Bharatanatyam styles - what's the difference in technique?
Styles of BharatanatyamBharata-natyam styles that are over 150 years old are not many. The best-known among these are:MelatturPandanallurVazhuvoor (or Vizhuvur)Thanjavoor (or Tanjore)MysoreKanchipooramThe distinctive characteristics of the Melattur style of Bharatnatyam are:the feet are not stamped hard against the floora complex variety of sounds are produced by ankletsthe items that were dedicated to medieval kings or patrons are not performedpredominantly Vaakyartha abhinayanatural (spontaneous) and highly expressive abhinayawide amplitude of movementsemphasis on sringara bhaktiemphasis on crisp adavus, accuracy of jathis / gathis,fluid variations of patterned korvaisdramatic elements (characterisation) Bharata natyambharatanatyamoriginal methods of application of principles of "loka dharmi" and "natya dharmi"The Pandanallur style of Bharata-natyam stresses:its deep sitting positionspredominantly Padartha abhinayaits lasya (feminine dance style) of padams is rather slow and difficult to performit is performed on three levels: in deep sitting positions, on the ground, in standing positions and while moving or jumping.The Vazhuvoor style of Bharata natyam includes:wide range of dancing pacestatic postures are inserted, most often in the tillana, to break the monotony and to add the variety of rhythmssofter facial abhinayaabhinaya is subtle with more natyadharmi (spontaneous expressions), so the presentation is not "overdone"the adavu's flow smoothly, with rare abrupt movementsextremely elaborate movementsdeep sitting positionsvariety of positions on the floorrich sringar elementslasya dominates tandavathe dancer's body from the waist up is stlightly bent forwardleaps are introduced into every jatithe jati's have more korvais (intervals), which creates a suspense effectperformance begins with a Thodaya mangalam in honour of Lord Gnana Sabesar of Vazhuvoorthe dancer starts the performance while entering the stage from the wingsThe modern Kalakshetra style is a simplified form based on Pandanallur and, to some extent, Thanjavoor bani, as well as the European ballet. It is specifically suited for group performances, unlike other styles that are focussed on the solo. Kalakshetra's salient features are:minimal lasya and a virtual absence of recaka-savoidance of the sringara-specific movements of the neck, torso, hips, etc.movements are angular, linear, clear-cut and sharp, with a larger amplitude than in the Pandanallur stylepredominantly Padartha abhinayaminimal nritya (e.g. as in the Pandanallur style, the dancer mostly walks around the stage and gesticulates rather than dances)stiff and controlled movements without akshepa (graceful throw of limbs)the themes are dedicated to modern social, economic and political issueseasier to learn for western ballet dancersThe Balasaraswati style, although derived from the authentic devadasi traditions, was still a relatively recent introduction. Note that, most recently, Dr.Padma Subramaniam's school, claiming to be the one which is the most faithfully reflects the techniques described in Natya Shastra, is called Bharatanrityam .----------Source: http://bharatanatyam.co.uk/bharatanatyam.html
