A fleeting glimpse on Doordarshan as we channel surf is the most Bharatnatyam many of us see. Limited exposure leads to generalisations about this 3,000-year-old devotional dance form. A shame, really, because Bharatnatyam is more than just doe-eyed damsels in rich silks going through complex motions. It is art mixed with devotion.

This weekend, Kathmandu audiences will have a chance to watch one of India's best-known Bharatnatyam artists, Priyadarsini Govind (see interview below, pic right) perform. The origins of Bharatnatyam can be traced to the temple and court culture of south India. The earliest form was dasiattam, performed by girls who were given to the temple by their parents to live as devdasis, servants of God. Murals and sculptures from more than 2,000 years ago depict young girls dancing for the deity.

It was a rocky road from esteemed temple dancers to successive waves of Mughal occupation till the British Raj, by which time the dance was close to becoming extinct. In the 1920s a revival of Bharatnatyam was attempted by E Krishna Iyer, a lawyer from Madras. Frustrated by lack of support, he studied the dance and began performing for the affluent elite to raise funds. It took another decade for Rukmini Devi, a dancer and activist, to establish the Kalakshastra institution.

An extremely precise dance style, Bharatnatyam is danced with knees bent in a basic stance called araimandi where the body is divided into three triangles. Nritta, or pure steps, refers to the technique of movement and nritya, is an expression of a mood or story through pantomime and a rich language of gesture. The body must move in grace and balance remaining supple while demonstrating physical endurance and a perfect sense of rhythm. For abhinaya, or expressions, the dancer relies on a repertoire of hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate the meaning of the poem or song.

The theme is devotional love-a love for god that is at once physical, emotional and spiritual characterised by human emotions like jealousy, anger, happiness, playfulness, betrayal. The dancer is a devotee yearning to be united with an eternal hero, a deity, perhaps Krishna, Ram, Vishnu or Shiva. Like other Indian classical dances, Bharatnatyam is strongly linked to the legend of the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva as Nataraja.

Traditionally performed to Karnatic music, the dancer follows a very stylised linear sequence. The dancer begins with an invocation, a prayer to a deity, with bells strapped to the ankles, generating energy with the feet to complex rhythms. Then, stretching the limbs and preparing the body, basic movement and interpretation of emotions are gradually introduced. The main segment, varnam (colour), is a detailed and elaborate combination of pure dance and abhinaya. The finale, thillana, is pure dance again. It requires a mastery over the technique of movements to achieve grace, balance, suppleness, physical endurance and a faultless sense of rhythm.

Bharatnatyam is characterised by clean angular lines of movement. The key postures require the upper part of the body to be erect, the legs bent halfway down with the knees spread out, and the feet positioned like a half-open fan. Practically every member of the body has a distinct movement. None of this comes without extensive training and single-minded devotion to the craft-a minimum of six years is usually required before a dancer is considered ready to present a full recital on stage.

Today the dance has incorporated elements outside the Natya Shastra. Both sexes can practice and teach, where traditionally teachers were men and dancers women. Traditionalists do not waver from the old ways, but the new generation of Bharatnatyam dancers is keen to experiment. Bharatnatyam is performed internationally and has many new cultural ambassadors. Some like Anjana Banerji are setting Rabindranth Tagore's poetry to dance, while US-based Rajika Puri and flamenco artist La Conja successfully performed 'fusion' dances in the United States and even in India.

It may not yet have mass appeal, but Bharatnatyam has endured thirty centuries of recorded human history. And it still mesmerises.

'A complete art'
SRADDHA BASNYAT

Learning to dance at the age of six was only to be expected by young Priyadarsini. All other children her age were put in dance class by their parents, and it was part of growing up at Chennai in Tamil Nadu, the seat of Bharatnatyam.

Three years later, Priyadarsini gave her first performance, known as arangetram (arang- "to go up" and -etram- "stage"). "It was like a wedding," she recalls. Parents pay hefty sums, and the debut dance separates the wheat from the chaff. After the arangetram, students know whether they'll stick with it. Afterall, Bharatnatyam demands a lifetime of dedication.

Like any good student, Priyadarsini tells us she had very good teachers. Guru Swamimalai K Rajarathnam and Smt Kalanidhi Narayanan could see Priyadarsini's talent. "In our culture the teacher student relationship is very special, alive, interactive. We need inspiring teachers who see us as vessels to pass on what they've learnt. Both my teachers were inspiring," Priyadarsini told us in an interview in Kathmandu, where she has arrived for a series of performances sponsored by the Indian Embassy.

Bharatnatyam to Priyadarsini is many things. "It's catharsis, it's a release, a way of life, something to enjoy, movement, art.it's a complete art. And it lends itself most beautifully to the mind of the dancer." Priyadarsini puts this aspect of the dance to work most exquisitely during abhinaya, the communication of poetry through visual language.

This is because the dance is a mental exercise calling for an individual approach. "Give me four lines of poetry, the music and it's meaning. I analyse the lines, the characters involved and create visual poetry. It's very challenging to bring alive the poetry. Abhinaya touches people, and not only people, but also the artist." Along with traditional music, Priyadarsini has also used Sufi poetry and gazals to connect audiences all over the world with her divine art.

Priyadarsini Govind will perform at the BICC at 5PM on 19 July. Entry is by passes only, available at the Indian Embassy (4410900) and Nepal Bharat Sanskritik Plaza RNAC Building (4243497). She will also conduct a workshop at Padmakanya Campus 18 July from 10AM onward. Entry open to all.