What is Bharatanatyam?

Bharatanatyam is an ancient classical dance that originated about 5000 years ago. Bharatanatyam is divided into three categories, Nritta, Nritya, and Natya.

Nritta is the moments of the hands and the feet. It is the pure dance using only steps. The beat and tempo are the two key factors in Nritta. Nritya is where the songs message is told using body movements, and facial expressions while dancing. A dancer must know the meaning of the song she/he is dancing to, otherwise an internal feeling will not be felt deep inside the soul. This makes it hard to dance a flawless piece. The dancer's internal feelings and devotion while dancing should be felt by the audience. Natya is when the dancers take on the roles of the characters in the story. It is Nritta and Nritya combined. Natya provides us the powerful and expressive element of Bharatanatyam.