Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious dance forms of the Vaisnava religious tradition, originally from India. It is dedicated to the praise of God through the depiction of religious stories, philosophy, and devotional feeling. Originally, about 2,000 years ago, it was
   performed exclusively by Devadasis, women who performed
      religious dances in Vedic temples. However,

 

Classical dance as part of the Eastern heritage was said to be created by Brahma, the Creator, and given to humanity through the sage Bharata. The "Natya Shastra," the great work which contains the complete revelation, is spoken of as the Fifth Veda, or sacred treatise on dance and music. Bharata Natyam consists of two words. The first is "Bharata," the name of the writer of the earliest dance treatise, dating back to the second century before Christ. And the second part is "Natyam" which is the Tamil word for dance.

 

 

 

 

 

 the religious dance has evolved
   into one of the most popular and
     revered dance forms in India and
       increasingly throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

There are three aspects of classical dance:

 

 

"Bharata" can be broken down further to disclose the elements of classical dance. The first is "Bha" which stands for "Bhava" or emotion as it is expressed. The second is "Ra" which stands for "Raga" or melody. And the third and last part is "Ta" which stands for "Tala" or "rhythm."

 

Nritta - pure dance movements
   and techniques comprising
     postures, footwork, rhythm
       and timing

Nritya - elaborate facial expressions or
"Abhinaya," combined with hand gestures or
"Hasta Mudras" that convey various moods or
"Bhavas" (drama)

Natya - a mix of Nritta and Nritya combining
drama and rhythm.