Puducherry (Pondicherry) Nattuvan Dance

Understand

Where Puducherry (Pondicherry) Nattuvan Dance comes from

The Puducherry Nattuvan dance is the small-temple-dance tradition of the Nattuvan community of Puducherry (the hereditary dance-masters of the Tamil temples, who historically administered the temple-dance and the temple-music). The dance is performed by the Nattuvan of the temple at the religious celebration of the village. The form is one of the documented regional traditions of the Tamil cultural life and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the union territory.

How it's practiced

The Puducherry Nattuvan dance is performed by the hereditary Nattuvan (the dance-masters) of the Tamil temple at the central courtyard of the temple. The Nattuvan dances in the classical Bharatanatyam vocabulary, with the small hand-gestures and the footwork of the Tamil classical tradition. Music is the small cymbals (the nattuvangam) and the regional temple instruments. Costume is the traditional Bharatanatyam dress. Performances are at the central courtyard of the temple and at the cultural programmes of the union territory.