BHARATA-NATYA

((Sanskrit: Bharata's dancing),) the principal of the main classical dance styles of India, the others being kuchipudi, kathak, kathakali, manipuri, and orissi. It is indigenous to the Tamil Nadu (Madras) region and prevalent in southern India. Bharata-natya serves the expression of Hindu religious themes and devotions, and its techniques and terminology have been traced back to ancient treatises such as the Natya-sastra, by the Brahman sage and priest Bharata. Bharata-natya was originally performed exclusively by female temple dancers and was not brought to the stage for public performance until about 1930. A program of bharata-natya usually lasts two hours without interruption and includes a specific list of procedures, all performed by one dancer, who does not leave the stage or change costume. The accompanying orchestracomposed of drums, drone, and singeroccupies the back of the stage, led by the guru, or teacher, of the dancer. In pure style, bharata-natya is classically clear in technique. The feet beat out complicated counter rhythms; the legs are bent in a characteristic low squat; arms, neck, and shoulders are part of the movement. In the pantomime sections, the hands tell the story through conventional gesture language, while the face expresses the mood. In the pure dance the hands are restricted to 11 hand poses.