Bharatha Natyam is a classical Indian dance form. When I say classical dance form, I mean that it adheres to certain core techniques, structures and rules. It is a disciplined art that has gained fame world-wide, so much so that Bharatha Natyam and Indian culture are near synonymous.
As a student and teacher of this beautiful art, I am often thrilled that it has gained such a centric role in society's understanding of dance and culture. But this popularity has come with a heavy price - one that makes me shudder at the core. It is my opinion that Bharatha Natyam is now the most corrupt of all Indian dance forms.
I recently read an article that classified practitioners of this art form into four categories: Those that adhere to the traditions and only the original themes of the art, those who stay within the traditional aspects of the dance but emote newer themes and ideas, those who experiment with new ideas, but still remain within the framework of the art, and finally those that completely ruin this beautiful art form.
Over the years, there has been a change to the way in which I react to the poisoned dancing that is passed off as Bharatha Natyam - From amusement, to contemplation, to tolerance, to anger and now, succinct intolerance. I find it completely offensive that someone would say they are performing Bharatha Natyam and appear on stage, shoddily dressed, with murky make up, body posture that would make a hyena weep in shame, and run amok across the platform with no concept of Bharatha Natyam involved.
A week or so ago, I was at one of those shows that had yet another one of those performances where, as a dancer, I want to hit my head against the wall and bleed to death - an experience that is bound to be less painful than watching the dance. Better yet, I wanted to go up on stage as the dancers were performing and tell them that whilst I appreciate the supposed hard-work they have put in, they are insulting the stage, the art the audience, themselves, and most definitely Lord Nataraja (The Indian God of Dance) and they should stop with immediate effect.
Unlike informal dancing, or the non-classical dance forms, classical dances cannot be performed by all and sundry, often it is not even enjoyed by all and sundry. This is something we must accept at the very outset if we are to find a way to free Bharatha Natyam from its current poisoning.
To dance Bharatha Natyam one must inculcate discipline in life and within the dance itself. While experimenting within its boundaries and exploring a dancer's creativity can be magical, stepping too far out of Bharatha Natyam's borders has disastrous consequences.
Let us take a close look at how Bollywood dancing and Bharatha Natyam are often mingled into some kind of distasteful gumbo. Bollywood movies are such fun, not only for their drama, but also because of the dance and song that is central to their structure. In the old days, dancers such as Vyjayanthimala would be seen dancing gracefully to semi-classical steps. Sometimes, you would see them render Bharatha Natyam as well - and they would dance it as it was meant to be danced. As time moved on, we had another set of dancers gracing the screens with delicate and nimble moves, but when they rendered Bharatha Natyam to Bollywood music, small changes began to appear: Suddenly, there was an introduction of exaggerated hip movements; the hands were stiff, as required in Bharatha Natyam, but the movements were not defined; The Aramandi (demi-plié) that is the core posture of Bharatha Natyam was ignored; The foot work was obscure and far too light to be called Bharatha Natyam. Audiences focused on the lilting music, the pretty faces and natural grace of the heroines, and wrote off any concerns - "It isn't really Bharatha Natyam, It is graceful; it is pretty."
And today, horror of horrors, we see numerous dancers (sometimes and horrifyingly) the hero and heroine, in Bharatha Natyam attire, hobbling up and down, pretending to do an adavu (or step). (Thai hath thai hi and tha dhith thai ya - the two most misused steps, leave us dancers cringing in embarrassment. Any dancers who read this will relate to me). Things get even worse when Bharatha Natyam is danced to Bollywood songs, in Bollywood style (for lack of a better word). The excuses for this are many fold - people enjoy the music better, the meaning of the songs are more relate-able for dancer and connoisseur, the song is so catchy....this and that. Hear this: STOP! All of that is frankly a load of crap. Bharatha Natyam if executed well, will endear itself to any audience, who have an inkling to appreciate the art.
For the dancers out there - If you are graceful and want to dance - please go ahead, pick any music, from anywhere, and dance your heart out, but leave the Bharatha Natyam out of it, unless you treat it with the respect it deserves. (Truth be told, some dances are truly horrific when called Bharatha Natyam but fairly decent as far as informal or contemporary dance is concerned). If you are learning from a teacher - ensure that you learn the true art. If you do not know what you should be learning - gather information, from the right sources. Ignorance is no excuse. Do not lie to yourselves and say that you are dancing Bharatha Natyam; more importantly be honest with your audience. As the artiste it is your rendition that will educate an audience. For someone who has never heard of, or seen Bharatha Natyam, your performance speaks to them - in effect faking it means cheating them and corrupting their understanding.
For the educated audience - false praises serve no purpose except to further poison the dancer and the art form. If you know what Bharatha Natyam should be and you watch something that holds no validity in the field and persist in congratulating the dancer(s) on their superior and articulate performance, you have failed. Do not get me wrong, I am not advocating for everyone to be a critic - but if the dance was not what it should be, praise the dancers beauty, tell her to move into different arts, suggest that they look up references that you know of where they can learn about good, sound Bharatha Natyam. Do your part in fostering and caring for the art you love. These days there are too many artists trying too many fancy things and forgetting the original beauty of Bharatha Natyam - innovation does not mean corruption.
For the uneducated audience - learn before you appreciate. It is not that hard to distinguish between a good dancer and a bad dancer, if you know what to look for. Yes, it is slightly harder to recognize and appreciate technique, but as an audience to a classical performance, you have to learn. For example, Bharatha Natyam is a classical dance from Southern India. It has some basic techniques that must be followed. The dancer's posture is a basic stance, where the back is straight, the feet open at 180 degrees and the knees bent in a demi-plié. The hands and elbows are lifted at shoulder level. Footwork is structured and well defined. There is a gracefulness and delicacy of movement wherein hands, eyes, feet, passion and emotion come together beautifully to create an unforgettable dance. The dancers make-up, jewellery and attire all have significance, and should be worn with care. The first indication of the authenticity of a performance is the dancers posture and mien - if these are wrong, it is very likely that the dancing is not what it claims to be.
To the parents of Bharatha Natyam students - dancing Bharatha Natyam is a commitment from everyone involved. If you do not know about the dance, watch, learn and ask. Do not accept anything less than the actual art form, from teacher or student. It is wrong for you to allow your child to go on stage and do a mere jig in the name of Bharatha Natyam - you are failing your child and yourself. And parents, whilst it must be thrilling to have your child perform, be patient. Read the paragraph above, explain to your children the importance of posture, of precision, assist them and the teacher in getting them to a level where, even when they are not performing on stage, people can tell that they are dancers - there is a natural, almost ethereal beauty that becomes an integral part of a dancer - allow them and yourselves to learn and understand the true magic of Bharatha Natyam
To the teachers out there - we understand the beauty that is Bharatha Natyam. For a lot of us, it is an integral part of our daily lives. We embrace it in our routine task and when we dance or choreograph, we aim to impart our students with the same appreciation of the art. And yet, there are some of us who will settle for less, allow ourselves to be coaxed (or coax others) to introduce blatantly non-Bharatha Natyam concepts to the dance. We have to ask ourselves, why? If it was not love for the art form that got you teaching, then perhaps it would be better to stick to contemporary dancing. To be sure, let us encourage creativity within the dance form - but let us leave Bharatha Natyam untainted and pure.
If we all take the responsibility, at least within our own spheres of influence, to really distinguish between quality dancing and vacuous movement in the name of dancing - perhaps then, we can slowly remove the corruption that is eating at the heart of Bharatha Natyam.
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