Bharatnatyam

The "Bharata Natyam", classical dance from Tanjawar province (Tamilnadu, and also parts of Andhra and Karnatak), is an ancestral tradition from religious ceremonies, performed in the temples and royal courts. It consists of two elements: pure dance (Nritta), encapsulating the beauty of the movement of the eyes, neck, hands, and (Nritya) shoulders combined with the rhythms hammered out by the feet or expressive dance whereby the hands speak a codified language whilst the face expresses the emotions inspired by the narration of the tale being acted out.

Beyond the rhythmic pantomime, the "Bharata Natyam" can describe a scenario with supplementary gestures of suggest the action of imaginary protagonists. The ancient dance, performed to the time of frenetic music, with religious overtones and hence, whose origins lie entirely with the worshipping of gods, is founded on a melodic system, the "ragam" and rhythmic, the "talam".

Bharatnatyam uses Karnatic music as an accompaniment to dance. This graceful dance style uses a fan in the sari to enhance the rectangular basic posture called 'Aayat'. Dr. Sucheta Chapekar is a renowned Bharatnatyam exponent of India.