Development of Dance
While the instinct of dancing is universal, its development varies across countries due

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to geographical, cultural and societal factors.
In India, dance has reached a level of technical perfection and classical excellence unmatched
by any other country, remaining unique and preeminent.
The apparent rigidity in Indian dance, observed by casual onlookers, is actually a structured

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form that allows for individual expression within a time-honored framework.
Legendary Origin and Cultural Significance
Indian dance is considered the fifth Veda attributed to divine inspirations from the
Vedas.
Regardless of its exact origins, dance has always been integral to India's cultural

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and religious life as evidenced by its ritualistic sanity.
The foundational basis for Indian dance is the Natya Shastra by Bharat Muni, a monumental
work that quantifies the principles and techniques of the art form giving rise to various schools
of dance across India.

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Fundamental Aspects of Indian Dance
Dritya, simple dancing focusing on tala, time-measure, with footwork and movement of body parts,
upangas and facial expressions, upangas, devoid by of avinaya, justicuratorily expressions.

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Dritya, dance with justiculations to convey thoughts and emotions without words, combining
bhava, emotional expression, raga, musical expression and tala.
In Natya, dramatic expression, incorporating music, dance, emotional expression and speech,

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including both dritya and dritya.
Types of Indian dance, tanda-vam, vigorous and virile movements, masculine and character,
exemplified by Shiva's cosmic dance of destruction.
Vrāsya, softer graceful movements, more suitable for female dancers, suggesting beauty and

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elegance.
Abhinaya, justiculatory expression.
Abhinaya is the backbone of Indian classical dance, essential for conveying the dancer's
full meaning.
It is divided into four types.
Angika-Avinaya, expression through body parts, angas, pratyangas, upangas and movements,

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karnas, angaharas and mudras.
Mukhaja, facial expression.
Sharira, body poses, including karnas and angaharas.
Chesta, movements of angas, upangas and pratyangas.
Vāchika-Avinaya, expression through song or speech, according to the situation and mood,

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involving three types of bhavas.
Sthaī, paya-bhichāri and sātvika.
Ahārya-Avinaya, expression through appropriate costumes, ornaments and makeup.
Sātvika-Avinaya, communication of mental messages and emotions, requiring the dancer

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to authentically feel and convey the characteristics and emotions.
Bhartanātya-m-Performance structure.
Traditionally performed by devasātis in temples, Bhartanātya is usually performed by a single
dancer accompanied by an orchestra and a natu-vana, a dance guru keeping the time measure.

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The typical structure of Bhartanātya-m-Performance includes alaripu, the first dance piece, a
warm-up and invocation symbolizing respect to God, the guru and the audience performed
by rhythm alone.
Jatisvaram, a pure dance sequence, dhrita, without lyrics, focusing on rhythmic stability

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and complex postures.
Shabdham introduced expressions-Avinaya with songs combining dhrita and Avinaya.
Varna, the central and most elaborate piece depicting beauty, grandeur and spirituality
requiring stamina, skill and the ability to alternate between pure dance and Avinaya.

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Padam, slower expressive dances conveying complex emotions often centered on love, devotion
or divine actions.
Tilāna, a lively rhythmic finale performed with synchronization and kinetic energy usually
ending the performance.

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Rasotpatti and Tadathma-yam.
The goal of Bhartanātya-m is to evoke Rasotpatti, aesthetic emotion in the audience making them
feel the emotions expressed by the dancer.
To achieve this, dancers must reach a state of Tadathma-yam dissolving into the character

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and emotions they portray.
This demands rigorous practice and adherence to the rules and convictions of the art form.
So to conclude, this chapter sets the tone for introducing the intricate aspects of
Bhartanātya in subsequent chapters emphasizing the importance of understanding the theoretical

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components of Nātya.
It highlights how the dance form combines technical precision, expressive storytelling
and the cultural significance creating a holistic and immersive experience for both the performer
and the audience.