Vazhuvoor (or Vizhuvur) is one of the original styles of

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...

, a major form of Indian classical dance. The main distinctive features include: *rich ''sringar'' elements *wide range of dancing pace *softer facial ''

abhinaya Abhinaya (Sanskrit ''abhi-'' 'towards' + ''nii-'' 'leading/guide') is the art of expression in Indian aesthetics. More accurately it means "leading an audience towards" the experience (') of a sentiment ('). The concept, derived from Bharata Mun ...

'' *extremely elaborate movements *deep sitting positions *variety of positions on the floor In the older,

Pandanallur style The Pandanallur style is a style of Bharatanatyam Indian dance. It is mainly attributed to Dance Guru Meenakshi sundaram Pillai (1869–1964), a dance guru who lived in the village of Pandanallur, in the Thanjavur district in the south Indian st ...

''pani'', ''

'' is more ritualistic (i.e. in conformity with the rules as set by the ancient texts) than realistic, so the spectators are supposed know the rules to appreciate it. The Vazhuvur ''pani'' evolved later than the Pandanallur, and while this did not deviate from the rules of the performing arts treatise ''

Natya Shastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary ...

'', it adopted the ''abhinayas'' that were relatively more realistic. However, some contemporary Bharatanatyam dancers, such as seen in the external link below, have created several transitional sub-styles. This style of Bharatanatyam was made famous and was introduced by Vazhuvoor B. Ramiah Pillai and his ancestors.

More distinct characteristics

*performance begins with a ''

Thodaya mangalam ''Euryops'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. They are native mostly to rocky sites in southern Africa, with a few species in other parts of Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. They produce daisy-like flowerheads from fe ...

'' in praise of Lord Gnana Sabesar of Vazhuvoor *the dancer starts the performance while entering the stage from the wings *static postures are performed, most often in the ''

tillana A Tillana or thillana is a rhythmic piece in Carnatic music that is generally performed at the end of a concert and widely used in classical indian dance performances. It was popularised by Dr. M Balamuralikrishna and some other musicians A Til ...

'', to break the monotony and to add the variety of rhythms *the ''jatis''{{Definition needed, date=November 2021 have more '' korvais'' (intervals), which creates a suspense effect *the dancer's torso from the waist up is slightly bent forward *the ''

adavu Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

s'' flow smoothly, with rare abrupt movements *beautiful leaps are introduced into every ''jati'' *''abhinaya'' is subtle with more '' natyadharmi'' (spontaneous expressions), so the presentation is not "overdone" *''

lasya The term Lāsya , in the context of Hindu mythology, describes the dance performed by the goddess Parvati as it expresses happiness and is filled with grace and beauty. She is believed to have danced the Lāsya in response to the male energy of the ...

'' dominates ''

tandava Tandava (also spelled as ) also known as , is a divine dance performed by Hindu god Shiva. Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form of Nataraja. The ''Natya Shastra'', a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts describes various as ...

External links

Internet Archive video clips of predominantly Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam
Dances of India