Introduction To Nritha, Nrithya and Natya

harata Natyam uses three aspects or modes of kinetic expression that span the range of aesthetic possibilities: Nritta, Nritya, and Natya.

(a) Natya or dance drama contains dialogue, interpretation of moods and mime, music and decor. It covers all the four planes and cause a blend of aesthetic and physical appeal. Only when the subconscious participation in the drama has been evoked can natya be said to fulfill its rightful purpose. Natya is a combination of nritta and nritya dramatisation of a theme. The themes that are in the repertoire of Bharathanatyam generally are mythological stories, which sing praises of the deeds of the various Hindu Gods. The themes also consist the innumerable stories of the kings of different eras in whose praise many a great poets have penned beautiful songs. Natya is thus the visual painting that the dancer draws to get the story across to the audience.

(b) Nritta belongs to the realm of angik abhinaya alone and is thus on the divine plane. It is a rigid stylization consisting of pure dance movements evoking neither mood nor sentiment. Rhythmic Element. Interprets the language of rhythm with the help of body movements. Pure dance whose constituents are, taal and laya - time measure and rhythm. In nritta the emphasis is on pure dance movements, movements for their own sake, creating patterns in space and time.

(c) Nritya is a combination of both rasa or sentiment and bhava or mood. It is that which produces aesthetic delight in dance drama. It embraces the sattwik, angik and to a lesser extent the aharya abhinaya on the astral, divine and visual planes. The three chief features of nritya are the Sattwik abhinaya, the Angik abhinaya and the Aharya abhinaya. Combination of Rhythm with Expression. Conveys poetic meaning with the help of expressions, rhythmic gaites and postures. Abhinaya is one of the most important aspects of bharathanatyam, which conjures up a fascinating world of imagination.