The Bharata Natyam
is
the classical dance of South
East India, more precisely that of the Tamil Nadu.
Its
origin is sacred since the Gods have askeds Brahma to create a sort of entertainment
that could be seen and heard together by all the casts
To
make the show more attractive, Shiva added the specific teaching of nritta,
unalloyed dancing, corresponding to Tandava.
Shiva's dynamic, manly and powerful side. Shiva entrusted Parvati, his wife,
with the graceful and winning part of dance called Lasya.
For
more than two thousand years the Natya Shastra
- written by Bharata and following a divine revelation - has been accepted
as an authority throughout the artistic world. As far as dancing is concerned
the word Bharata Natyam wasn't chosen until 1932 as a substitute for Sadir
conveying the idea that the ritual dance of the devadasi (the temple
dancers) was an offering.
Bharata, the name of the author of the treatise is reminded in the first three
syllabes :
Bhava : a condition of the soul
Raga : the music code
Tala : rhythm
From a technical point of view, learning Bharata Naytam involves the perfect
control of the different hasta, the adavu,
and of the abhinaya leading to
rasa.
.
THE
SPIRIT OF THANJAVUR
Quoted from Mamata Patil
Magazine INDES n°10- Nov 2005
« Art was in the air... Thus, for more than a millenium, he fabulous
citadel of Tamilnadu, the town of Thanjavur (or Tanjore) has remained the
cultural capiltal of the Povince and has reigned supreme over several royal
houses instead of being governed by its own kings. The Town was so blessed
that all the successive kings were graat builders, patrons and curators of
its culture. The latter has developed from 500 B.C unto 200 A.C with the first
Chola, then the Chola imperial Sovereings (846-1279) who were the first rulers
to ring glory to thanjavur. Then came the Pandya kings (1279-1532) the Nayaks
Kings (1532-1675) and finally the Marathes Kings (1676-1855) until the coming
of the British.
But the moste beautiful and reùarkable work in all the Chora architecture
is Brahadeswara Temple, built by the Chola King Raja Raja I (935-1012). This
temple is a World Heritage Site.its beauty is enhanced by pyramid -shaped
structure and immense galleries with walls decorated with paintings, stucco,
sophisticated monolithic sculptures ang gigantic staues.
Another great achievement is the Saraswathi Library, one of the few ones in
the world containing mediaeval texts."
On
her arrival, in june 1999, maya was met by Guru K. P Kittappa Pillai
Himself in the great temple of Thanjavur and she is still deeply
attached to this spiritual and artistic birthplace. It has always been a privileged
place for her, where she could collect energies after the hours of practising.
There Maya has made friends with the cow-elephant Kundavallenatya, an old
partner whom the children are now acquainted with because Maya has often told
them about her.
Moreover Maya presented her arangetram in the Sangeetham Mahal Palace,
a historic monument situated between the Chola King's Palace and Sarahswathi
Library which contains priceless manuscripts about dance and theater (natya)
and the study of karana in particular.
It must be said that in Thanjavur dance has always been supported by the kings.
Those were authentic patrons, really attending the shows. The famous Tanjore
Quartette, of which Guru K. P Kittappa Pillai is
a direct descendant has received a lot of royal presents (passed down from
generation to generation) in recognition of their musical compositions for
dance.
In the museum of Thanjavur, situated in the same building as the Sangeetham
Mahal Palace, you can see the finest bronzes of the Chola dynasty and among
them a lot of sculptures of Shiva Nataraja.
For Maya, those wonderful pieces are a continuous source of inspiration and
respect. She patiently collects choreographies belonging to the traditionnal
music and dance of Thanjavur, orally passed by Guru Herambanathan
and his son Hariharah, natyaacharya and a disciple
of Guru K. P Kittappa Pillai .
2007 Maya recieved an intensive training under the guidance of Aruna Subramaniam.
