How important is music for the success of Bharatnatyam performance?

Music and dance beautify, enrich and enhance each other. The symbiotic relationship between the two has been explored in depth in Natya Shastra. Bharat says: “Sangeetam Nrittam Cha Ekam Bhavati” (Music and dance are one and the same). In fact, the word ‘sangeetham‘It includes vocal and instrumental music and dance. These are considered complementary expressions of the same artistic impulse.

The renowned T. Balasaraswati is often quoted as saying: “Bharatanatyam, at its highest moment, is the embodiment of music in its visual form.”

There is a close relationship between acting and raga. Music becomes the catalyst for mime, as it exposes infinite options for the dancer to interpret a theme.

In an article in the Journal of the Academy of Music (1974), Carnatic musician and composer VV Sadagopan writes: “Any art experience, especially music and dance, is an externalization of the inner joy of experiencing the beauty of being and becoming. Music and dance are inseparably linked twin expressions of inner beauty. It is the dance of the soul performed as music to the ears and the music of the soul performed as a dance to the eyes. He further says that it is a perfect combination of raga-bhava and sahitya-bhava, or “dhatu-maatu coordination”.

Senior dancer Alarmel Valli also expresses similar sentiments. “When I dance, I sing with my body.” Key to their intuitive understanding of dance is the close connection between movement and music, and Rasika is able to “see the music and hear the dance”.

Balasaraswati’s chief disciple, veteran Bharatnatyam dancer and scholar Nandini Ramani, recalls that her guru’s musical talent was such that he collaborated with the best musicians for his performances. Because, he realized that orchestral support is vital for the success of any classical dance performance. His gurus were Kandappa Pillai and later K. Ganesan ruled the orchestra with his musical skills and performed Nattuvangam. Balamma’s mother Jayammal, Kancheepuram Ellappa Pillai, two music stalwarts Gnanasundaram (or Gyani) and Narasimhulu, flutist T. Viswanathan, clarionet experts Balaraman and Radhakrishna Naidu, and mridangam players Kuppuswami Mudaliar (the first SNA awardee for dance Mridangam) and T. Ranganathan (Balamma’s brother) different orchestras. Were part of the bar.

Kittappa Pillai’s Nattuvangam with Shyamala Venkateshwaran’s singing enhanced the appeal of Vyjayanthimala’s dance recitals. Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives

The famous Nattuvanars of those days were also expert musicians. His rhythmic compositions and choreography were largely guided by musical principles. Thanjavur stalwarts like KP Kittappa Pillai, Pandanallur Subbaraya Pillai, KN Dandayuthapani Pillai, SK Rajarathinam Pillai, Kalyanasundaram Pillai and KJ Sarasa took Bharatanatyam concerts to a higher level with their nattuvangam and singing. Natyacharya MV Narasimhachari, CV Chandrashekhar were also trained musicians.

One can remember Vazhuvur Ramaiah Pillai who conducted the performances of his star disciple Kumari Kamala along with SK Rajaratnam Pillai and KR Radhakrishnan as singers in the orchestra. Similarly, Ramaiah Pillai used to conduct programs featuring dancers Anandi and Radha with MS Subbulakshmi singing Padma. Kittappa Pillai’s Nattuvangam with Shyamala Venkateshwaran’s singing added immense value to Vyjayanthimala’s dance recitals. In those days, Bharatanatyam dancers had the luxury of having an almost permanent curated orchestra under the direction of their guru. They worked as a team.

Padma Subramaniam worked closely with her musician sister-in-law Shyamala Balakrishnan. Photo courtesy: Sushil Kumar Verma

Mridangists have occupied and continue to occupy an important place in the orchestra – as they hold the reins of precision in rhythm. If earlier he was directed by Nattuvanar to play for various pieces of the repertoire, today, he is at the forefront of composing jatis.

Singing for dance requires a different skill set – in addition to an excellent vocal range, precise intonation and correct diction, singers need to match, if not exceed, the expressions and choreography of the dancer.

Famous dancer-musician duos include Kamla Narayan and S. Rajeshwari, Yamini Krishnamurthy and her sister Jyothismathi, Padma Subramaniam and her sister-in-law Shyamala Balakrishnan, Kalanidhi Narayanan and Vijayalakshmi, Lakshmi Vishwanathan and Charumathi Ramachandran, Kittappa Pillai along with Sudharani Raghupathi. , then Babu Parameswaran with S. Rajeshwari, Shantha and VP Dhananjayan, Reggie George and Aravindakshan, Chitra Visweswaran with T. Sethuraman and later with her husband R. with Visvesvaran, and Alarmel Valli and Prema Ramamurthy, Srividya with her mother ML Vasanthakumari, singer Kanakadurga for Kuchipudi doyen Vempati Chinna Satyam’s productions, and the Odissi duo of dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi and singer Raghunath Panigrahi.

Natyacharya VP Dhananjayan believes dancers and musicians should work together for a long time meditation
Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives

Bharatnatyam dancer and scholar Padma Subramaniam recalls: “My sister-in-law Shyamala Balakrishnan was in tune with my creativity and I was also a shadow of her music. There was a lot of give and take. Although I was the musician, his voice brought out every emotional nuance in my improvised satvik acting. Even today people remember his ‘Achyut’ in our ‘Krishnaya Tubhyam Namah’. As Natyacharya VP Dhananjayan explains, “To achieve uniformity, the dancer and the musician need to practice for a long time”.

This is not always possible today, when dance musicians are not associated with any one bani, dance school or guru. However, over the years, many young Carnatic musicians have come forward to provide musical accompaniment for the dance.

Of course, it is important that in order to take advantage of such associations, the dancers must be well versed in the nuances of the music, so that they can respond to it to create ‘wow’ moments on stage. That said, sometimes, personal ego can get in the way, with the dancer or singer considering their art as the most important. But, the truth is that better coordinated performance is possible only with equal collaboration. Musician, scholar and writer Sujatha Vijayaraghavan expresses it perfectly when she says that only when Sangeetham, Sahithyam and Natyam meet, rasa and joy is created in the mind of the audience.