Bharat natyam

Bharatanatyam, sometimes referred to as Bharathanatiyam or Sadir,[1] is a major genre of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu .[2][3][4] Traditionally, Bharatanatyam has been a solo dance that was performed exclusively by women,[5][6] and expressed Hindu religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, but also of Vaishnavism and Shaktism.[2][7][8]

Bharatanatyam's theoretical foundations trace to the ancient Sanskrit text by Bharata Muni,Natya Shastra,[7] its existence by 2nd century CE is noted in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram, while temple sculptures of 6th to 9th century CE suggest it was a well refined performance art by mid 1st millennium CE.[6][9] Bharatanatyam is quite possibly the oldest classical dance tradition of India.[10]

Bharatanatyam style is noted for its fixed upper torso, legs bent or knees flexed out combined with spectacular footwork, a sophisticated vocabulary of sign language based on gestures of hands, eyes and face muscles.[9] The dance is accompanied by music and a singer, and typically her guru is present as the director and conductor of the performance.[2] The dance has traditionally been a form of an interpretive narration of mythical legends and spiritual ideas from the Hindu texts.[5] The performance repertoire of Bharatanatyam, like other classical dances, includes nrita (pure dance), nritya (solo expressive dance) and natya (group dramatic dance).[5][11]

Bharatanatyam remained exclusive to Hindu temples through the 19th century,[9] was banned by the colonial British government in 1910,[12] the Indian community protested the ban and expanded it outside the temples in the 20th century.[9][12][13] Modern stage productions of Bharatanatyam have incorporated technical performances, pure dance based on non-religious ideas and fusion themes.[6][9]