Bala (1976 film)

Bala is a 1976 short documentary film made by Satyajit Ray, about a Bharata Natyam dancer, Balasaraswati, fondly known as Bala. The film was jointly produced by National Centre for the Performing Arts and Government of Tamil Nadu. The thirtythreeminute documentary features the life and some of the works by Balasaraswati in the form of narration and dance, starring herself. At the age of fourteen, Ray had seen a performance of Balasaraswati in Kolkata, then known as Calcutta, in 1935, when she was seventeen years old.

Tanjore Balasaraswati, fondly known as Balasaraswati or Bala, was born onMay 1918 in Chennai, then known as Madras. With her earlier seven generations worked predominantly in dance and musical fields, Bala started her Bharata Natyam training at the age of five, under Nattuvanar Kandappa Pillai and made her dancing debut in 1925, at the age of seven, at Kancheepuram at the Kamakshi Amman Temple. Her mother, Jayammal was a singer who encouraged Balas musical training and was her accompanist in the dance concerts. Bala continued to do stage performance around the world along with her brothers, Mridangam player T. Ranganathan and flautist T. Viswanathan. Bala and her famous contemporary Rukmini Devi Arundale are often called as revolutionary Bharata Natyam dancers. She was awarded the second highest civilian honour given by the Government of India, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1977. Bala passed way onFebruary 1984, at the age of 65.The film begins with the introduction of Bharata Natyam since its inception. It also explains the various hand gestures, known as Mudra and Bala demonstrates one of them, Mayura Mudra Peacock Mudra. Narrated by Satyajit Ray, the film describes Balas lineage and her debut performance in 1925, at the age of seven, at Kancheepuram at the Kamakshi Amman Temple. A noted Sanskrit scholar and musicologist explains Balas dancing style and an Indian dancer, Uday Shankar mentions about his association with Bala. ........

Source: Wikipedia