Introduction to Thaalam / Taal / Tāla | Rhytmic Pattern or Beats in Bharatanatyam

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I cannot stress the importance of "Thaalam"  or "Tala" (ताल ) in dance. The entire dance is set to a particular Taal and has to be followed with utmost precision. Even missing one beat in the Taal can be catastrophic! :-D And I'm being over melodramatic. Well.. not catastrophic. But messing up the Beats (Taal) will definitely mess up your performance and make people notice your mistakes.

"Taalam" (तालं ) is a Sanskrit word that means "to clap". A Bharatanatyam dance is usually set to Carnatic Music and Carnatic Music is set to rhythmic pattern of beats known as Taalam. An understanding of the Talam System of Carnatic Music will ensure a wholesome learning of this art form. (Not all Bbharatanatyam dancers learn Carnatic Music. It isn't a prerequisite. But it is noticed that those who learn both Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam together have a better understanding of the system of Talam, Ragam, Emotions etc. So if you get the chance to learn both, do learn them!)

Rhythm in Carnatic music changes for each composition. Songs are set to a specific Thaalam or beat. (Some songs may have multiple rhythms). Each and every Thaalam has a structure, that is governed by the rules pertaining to it. In Carnatic Music, each pulse (every hit) is called "Aksharam" (अक्षर ) that are placed at equal intervals (although each interval is capable of being divided into faster or slower Swaras). Each Thaalam comes in cycles of a number of beats, called an "Aavartanam" (आवर्तन ). So the total number of "Aksharams" (hits) make up one "Aavartanam" of a Thaalam.