My main piece of text for the ISP is the Natya Shastra, an ancient Indian text, encompassing the entirety of performing arts, including theatre, dance and music. It is often attributed to the Sage Bharata, who is assumed to have written the text during the Classical period of India, sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE. The Natya Shastra (translated) will be a primary source of historical, factual research for this project, as it provides the theory and technical basis for Bharatanatyam as a whole. 

I have done Bharatnatyam (Indian Classical Dance) for ten years. It has been an integral part of my life, something which was sure to be there when I moved and switched schools. This past summer, I completed my Arangetram, a debut on-stage performance of a classical dance student, after undertaking years of training. At the culmination of my Arangetram, I realized that I knew everything about the technique and minute details of the art form, yet nothing about the theory. Bharatnatyam is strongly rooted in the rich culture of India, and there is an endless supply of history and heritage in Bharatnatyam to learn about.