The Melattur style of Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam

Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...

 dance was developed largely out of the devadasi

Devadasi

In Hinduism, the devadasi tradition is a religious tradition in which girls are "married" and dedicated to a deity or to a temple and includes performance aspects such as those that take place in the temple as well as in the courtly and mujuvani [telegu] or home context. Dance and music were...

 traditions and Melattur Bhagavata Mela by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer  (1900–1980), a sanyasi following Srividya Upasana. He re-established the Suddha Nrittam (intricate tapping footwork that explores different time measures in different tempos), Bhattasa Natyam and Perani Natyam (dance on the clay pot). Mangudi became interested in Shuddha Nrittam after watching a performance by devadasi of Cheyyur Sengalvarayar temple, who performed it along with other 71 types of items (e.g. Kavita

Kavita

*Kavita Rodgers, came in first place in Thomas Kinderwater's Poker Tournament Oct. 21 in Denver, CO and beat out her boyfriend.*Kavita Kaushik, Indian actress*Kavita Subramaniam, Indian playback singer*Kavita Lankesh, movie maker and director in Kannada language...

, Nritta, Vadya, Sangeeta

Sangeeta

Sangeeta is a successful Pakistani film actor and director. Her work includes Society Girl, Tarap and her latest film Gulabo.-Early life:...

 and others).

Themes

Unlike other Bharatanatyam gurus, Mangudi avoided the items which glorified the poet's human patrons, as performing such items would be inconsistent with his adherence to spiritual practices of Srividya Upasana. It is only the deities or the great rishis who were deemed worthy of such glorification. Thus, the repertoire of a Melattur style dancer consists mostly of the ancient items performed in the temples.

Footwork

The Melattur style discourages stamping the feet hard against the floor. Instead, the dancer is expected to use the salangai (ankle bells) in a more sophisticated manner that produces a richer variety of sounds and highlights the rhythm.

Another distinctive feature is the presence of pancha nadais and extensive use of gati bhedas. For instance in varnam

Varnam

Varnam is a form of song in the Carnatic music repertoire. A varnam is a relatively long piece and can range from 30 minutes to up to an hour. It is usually set to Aadi or Ata tala. It is the center piece in a recital of a Bharathanatyam dance. It is a tradition to start a recital in Carnatic...

 there would be gati bhedam in every jati

Jati

Jāti is the term used to denote clans, tribes, communities and sub-communities in India. It is a term used across religions. In Indian society each jāti typically has an association with a traditional job function or tribe, although religious beliefs Jāti (in Devanagari: जाति Tamil:சாதி) (the...

. There is a special emphasis on crisp adavus, fluid variations or patterned korvais.

Abhinaya

Due to the Melattur Bhagavata Mela influence, the style makes extensive use of the dramatic elements, i.e. characterisation, which requires highly expressive and intricate abhinaya

Abhinaya

Abhinaya is a concept in Indian dance and drama derived from Bharata's Natya Shastra. Although now, the word has come to mean 'the art of expression', etymologically it derives from Sanskrit abhi- 'towards' + nii- 'leading/guide', so literally it means a 'leading towards' Aside from its clear...

. Unlike other Bharatanatyam styles, the facial expressions in of the Melattur style dancer are not rigidly defined, are neither theatrical nor understated, which requires a high degree of introspection and individual improvisation. Due to the devadasi influence, there is an emphasis on sringara

Sringara

Sringara is one of the nine rasas, usually translated as erotic love, romantic love, or as attraction or beauty. Rasa means "flavour", and the theory of rasa is the primary concept behind classical Indian arts including theatre, music, dance, poetry, and even sculpture. Much of the content of...

 rasa, rather than on a neutral bhakti

Bhakti

In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...

.

The nritta abhinaya is different from most other styles in the sense that each body movement is to be reflected in a different facial expression in a spontaneous manner.

Other distinctive features

• The dance movements are supposed to be performed with a larger amplitude on a wide scale of tempos, making it physically the most demanding style of Bharatanatyam.
• The application of loka dharmi and natya dharmi is different from other Bharatanatyam
  Bharatanatyam
  Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...
  
  styles.
• The Melattur style dancers wear a special protective cotton belt around their waist.