Bharata Natyam - Other Aspects

Other Aspects

• Jewelry - Bharatanatyam dancers wear a unique set of jewelry known as "Temple Jewelry" during the performance.
• Dancers wear anklets called ghungru, made of rope or leather with rows of sleigh-like (traditionally copper) bells attached on the anklet. The dancers talent is judged (along with style and presentation) by the amount ringing heard and the amount of bells on the anklet. The less ringing heard from the anklet then the better the dancer, which is seen as having control and fluid movement. Typically, beginners have 1-2 rows, mediocre dancers have 3 rows, and advance dancers have 4-5 rows.
• Costume - From the ancient texts and sculptures, one can see that the original costume did not cover most of the dancers' bodies. The medieval times, with the puritanistic drive, caused the devadasis to wear a special, heavy saree that severely restricted the dance movements. There are several varieties of Bharatanatyam costumes, some of which do not restrict the dancer's movements, while the others do. The modern costumes are deeply symbolic, as their purpose is to project the dancer's sukshma sharira (cf.aura), in the material world.
• Music - The accompanying music is in the Carnatic style of South India.
• Ensemble - Mostly, South Indian instruments are used in the ensemble. These include, the mridangam (drum), nagaswaram (long pipe horn made from a black wood), the flute, violin and veena (stringed instrument traditionally associated with Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of the arts and learning).
• Languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit are traditionally used in Bharatanatyam.