Mantras—sacred utterances believed to carry spiritual power—shape not only religious practice but also artistic expression in India. This lecture-performance explores how such sacred sounds, whether spoken, sung, or silently evoked, animate the movement language and emotional depth of Bharata-nāṭyam, one of the most prominent classical dance traditions of modern India.
Through both analysis and live demonstration, the presentation examines how sound and movement together create what dancers describe as śakti—a dynamic energy that flows through the body and the performance space. In Maye varṇam, choreographed by Sudharani Raghupathy (Chennai), the unseen diagram of the goddess’s power (yantra) and her mantra are reawakened through expressive gesture and rhythm. In Kālī kauttuvam, choreographed by K. S. Prasanna, a verse from a well-known Durgā mantra (“maṅgala maṅgalye śive sarvārthasādhike…”) provides both musical structure and emotional intensity, celebrating the creative force of the feminine. Finally, Sūrya vandanam by Sivaselvi Sarkar (Puducherry) weaves Sanskrit verses as seed-like motifs that unfold through dance in a graceful salutation to the sun—linking breath, movement, and devotion.
Combining short performed excerpts, musical examples, and interpretive commentary, this lecture-demonstration reveals how Bharata-nāṭyam transforms mantra into a living art form. It shows how sacred sound becomes visible through the body, bridging inherited devotional codes with contemporary creativity.
Géraldine-Nalini Margnac is an associate researcher at the University of Paris 8 and a lecturer at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne. She is also a Bharata-nāṭyam artist, trained in India with renowned masters including Sivaselvi Sarkar, Sudharani Raghupathy, and Adyar K. Lakshman. Her international career has taken her to prestigious stages and festivals, from the Festival international des nomades at the edge of the Sahara Desert to the BnF Richelieu, the Guimet and Grand Palais museums in Paris, and Kalakshetra in Chennai. Alongside her artistic practice, she is a scholar of performing arts, gender studies, and religious and ecopoetic representations. She shares her research and performance work through courses and lecture-performances in France, Switzerland, Iceland, Morocco, and soon Austria.
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