Costume TailorDEALS IN DANCE COSTUME

Bharatnatyam Dress

Bharata natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of india. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern india since ancient times. Later it was codified and documented as a performing art in the 19th century by four brothers known as the tanjore quartet whose musical compositions for dance form the bulk of the bharata natyam repertoire even today. The art was handed down as a living tradition from generation to generation under the devadasi system under which women were dedicated to temples to serve the deity as dancers and musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals. These highly talented artists and the male gurus (nattuvanars) were the sole repository of the art until the early 20th century when a renewal of interest in india's cultural heritage prompted the educated elite to discover its beauty.