Natya
नाट्यSanskritSay it: naaṭ · ya
- ṭ ḍ — t and d with the tongue tip curled back
- aa ee oo ē ō — long vowels: hold them twice as long
Dance-drama — the theatrical dimension of the art.
TechniqueBharatanatyamKuchipudiOdissiKathak
Meaning
Natya is the dramatic aspect, where the performer takes on characters and enacts a story, closer to theatre than to recital. Kathakali is almost wholly natya; solo forms use it in passages where the dancer plays several characters in turn.