A solo classical Indian dance form of religious origin performed traditionally by women. It is believed by some scholars to be more than 3, 000 years old and was once performed by Hindu temple dancers, or devadasis. Today it is to be found mostly in southern India, in the Madras region, although exponents have exported the artform to the West, particularly Britain, where it is popular with non-Asian audiences. Much of its traditional repertoire derives from the early part of the 19th century when four brothers, known as the Tanjore Quartet, codified it. Traditional performances can last up to three hours. The emphasis in the choreography is on the upper body, and the style is distinguished by its low centre of gravity, its rhythmic footwork, its straight spine, and its extensive vocabulary of hand gestures which carry dramatic meaning. The face is also used for expressive purposes, with the eyes, nose, and mouth all possessing their own specific choreographic language. The dance is in six parts, beginning with alarippu, which invokes the deity and greets the audience. The style incorporates all three aspects of Indian dance: nrtta (abstract, pure, and rhythmic), nrtya (expressive, rhythmic, and narrative), and natya (pure storytelling, a combination of song and dance). The performance ends with tillana, a purely rhythmic coda designed to showcase the dancer's mastery of complex rhythms. The dancer wears a silk sari, usually decorated with gold, and her feet are bare, although bells are worn around the ankle. In Britain the Chennai-born choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh has successfully blended bharata natyam and Western contemporary dance styles.

The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Copyright © 2000, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.