The meaning of Bharatanatyam

The South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam combines three elements that make the dance form unique in its traditional and creative elements, the name itself is derived from Sanskrit and is broken down as follows:

“Bha” stands for “Bhava” otherwise known as the multi-faceted layers of expression and emotion that a dancer portrays in the performance.

“Ra” is for “Raga” the melody that accompanies the dance form.

“Ta” is for “Tala” the rhythm that is accompanied to root art form.

“Natyam” means dance. 

The combination of these elements means Bharatanatyam – the dance form encompassing expression, melody and rhythm.

Biography:

With a deep appreciation for all forms of art, and having lived in both India and England, Sulochana approaches her work with both a Western and an Indian sensibility; emphasising the traditional aspects of Bharatanatyam that make the dance form unique, whilst introducing contemporary theatrical elements to enhance the performance.

Sulochana has trained in Bharatanatyam under the guidance of Guru Lata Raman of Nritya Sudha Fine Arts in Mumbai and in October 2010 will be celebrating 20 years of learning the art form under her direction.  In addition she has also trained in workshops conducted by The Dhananjayans, Kalanidhi Narayanan, Priyadarshini Govind and Leela Samson.  Further to this, she has also been training in character study with Dee Cannon, a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London as well as Carnatic music with Guru Lata Raman and Vasanthalakshmi Kunnapuli to hone her emotive and musicality skills.

Bharatanatyam has given Sulochana the opportunity to perform in both India and in the U.K. and August 2010 will mark her first foray at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she will be performing her debut choreographed solo work, “Duality”.

Performance History

• August 1995 - Karnataka Sangha. Mumbai, India.
• August 1997 – Arangetram which took place at Rang Sharda, Mumbai, India.
• December 1997 – Colston’s Girls’ School. Bristol, U.K.
• July 1998 – “Natyothsav” festival held by the Natyanjali Trust.  Chennai, India.
• August 1998 – Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Award acceptance. Sharada Sangeet Vidyalaya.
• February 1999 – Sri Satya Sai Baba Group function. Cheltenham, U.K.
• March 2000 – Colston’s Girls’ School Cultural Day. Bristol, U.K.
• August 2001 – “Aaj Ke Kalakar” festival. Ahmedabad, India.
• March 2002 – “Ugadi” celebrations. Telugu Association of London.  London, U.K.
• July 2003 – “Vasanthothsav” festival held by Natyanjali Trust. Chennai, India.
• August 2003 – “Shivali” festival. Shivali Cultural Society of India. Mumbai, India.
• April 2004 – “Ugadi” celebrations. Telugu Association of London. London, U.K.
• March 2009 – “Ugadi” celebrations. Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple of the U.K. Birmingham, U.K.
• 4th – 14th August 2010 – “Duality” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  Edinburgh, U.K.

Awards

• August 1998 – Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Awarded, awarded by the Sharada Sangeet Vidyalaya. Mumbai, India.
• July 2003 – “Natya Kala Ratna” title conferred by the Natyanjali Trust. Chennai, India.
• August 2003 – “Nritya Shivali” title conferred by the Shivali Cultural Society of India. Mumbai, India.