Evolvement

When we look at the millennia for which this art form has existed, the period which began from its revival in the 1930’s has completely changed and developed into the present day art form. Bharatnatyam most probably has changed or evolved the most over the past fifty years, compared to any other time period in the history of the dance form. “The modern world is a new environment for this ancient art form”. For many years the art form was dependent on a system of dedicated dancers, lifelong trainers, as well as royal patrons. Bharanatyam was an integral part of these people's social and religious life.

During the vital years of the dance form after its revival, Bharatnatyam started gaining such high esteem that by the 20th century, the demand for learning the art form had massively increased. This caused difficulty in maintaining the high standards of the dance. For example, the adavus are usually taught for a minimum of 1 or 2 years, but now they are taught for a few months. This has reduced the quality of the art form because before each dancer used to be taught the same thing for years, but now every student wants to learn everything in a hurry.

In the past nattuvanars were known to be the custodians of the dance form, but in today's world it is the dancers. The last exclusive generation of nattuvanars were the people who trained dancers during the revival period. The reason nattuvanars are no longer the only trainers of Bharatnatyam students, is because there are many aspiring dancers. In institutions such as Kalakshetra, the experienced dancers themselves become teachers, and teach the next generation of students. Most students nowadays prefer learning from individual dancers. Because of this reason, the role of nattuvanars has been taken by dancers or musicians with special training.

There are so many aspiring dancers that they are exceeding the availability of specialized musicians or ones which come from a line of patronage. The dancers these days, have to take up their own financial responsibility for performances and other events, but in the past everything was taken care of by their guru. In the past, all performances used to have a live singer and percussionists, but these days to keep the cost down, many dancers prefer using recorded music. Unlike before, dancers today can not make a living out of the art form. Only few dancers remain who have devoted their life to training and developing as bharatanatyam dancers. Due to these circumstances, there is a downward spiral of declining standards and diminishing audiences.

With more and more dancers becoming teachers, and fewer nattuvanars, there is a broken lineage of instruction which used to maintain the integrity of the dancer from, has been lost. “In the hands of many dancers rather than a few trainers, Bhartanatyam is now subject to more numerous innovations”. Because there is no longer a recognised authority such as nattuvanars, there is no one to adopt or recognise changes in order to maintain standards. Without the educated audiences who would provide meaningful and constructive feedback, the art form has begun to open to unrestrained variations.

Innovation and variation are great but the problem is when there are inappropriate innovations which are claimed to be consistent with, or part of, an existing tradition. Artists have diverse motivations, and each of their performances provide different experiences. In order to capitalize the reputation of Bharatanatyam’s classicism and artistry, instead of letting their innovations stand on their own merits, most artists claim to be standard bearers of the same classical dance tradition. This not only confuses audiences, but also discredits the art itself.

A recent phenomenon is the learning of Bharatanatyam as a rite of passage for young Indian women, especially in areas outside of India. After their arangetram, most dancers tend to abandon the dance. The arangetram which used to be known as the opening of a dancers career, has become sort of a closing ceremony. The income from arangetrams has caused many teachers to rush unqualified dancers to the stage. The result of this has caused a steady supply of novice performers that do not develop into experts that are capable of doing justice to the art.

Though modern bharatanatyam exists in great quantity, there is a wide variation in quality. Bharatanatyam’s problems today are no longer because of oppression, as it was with the devadasis a few centuries ago, but instead due to the mindless popularity and commercialization. Due to the consequent loss of standards, the art is often presented poorly, but audiences are often not able to identify a good performance from a bad one. “If the crown jewel of India’s classical dances gets a reputation as a sloppy and amateurish medium, the indifference it will elicit will threaten its survival more than any of the challenges it has endured in the past”.