Pandanaiallur Style

Pandanainallur Style of Bharatanatyam Clean lines, crisp jatis and classic understatement are features of the Pandanaiallur style. The Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam is mainly attributed to Sri. Minakshisundaram Pillai (1869–1954). He was a dance Guru who lived in the village of Pandanaiallur, which is in the Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu.

Minakshisundaram Pillai was a Nattuvanar whose ancesters were the Tanjore Quartet, the four brothers Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivel. The works of these four brothers, who were court composers in the early 1800s in Thanjavur, form the main classical masterpieces of Bharatanatyam.

Minakshisundaram Pillai was said to have been trained by his uncle Kumarasamy Nattuvanar. He trained several famous Bharata Natyam dancers including devadasis such as Pandanallur Jayalakshmi, Thangachi Ammal, Sabaranjitam, as well as people from other castes such as Mrinalini Sarabhai, Rukmini Devi, and others.

After Minakshisundaram Pillai, it was his son-in-law Chokkalingam Pillai (1893–1968) who became the leading Guru of the Pandanaiallur style. His leading dancer-student was Mambalam Geetha. He also trained other leading dancers such as G. Kausalya, Sucharita, Indrani Rehman, and others.

Subbaraya Pillai (1914–2008), Chokkalingam Pillai's son, was the next leading Guru of the Pandanaiallur style. He grew up in the village of Pandanaiallur and was an apprentice under his grandfather and father. He trained leading dancers such as Alarmel Valli, Meenakshi Chitharanjan, and others.

The Pandanallur style has a reputation for its emphasis on linear geometry in adavu technique and for intensity and understatement in abhinaya.

The Pandanaiallur style of Bharatanatyam stresses:

  • its deep sitting positions (aramandi)
  • its lasya (feminine dance style) of padams is rather slow and difficult to perform
  • it is performed on three levels: in deep sitting positions, on the ground, in standing positions and while moving or jumping.

The Pandanallur style is renowned for its masterpieces in choreography: some of the main gems in its repertoire are the Nine or Ten Tanjore Quartet pada-varnams (Sakiye, Sami Ninne, Mogamana, Danike, Adimogam, Yemanthayanara, Yemaguva, Sami Nee Ramanave, Sarasijanaba) for which Minakshisundaram Pillai composed the choreography: both dramatic choreography which he called simply "hands" as well as the adavu choreography for the swara passages.

Also part of their heritage are the valuable jatiswarams (in ragams Vasantha, Saveri, Chakravakam, Kalyani, Bairavi), which are miniature masterpieces of elegant abstract adavu choreography.

Some of the famous exponents of this style of Bharatanatyam are Ramgopal, Shanta Rao, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Indrani Rehman, Alarmel Valli, Meenakshi Chitharanjan etc.

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Bharatanatyam Styles

Over the past 150 years, various distinct styles of Bharatanatyam have emerged. These styles are specific to various regions of South India. The most important of these styles are:

Each of these styles have unique aesthetic character and nuances.

Other dance forms:

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