Melattur style


The Melattur style of Bharatanatyam dance was developed largely out of the devadasi traditions and Melattur Bhagavata Mela by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer , a sanyasi following Srividya Upasana. He re-established the Suddha Nrittam from kuchipudi, Bhattasa Natyam and Perani Natyam. Mangudi became interested in Shuddha Nrittam after watching a performance by devadasi of Cheyyur Sengalvarayar temple, who performed it along with other 71 types of items.

Themes

Unlike other Bharatanatyam gurus, Mangudi avoided the items which glorified the poet's human patrons, as performing such items would be inconsistent with his adherence to spiritual practices of Srividya Upasana. It is only the deities or the great rishis who were deemed worthy of such glorification. Thus, the repertoire of a Melattur style dancer consists mostly of the ancient items performed in the temples.

Footwork

The Melattur style discourages stamping the feet hard against the floor. Instead, the dancer is expected to use the salangai in a more sophisticated manner that produces a richer variety of sounds and highlights the rhythm.
Another distinctive feature is the presence of pancha nadais and extensive use of gati bhedas. For instance in varnam there would be gati bhedam in every jati. There is a special emphasis on crisp adavus, fluid variations or patterned korvais.

Abhinaya

Due to the Melattur Bhagavata Mela influence, the style makes extensive use of the dramatic elements, i.e. characterisation, which requires highly expressive and intricate abhinaya. Unlike other Bharatanatyam styles, the facial expressions in of the Melattur style dancer are not rigidly defined, are neither theatrical nor understated, which requires a high degree of introspection and individual improvisation. Due to the devadasi influence, there is an emphasis on sringara rasa, rather than on a neutral bhakti.
The nritta abhinaya is different from most other styles in the sense that each body movement is to be reflected in a different facial expression in a spontaneous manner.

Other distinctive features