Asian History Commons^™

Defining The Spiritual Aspects In The Pure Dance Of Bharata Natyam, Bevin Stark

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Bharata natyam is herald as a sacred art. The goal of all traditional Indian arts is to evoke rasa (a tasting of spiritual bliss) in the artist as well as the spectator. I have personally experienced a spiritual power while performing and practicing this ancient dance form. Bharata natya has two main aspects to its dance presentation: natya (story-telling), and nrtta (pure dance technique). The natya portion clearly nurtures devotional feelings and religious contemplation by retelling stories of the gods, of the great Hindu epics and of myths. This study focuses on the subtle role that the nrtta portion of …