Roaring Through My Twenties

One of my favorite experiences since being here in Mangalore has been attending my dance classes. Dance class is certainly not something I do in my free time in the U.S., so it’s been very exciting (and stressful) to learn one of the hardest forms of classical Indian dance. 

Much like writing, dancing is a way to express a story. Through hand, feet, and even eye movements, this style of dance tells mythological stories of great love, the battle between good and evil, and plenty more. 

Image of Bharatanatyam dancer from iStock

I am no expert in this dance form (and with how things are going in class right now, I will certainly never be). However, my dance instructor has spent time discussing the theory, history, and revival of classical Indian dance.

Bharatanatyam, the style of dance I am learning, is one of eight classical Indian forms of dance. Originating in Tamil Nadu over 2,000 years ago, Bharatanatyam was nearly lost in history.  

Bharatanatyam’s precursor was known as Sadir Attam. Sadir Attam was performed in temples as a part of Hindu practice and prayer. A performer of this dance style was known as a devadasi. 

A young girl, or devadasi, was considered as a “servant of God”. In this devadasi system, girls at a very young age would be dedicated to the temple and considered married to the deity. Only after their marriage ceremony would a devadasi begin to learn Sadir Attam from a Guru. Along with performing these dances, which were regarded as vital to ritual worship, a devadasi would be responsible for other temple ceremonies. Devadasis had high social status. 

However, when the British became involved in India, the devadasi’s status decreased significantly. The British had looked down on Indian dance and saw the concept as (surprise!) inferior to Western ideologies. As time passed, devadasi dancers began to be associated with prostitution. 

The view of devadasis after British involvement gets a little divided (that’s at least what I’ve gathered after doing some research). Some write that the devadasi system has always been exploitative (one article writing that the devadasi were nothing more than child sex workers) while others blame the Victorian British for the association with prostitution. 

Image of devadasis from Wikimedia

It was only in the early 20th century that the practice of Sadir Attam was rediscovered and (I can only assume because of the negative association with the devadasi system) was slowly promoted again under the name of Bharatnatayam. 

Although the devadasi system was made illegal in 1988, its effect still persists throughout some southern states. During my trip to India a couple of years back, I had the opportunity to visit a village in Karnataka that is still working to fully eradicate the devadasi system and its lasting . 

Nowadays, Bharatanatyam has become a symbol of Indian identity for many people.

And here I am! Twice a week my friend Mali and I go to our instructor’s apartment and dance in her living room (yes, just the two of us). My first dance class I couldn’t walk up or down the stairs without shedding a tear from my soreness. The most common posture of this dance style is called Araimandi. You perform most of the dance items in a half-sitting posture. If you were to observe Mali and I’s class, you’d hear our dance instructor yelling “sit, sit!” over and over again. After almost four months of classes, though barely lasting the full hour, we have nearly perfected the first two full sets of the basic steps.

Although our dance instructor has high expectations for us (and I leave class each time feeling like I’ve disappointed her), the couple of hours we spend with her each week are my favorite. Learning from her mother, she is a second generation Bharatanatyam dancer. Mastering the dance form completely by college, she received her PhD in Dance and wrote her thesis on curriculum development for Bharatanatyam education. Passing on her mother’s wisdom, she has taught her own daughter, son, and granddaughter the dance form. I feel lucky to be learning from her.

I categorize experiences like this one as completely Indian moments. Nowhere else in the world would I have the opportunity to do something quite like this. And although I will never master the art of storytelling through dance, I will continue to appreciate how it connects us to our past, present, and future.

Disclaimer: This blog is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.  The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.