nrittabhaah - traditionnel dance numbers

• Dance

  A great language of the mind, body and the soul
• Understanding dance thoroughly

  • Requires sound knowledge of the traditional dance numbers that make up a Bharatanatyam programme
• Alarippu

  A prayer-oriented dance piece that a dancer learns and performs at the beginning
• Alarippu

  • Offers salutations to the god, teacher and the audience
  • Belongs to Shuddha Nrittha category of dancing where importance is given to the rhythm and not to the lyrics
  • Prepares the dancer physically and mentally to carry out a successful dance programme
• Alarippu

  Done at the beginning of a Bharathanatyam performance in three speeds - Samabhangi, Araimandi, Purnamandi positions respectively
• Jathisvaram

  The second item presented in a Bharathanatyam programme
• Jathisvaram


  • Has three parts - pallavi, anupallavi and charanam
  • Pallavi is repeated many times in the beginning for which rhythmic patterns of jathis and adavus are set
  • Has no lyrical elaboration and belongs to pure dance form
• Famous composers of Jathisvaram

  • Veene sheshanna
  • Tanjore brothers
• Devaranamas


  Devotional compositions mostly filled with devotion and morals, outcomes of the experience and devotion of Haridasas (servants of the lord Hari)
• Haridasas belonged to the 'Vaishnava' school of thought in Hinduism
• Some Haridasa composers and their unique "ankita nama"

  • Purandara Dasa
  • Kanaka Dasa
  • Sripadaraya
  • Vijaya Dasa
  • Vadirajatirtha
  • Gopaladasa
  • Helevanakatte Giriyamma
  • Jagannathadasa
  • Naraharitha
  • Vyasabitha
  • Raghavendra
  • Prasanna Venkatadasa
  • Purandara Vittala (popularly known as Kamataka sangeeta pitamaha or Grand Father of Kamataka music)
  • Adi Keshava
  • Ranga Vitthala
  • Vijaya Vittala
  • Hayavadana
  • Gopala Vittala
  • Helevanakatte Ranga
  • Jagannatha Vittala
  • Narahari Raghupathi
  • Sri Krishna
  • Dheera Venu Gopala
  • Prasanna Venkata
• Devaranamas


  • Composed on the concept of Hari Bhakti with social values, morals and virtues as the theme
  • Play a vital role in the vast field of art, especially Bharatanatyam
  • The beauty lies in the simplicity of devaranamas, in the language immersed in bhakti or devotion, and rich content that proves to be a link between the lord and the devotee
• Some popular devaranama compositions

  • Narayana Ninnanama
  • Vandisuvudadiyali
  • Pogadirelo Ranga
  • Venkatachala Nilayam
  • Jagadodharana
• Devaranamas


  • Play a vital role in the vast field of art, especially Bharatanatyam
  • The beauty lies in the simplicity of devaranamas, in the language immersed in bhakti or devotion
  • Rich content that proves to be a link between the lord and the devotee