BHARATHANATYAM

Bharatanatyam is very popular and is the oldest among all the classical dances of India. The dance is traditional and is known for its grace, expressions and postures.

The dance is mainly about stories of Gods and Goddesses. The Abhinaya is the most exclusive feature of this dance form, wherein one can witness perfection in the movements of the eyes and hands.

The meaning of Bharatanatyam is:
BHA = Bhava (expression)
                                   RA = Raga (music)
                                   TA = Tala (rhythm)
                                   NATYAM = Dance
Which means, putting together expression, music and rhythm evolves this dance - Bharatanatyam.

ARANGETRAM OR RANGAPRAVESHA

'Arangetram' is a Tamil word where 'aranga' means 'raised floor' and 'etram' means 'climbing'.

'Rangapravesha' is a Kannada word, 'ranga' meaning 'stage' and 'pravesha' meaning 'enter'.

This is the first public performance of an artist, a testing time for both, the guru's (teacher) knowledge and the shishya's (disciple) talent.

KATHAK

Kathak has its roots with a band of storytellers (the Katakas professional storytellers) who used to narrate stories from epics. They later added mime and gesture to their narration.

The Kathak dance has a format mostly concentrating on Tatkar, Paltas, Thoras, Amad and Parans. The Kathak dance form depicts 'Life'. The dance is based on natural movements and poses that are true to life.

The major themes are centred around the life of Lord Krishna & Radha. During the 15th and 16th centuries the Radha-Krishna legend, became very popular.

Birju Maharaja, Binda Din Maharaja and Gopi Krishna are a few maestros in the field of Kathak.

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