Elements of Bharanatyam - Nritta, Nritya & Natya (3N's)

 

There are way too many things to know when it comes to any dance. Bharatanatyam tops the list, in my opinion! Unlike some dance forms that are learned for 'fun', Bharatanatyam requires deeper understanding, maturity and skill to learn and perform. In many classes, there is no structured program to take a student through the theoretical aspects of this Dance along with the practical steps. Although not knowing the theory doesn't hamper a person's dance skill, it is always good to have an all round growth. :-)

Take this topic for instance. I didn't know there was something called Nritta / Nritya / Natya for a long time. Practically, I did them everyday. But I just didn't know what they were called until my Arangetram. (more on this later). Anyway.... there is something called the Natya Shastra. It is an ancient Indian treatise on the performing arts, encompassing theatre, dance and music. It was written during the period between 200 BCE and 200 CE in and is traditionally attributed to the Sage Bharata. According to the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni; classical dance has three main aspects namely Nritta, Nritya, and Natya. I call them the 3Ns of Bharatanatyam :-)

Nritta (read: nru-th-thaa) --- rhythmic dance movements

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Nritta is the demonstration of rhythm through graceful body movements. The synchronization between rhythm and time is of utmost importance in a Nritta piece. Beat and tempo are its two vital constituents. There is no poetic meaning to emote. Its purpose is to showcase geometric patterns and complex rhythmic variations. Hand gestures, dance steps, patterns and concluding dance movements (known as Theer-maa-num) form the backbone of Nritta.
In Natyashatra it is explained that "the sheer beauty of Nritta has a great popular appeal".
.... and to brag a little bit, I am a self proclaimed Queen of Nritta   :P

Nritya (read: nrith-yaa) --- depicting a story through facial expressions & body movements

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Nritya can be described as an explanatory dance, where the lyrics of the song are conveyed using hand gestures (hasta mudras) and facial expressions (abhinaya). The dancer’s internal emotions (bhaava) should be performed in a way that should be felt by the audience. This is the reason why it is important to understand the lyrics of any song. Unless the emotions are felt inside, it is difficult to perform a flawless piece.
.... in short, Nritya = Nritta + emotions

Natya (read: naat-yaa) --- combination of Nritta & Nritya

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Natya is achieving a story through speech, music, Nritta and Nritya. Natya is an excellent element of classical dancing through which a dancer can express every known human emotion and feeling. Natya is the dramatic element of classical Indian dance. The dancers take on the roles of characters and perform a dramatic story through music and dance.

Well... the education is not over yet! ;-) But... it is enough for today! :-D