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Margam

Typically Arangetram consists of a number of Margams such as Allaripu, Jatiswaram, Sabdam, Varnam, Padam, Tillana and Slokam. 

 

  • Allaripu: Allaripu is the first number. It is short and simple. It is to welcome the guests and take their blessings and asks Mother Earth for forgiveness. The movements of all major and minor limbs are employed in it.  

  • Jatiswaram: Allaripu is followed by Jatiswaram. A collection of jatis and teermanam. Pure Nritta consists of bodily movements and patterns of dance, which are decorative and conveys no meaning. 

  • Sabdam: In Sabdam, for the first time Abhinaya is introduced. Sabdams are mainly composed in praise of a god or a king. In Sabdam, the line of the song is preceded or followed by a short jati . Most of the Sabdams are sung in Kamboji Raga and a few in Ragamalika

  • Varnam: Varnam is the central and the most elaborate item in a Bharatanatyam performance. Slightly longer, it is a series of pure dance sequences alternate with abhinaya for almost every line of the song. The musical composition with its Sahitya deals with the description of the Nayaka. The Pallavi and Anupallavi describe many virtues of the Nayaka. In the Varnam, the yearning of the Nayika is described. 

  • Padam: Since the Varnam is also quite strenuous, a dancer and the audience both need a break - a number of Padams are taken up for expression of abhinaya. Besides Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, Padams are now performed even in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and other languages to reach out to the larger local audience. 

  • Tilana: The item following the Padam is the Tillana. Again like the Jatiswaram, it is a number of Nritta - pure dance. Tillana is full of sculpturesque poses and varieties of movements. It does not convey any particular theme or meaning. In terms of movements, Tillanas have designs in space along straight lines, triangles, rectangles and diagonals. 

  • Mangalam: The Arangetram ends with an abhinaya to a Sanskrit Sloka. Shlokam, known also as Mangalam. 

 

The legendary Balasaraswati stated about Bharatanatyam, “the Bharatanatyam recital is structured like a great temple. We enter the gopuram (outer tower) of Alaripu, cross the ardha mandapam (halfway hall) of Jatiswaram, then the mandapam (great halls) of Sabdam, and enter the holy precinct of the deity in Varnam. We dance to the Padams, experiencing the containment, cool and quiet as entering the sanctum….then the Tillana breaks in to movements like the final burning of incense accompanied by a measure of din and bustle. In conclusion the devotee takes to his heart the god he has so far glorified. The dancer completes the traditional order by dancing to a simple devotional verse".

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