Bharatanatyam: art, dance and music. By Revllone

There are various forms of performing and fine arts, which has been originated and is being practiced in India. The oldest classical dance form of India is "Bharatanatyam". Bharatanatyam, as the name depicts is the combination of 'Bha' - Bhavam (means expression), 'Ra' - Ragam (means music), 'Ta - Talam (means beat or rhythm) and Natyam (means dance) in Tamil. A possible origin of the name is from Bharata Muni, who wrote the Natya Shastra. This dance originated in Tamil Nadu. It denotes various 19th and 20th century reconstructions of Sadir, the art of temple dancers. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by Carnatic music. It has its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram.

Bharata Natyam has an important place in our Indian culture. Bharat Natyam incorporates major three forms of arts in it. The Nataka, Natya and Sangeetha. The Natya Shastra explains various aspects of theatrical arts, dance, drama and music. Bharat Natyam is also one of the most popular dance forms and it is a way of worshipping the lord. It can be considered as a combination of mythological, historical, cultural and sociological heritage and traditionally passed on to posterity. Over the period of time Bharat Natyam has evolved and has taken various interesting improvisations and creative additions to it by many eminent artists, who have contributed their life time for this wonderful art.

The main three aspects of Bharatanatyam are: Nritta, Nritya and Natya.
Nritta is rhythmical.
Natya is the dramatic art, and is a language of gestures, poses and mime
Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya

Some of the famous Bharatanatyam performers are Bala Saraswathi, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Rugmini Arundel, Kamala Laxman, Padma Subrahmaniam and Chithra Visweswaran.