Aharya Abhinayam- Excellence in Bharathanatyam Costume

THE MAKEUP AND THE HAIR  AND JEWELLERY  (FEMALES)

Enhance your Bharatanatyam performance with the specially designed make-up.
 

Use a base  in a pinkish tone, and highlight your cheekbones with  a suitable bush, to avoid looking pale on stage.

To emphasize your eye movements, pay special attention to the eyes. Besides your regular eye-shadow routine, outline your eyes with thick black kohl lines  extended at both ends. Make them meet beyond the end points of the eyes, giving a fish-like shape. Don't forget to add a dash of mascara to the lashes to make your eyes  look even more expressive and alluring. Use a pencil to define and darken your eyebrows with a  shade that matches your hair colour.

Energize your third eye by adding a round red or maroon bindi on the forehead. Add a white line under it, or opt for a long 'gopi' or drop shaped  bindi .

Outline your lips in a dark shade of red or maroon and neatly fill in with a similar shade.  Remember to add a black dot  near the chin or above the side of the upper lip to look cute and, it is whispered -"to ward off evil spirits"

Draw special attention to your mudras and feet movements, and activate the nerve centers of your body by painting the palms and the feet with a red liquid called "alta" ,Beautify your palms with 'alta' dots, and color the tips of the fingers with the same. For the back of the palm  make an 'alta' line near the knuckles  and fill the area around the nails with the same. Outline your feet with a thick line of alta, and cover your toes with this bright red colour.  

Make a center parting to your hair and gathering all the hair together, tie them up with a black cotton string. Add fake hair, braid into a long plait, and end it with three black cotton balls or Kunjalam, that symbolize the three worlds namely, Heaven or Akash, Earth or Dharti, and Hell or Paataal. 

Empower your performance by adorning your  head  with jewellry that represent the sun and the moon, known in Tamil as Chandra Parah and Surya Parah. Wear these. two flat round pieces, studded with gemstones and pearls.  on either side of the center parting of the hair.  The round one on the right, and the crescent shaped on left of the parting.  They represent the existent moon and the stars - the actual adornments of Maha Dev Shiva, the Supreme Dancer,

Frame the face and adorn  your centre parting with a 'Talasaman'.  

At the back of the head above the plait, add a specially designed hair ring  and adorn it with a round flat piece known as Rakudi. 

Enhance  the plait with nine pieces of jewelry, representing the nine planets.

Finish off with fragrant white jasmine flowers and orange flowers ina semi circle at the base of the head under the plait , creating an aura of freshness and purity.  

The earrings consist of three parts, known in Tamil as, Todu, Jimiki, and Martal that correspond to the top part at the ear lobe, the hanging part below the ear lobe, and the chain that relieves the weight of the earrings from the ears.

The dancer wears three different kinds of nose rings.  On the right nostril, she wears a diamond studded ring, or Nath.  Between the nostrils, she wears the Bilak, and on the left nostril, she wears the Mukuti.

A Magaripadaikam adorns the dancer’s neck.  Several bangles of assorted varieties beautify her wrists.  The upper arm is bejeweled with an armlet called the Vangi.On the fingers, the dancer wears several rings called the Maudram. 

At the waist, the dancer wears a gold belt called the Oddiyanam.  The belt is worn to bring an awareness to the dancer of her dual  natural tempraments-the worldy, and the spiritual. The lower half of the body is the worldly one, and the upper half the spiritual.   

Each of the anklets worn by the dancer consists of either a hundred or two hundred copper or bronze bells or kinkini.  A dancer wears these salanjai only at the time of a  performance, and not during the process of learning dance.  In fact, the Guru, after performing a special rite and reciting a prayer, hands them over to the disciple at the time of the first public performance, the Arangetram.  The melodious sound of  the kinkini-adorned feet, is enough to captivate the dancer to the art permanently!  

For me the best part in dressing up for bharatnatyam is this Salainjai itself, the melodious sounds of kinkini boosts me to dance more n more :)

The Dance Outfits or Natya Uddaihal

The Tamil Nadu state of India specialize in the art of spinning hand woven silk  sarees .  These bright colored Kanjivaram silk saris are conververted to beautifully designed Bharatanatyam attires  that can make you look graceful, artistic, and dignified and can actually enhance the grace of your dance movements. 

These attires are of two types.

                                 

You can select either the classic pant style costume or the half-sari. The pant-style costume consists of a minimum of two, and a maximum of four fan-shaped pieces overlapping each other at the waist, with the largest one ending at the ankles.  A blouse and a scarf or dupatta covers the upper body.  This complex apparel, which appears to be a one-piece costume, consists of separate pieces of clothing expertly put together. Whether you are performing a gentle Padam, or a brilliant Tillana, this outfit  looks  just beautiful.