#aharyam

For the month of April, I'm starting a new series of posts dedicated to the various trends in Bharatanatyam costume and jewelry, both past and present. Stay tuned for more!

What is with this trend of untucked pallus? It looks like a tail, just like when a dancer ties her braid to her oddiyanam. Moo?

Excerpt from Natanam Aadinar by the Kishna brothers, Ronald Suresh and Theodorus Ramjit, disciples of the late K.P. Kittappa Pillai and currently his son K.P.K. Chandrasekaran. I'm excited by their choice in aharyam, with these voluminous azure blue Kathakali-esque skirts, offset with a long red stripe of sash down the side. Not sure if it works, but anything that challenges the status quo of Bharatanatyam costumes is a positive in my eyes. I'm over the slim tailored pyjama costume that's so popular today. Where's the drama?

A high resolution clip of Vyjayanthimala Bali dancing. I'm intrigued by her consistent choice to drape her sari costume Gujarati style, and I wonder what the significance is. As for the dancing, even though she loses her place halfway through the jathi, she still maintains her poise and saves it towards the end. She's an incredible dancer with so much range and experience, definitely an inspiration to many.