Bhagavata Mela is a 500-year old ritual dance-theater tradition from the Thanjavur region of Tamil Nadu. Scripted dance dramas depicting various Hindu mythological stories in great detail are performed by males on makeshift stages adjacent to the entrance of a temple. These devotional dramas, called nātakams, are composed in chaste Telugu and feature many genres of dance music that are now part of Bharatanatyam’s solo repertoire. Today, Bhagavata Mela survives among families in the villages of Melattur and Saliamangalam where these nātakams are still performed every year during May.
Kiran presents the praveśa daru (character’s entrance song) for Princess Sāvitri from the nātakam “Sati Sāvitri.” Praveśa darus have a critical dramaturgical function because they introduce the character through vivid descriptions of their physical attributes and current emotional state. They also foreshadow what happens to the character as the nātakam progresses.
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18 сен 2024
