An art with no linguistic barrier, Natya Vedha, so say the legends, was created by Lord Brahma. Bharathanatyam, being the purest and the oldest form of Indian classical dance is a combination of music, expression and rhythm and has a history of more than two thousand years.

By elevating the spirituality of the audience, it encompasses all the elements of dance and drama. Bharathanatyam is poetry in motion. The congenial elements reveal themselves in the word Bharathanatyam.



"Bha" relates to Expressions or Bhava

"Ra" referring to Music or Raga

"Tha" refers to Rhythm or Thala

"Natyam" to the dance itself



Bharathanatyam enhances its emotive appeal by using the literary compositions of saints and sages. Danced to Carnatic music, Bharathanatyam's mathematical precision equals that of Carnatic music measure for measure. Music and dance merge like body and soul to offer the viewer a delight meant originally for the Gods.



The form as we see it today was shaped in the 1850s by the four brothers, Chinnaiya, Ponnaiya, Vadivelu and Sivanadam referred to as the Tanjore quartet. They systemized the art form and developed its present repertoire popularly called Margam (Alarippu to Thillana mode).



Classical Indian dance when performed with an understanding of the philosophical vision and technical wizardry of those who founded and shaped the style, is incredibly modern in its stress on the distilled essence of the most abstract ideas engaging the modern mind.



Bharathanatyam comprises of three distinct elements

Natya or Abhinaya - Dramatic art of story-telling, expressions

Nritta - Pure dance movements, as a medium of visual depiction of rhythms

Nritya - Combination of Abhinaya and Nritta

The very life-breath of dance imparts to the dancer its age old mysteries from the treasure-house of tradition.In style and substance, Bharathanatyam reigns supreme for the preciseness and perfection of movements.