Dance Style Spans Two Millennia

A dance style that dates back 2,000 years will be performed by the Bharata Natyam Dance Theatre Saturday night at The Met.

Bharata Natyam is an Indian temple dance with roots in the Tanjore-Tamil Nadu region of India. The touring dance troupe is based in Los Angeles and is appearing in Spokane as part of the month-long Asian Cultural Festival.

Early Tamil literature dating to somewhere between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. contains references to the classical dance form known as Bharata Natyam.

The dances combine mime, music and movement and for centuries were performed in the temples of South India as a tribute to the temple and the dancer’s personal faith.

Lost during a period of political instability in the late 1800s, the dances were revived early this century. Malathi Iyengar, the artistic director of the Bharata Natyam Dance Theatre, learned the traditional dances of South India from Guru Narmada of Bangalore, India.

After Iyengar relocated to Los Angeles, she formed a dance company in 1985 to continue performing the ancient temple dances.

The troupe tours extensively and performances are accompanied by live musicians. In its purest form, the dance consecrates the body — the dancer dissolves her identity in rhythm and music, making her body the medium for the experience and expression of her spirit.

The Bharata Natyam Dance Theatre performance begins at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $8 in advance, available through G&B outlets, 325-SEAT; tickets are $12 at the door.