Thanjavur Style

Tanjavur Style

Thanjavur bani describes the practice of dance in the Thanjavur royal court, propagated by the thanjavur nattuvanar family, descendants of thanjavur quartet. The thanjavur quartet were four brothers who worked in the early 19th century thanjavur royal court as musicians and dance composers. They created the current structure of the margam which is used by all styles of bharatnatyam. Both pandanallur and Thanjavur styles draw from ther reperteve maintaing some of the oldest compositions in bharanathyam.

Meenakshisundaram Pillai also descended from the Thanjavur questet though he lived in pandanallur village which his style in named after. Its important to note that members of the family never considered the differences were enough to warrant classification as separte banis. The pure dance movements are linear and geometric, and abhinaya is more classically stylized rather than realistic.