Meanings
- danceA form of classical dance originating in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
When I was five or six years old, I watched my cousins perform Bharatanatyam dance while I vacationing in Canada.
2022 August 31, srb6166, “Introduction to Bharatanatyam”, in How to Plan an Arangetram, Pennsylvania State University, archived from the original on 31 Aug 20261 more example
Bharatanatyam is the most geometrically multidirectional of the Indian genres — in the nritta sections, Ms. Balasubramanian turned in quick succession to address right, left, behind, ahead, above and below, as well as various diagonals — and the sharp transitions are often not just exciting but also powerfully expressive of the dancer’s setting herself within a larger context.
2015 August 30, Alastair Macaulay, “Review: At Indian Dance Festival, Subtleties in the Sway of a Torso”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2022
Origin
- Tamilபரதநாட்டியம்
- EnglishBharatanatyam
Borrowed from Tamil பரதநாட்டியம் (paratanāṭṭiyam), from भरत (bharata, “name of Bharata Muni”) + नाट्य (nāṭya, “dance”).
More words from Tamil
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Hindi भरतनाट्यम्
- भरतनाट्यम् (bharatnāṭyam)form of classical dance
Tamil பரதநாட்டியம், சதிராட்டம்
- பரதநாட்டியம் (paratanāṭṭiyam)form of classical dance
- சதிராட்டம் (catirāṭṭam)form of classical dance
Cite this entry
Bharatanatyam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bharatanatyam
“Bharatanatyam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bharatanatyam. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bharatanatyam,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bharatanatyam.
Source: Bharatanatyam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.