South India (Tamil Nadu), millennia-old tradition
BHARATA NATYAM
The sacred dance of Tamil Nadu
Bharata Natyam is one of the eight officially recognized classical Indian dances, originating in Tamil Nadu, in southern India. Its origins trace back to the Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts attributed to Bharata Muni, more than 2,000 years old. Once practiced by devadasis, dancers consecrated to temples, the dance was both offering and narration of Hindu myths.
After a period of decline and stigmatization under colonial rule, Bharata Natyam experienced a spectacular revival in the 20th century thanks to artists such as Rukmini Devi Arundale, who reformed it and opened it to a global audience while preserving its technical rigor. Today it is a demanding discipline, practiced worldwide, combining geometric precision, dramatic expression, and spirituality.
On stage, Bharata Natyam alternates between nritta (pure, technical dance) and nritya (expressive, narrative dance). The dancer uses mudras (codified hand gestures), facial expressions (abhinaya), rhythmic footwork, and sculptural body positions. Together these form an extremely sophisticated visual language, capable of narrating entire episodes of the Indian epics.
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Bharata Natyam is danced to complex rhythmic cycles (tala), most often in 8 beats (adi tala) or 16 beats. The dancer wears bells (ghungroo) on their ankles and uses adavu, basic rhythmic units of movement, combined into phrases (jathi). The technique is both rigid and fluid, with precise positions and supple transitions.
Styles and fundamentals
The fundamental posture is the aramandi or araimandi: a half-plié with the hips turned outward and the feet turned out, comparable to classical dance's turnout but with a more pronounced opening. The arms, torso, and head are aligned in geometric lines. Work with the mudras (hasta) is essential: each hand position carries a precise meaning. The abhinaya (facial expression) conveys emotions and stories.
Main figures
- 01
Araimandi
The basic half-plié posture with the hips turned outward. The founding position of all Bharata Natyam.
- 02
Adavu
Basic rhythmic units of movement. There are many adavus (tattadavu, natadavu, teermanam adavu, etc.) that form the technical vocabulary.
- 03
Mudras (hasta)
The codified language of the hands. Mudras (such as pataka, tripataka, ardhachandra) carry narrative and symbolic meanings.
- 04
Abhinaya
Dramatic expression of the face and eyes conveying emotions (navarasas) and mythological narratives.
- 05
Chakkar
Fast spins on the spot, often chained in a spiral. The head and arms remain perfectly aligned during the rotation.
- 06
Alarippu
The first traditional composition of a recital, offered to the deity. It combines adavu, mudras, and rhythm in a short, pure form.
Reading the music
Bharata Natyam music is traditionally provided by a Carnatic (South Indian classical) ensemble: voice, veena (lute), mridangam (drum), violin, flute, and cymbals. The mridangam holds the tala, the rhythmic cycle, and converses with the dancer's ghungroo.
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Traditions Asiatiques & Orientales
Cross connections
Styles from other families that share a common language with Bharata Natyam.