Continuous Bharatanatyam Margam performance

The record for the maximum number of dancers performing continuous Bharatanatyam Margam was set by Natya Vidushi Dr. Brasil Leons, Founder of Yuva Deepthi Nrithyalaya, School of Performing Arts, Bengaluru, Karnataka, wherein 33 dancers from multiple age groups performed the Bharatanatyam Margam continuously for 40 minutes and 8 seconds at A D A Ranga Mandira, Bengaluru on September 11, 2022. The record has got mentioned in the India Book of Records and the Asia Book of Records simultaneously.

The organizer of the record-setting performance, Dr Brasil Leons, an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer, singer, and choreographer, said, “From the day we applied for the record and got the permission from the India Book of Records to perform, until the moment of our performance, we were very excited. This was really a great achievement for all of us.

Practice sessions were very interesting as well as challenging because multi-age students were performing in the group. Since the students have to perform the Bharatanatyam Margam continuously in coordination with each other, it was quite challenging.”

During her journey in Bharathanatyam, Dr Brasil Leons has performed in various programs and has successfully completed her Poorna exam in this classical dance form. Besides making the record, she also won the title ‘Nava Shakthi Natyamani at International Navarathri Festival. Her dedication and passion for this art form, along with her teacher’s expertise and encouragement from her family have made her the accomplished dancer she is today.

Dr Brasil Leons told the India Book of Records magazine that Bharatnatyam Arangetram dance is one of the most beautiful forms of expression, inspiration, focus, and perfection. It needs a strong devotion and commitment to the art. For every Bharathanatyam artist, Arangetram is a celebration of the art. The word Arangetram comes from the Tamil language, where ‘Arangu‘ means Stage and ‘Ettam‘ means rising or climbing. The Arangetram is a key milestone in the career of

any Bharathanatyam Dancer. It literally means to ascend the stage (Rangapravesham). It is announced after several years of training that the Guru is confident that the disciple can sustain in Bharathanatyam repertoire, Margam (Series of Dance). The Arangetram is an honour to the Guru. a momentous rite of passage. Thus this enables the disciple’s journey into the ocean of Bharatanatyam dance career.

Bharathanatyam is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, which expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism and in general of Hinduism. A description of Bharathanatyam in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram, while temple sculptures of the 6th to 9th century CE suggest it was a highly refined performance art by the mid-1st millennium CE. Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance tradition in India. Bharatanatyam is also the state dance form of Tamil Nadu. The dance contains different types of baanis. Baani, or ‘tradition’, is a Tamil term used to describe the dance technique and style specific to a guru or school.