Stepping into Shringaara : Varitions on love in modern Bharata Natyam

Abstract

Within classical Indian performance aesthetics, Shringaara rasa is most commonly translated as `love?. In the modern South Indian solo dance practice of Bharata Natyam, stylized and codified expressions exist to create Shringaara. However, given its centrality within the practice of Bharata Natyam, there is relatively little discussion of Shringaara in dance scholarship. Drawing on my experience as a Bharata Natyam practitioner, I highlight variations on love including devotion, romantic love and maternal affection found in modern Bharata Natyam repertoire and practice. I also investigate varieties of love found in Tamil film dances and in contemporary dance lexicon. I argue that stylized depictions found in Bharata Natyam repertoire, perceptions on and social experiences of love interaction create a complex nexus to understand Shringaara?as it operates in urban contexts of Bharata Natyam practice. The resulting analysis is guided by my practice, and informed by scholarship on contemporary dance, feeling and affect.