Bala (1976) - Satyajit Ray Documentary on T. Balasaraswati 

Good evening, by any chance, do you have her interview? with anyone you know? I have been searching it for a long time now.

Devadasis were considered highly in the society. Then came the British and our own liberals, their profession was diminished to that of prostitutes .

it's people who create legends... I wonder what was so great in her dance and abhinaya and I'd prefer to watch myself and to make my own opinion and I am not an idiot😀

​@@narthakima'am she had gone through a period of hyperthyroidism, recovery and probably had arthritis while dancing this 😅

She's a brahmin. Wonder where you got that from. Anyway!

@@narthakishut the hell up! Who are you, a Russian, to say anything about such an Icon! How dare you.

DHARMAVARAM SISTERS 37de2obcsq8

no amt of words would suffice to describe Balasaraswati. Bharatanatyam is Balasaraswati & Balasaraswati is Bharatanatyam and more..

Absolutely

😂

What a disgusting comment

You have no knowledge of Dance and comparing to Sobha Naidu who is a completely different field has nothing to do with this. How dare you speak of a hereditary Artist like this. Your comment reeks of Brahmin influence and casteist brainwashing. What do you know about Natyarambam? Have you taken the time to look at sobha naidu’s natyarambam ever? Don’t comment on things you don’t know diddly squat about. Such arrogance and ignorance is insanity. Open your eyes. You probably think Kalakshetra is real Bharatanatyam 😂😂😂😂 stupid person.

I am sadly aware that a regional chauvinist like Samuel ashwin here will likely accept nothing above his prejudices but perhaps this comment will benefit other readers, though I make no claim to expertise. The Natyashastra was written, perhaps 2200 - 1900 years ago, perhaps much earlier, by a person (nominally Bharata - which was also the generic name for the artist-performer) who was part of a lineage, it's not a standalone text. But it's the earliest one on the subject that we have now. Its influence is seen everywhere from Kashmir to Kerala and Tamil Nadu and even outside India, particularly in East and South-East Asia. Even texts on Aesthetics deeply influenced by the Natyashastra, like the works of Abhinavagupta have made their influence felt all over India. All Indian art - dance, dance-drama, sculpture, architecture, music etc - has commonality of spirit, subject and intent. Across time branches evolved, but there was always one thread connecting it to its roots. This "ancient language" business is the regionalists' divisive game. Between Sanskrit and Tamil (and several other tongues), there was always give and take. Southern scholars taught at central and northern Indian universities for centuries, and manuscripts from the north were copied by hand and spread to the ends of the southern regions. These deep ties have been almost severed by colonial "education" and the present generations, lenses clouded by deracinating, divisive ideologies, too often haven't the faintest idea of how their forefathers were. Keep Indian Art (and other epistemologies for that matter) alive in its original spirit and intent and let it evolve to new forms and heights on that strong foundation. Please read Ananda Coomaraswamy, Kapila Vatsyayan, Mysore Hiriyanna, Stella Kramrisch, et al apart from the original classic treatises and works from all around the country to understand these subjects and ideas in their correct framework.

sweetheart ! what don't you get! I challenge anyone at this generation to dance the speed that she danced AND to explain what she has dance for vatim. CHALLENGE TO ANYONE ALOG WITH EXPLANATION WITH JATHI!!!!

Are u a dancer? Even through it doesn't look like contemporary bharatanAtyam. It's from the soul..

Nowadays bhararatanatyam looks like karate. It's soulless. This kind of dancing comes from depths of bhakti and tradition. So don't be disrespectful.

Hey Charles Ma... I am a dancer and I don 't get it too... It's not a mark of disrespect... But sorry I cannot see the beauty of this style, it looks like a child dancing according to my point of view, but I really want to understand where does the beauty reside in her dance...

Is it a new fashion ? Balasaraswati challenge ? LOL