Understanding Flow in Bharatanatyam: An Exploration of Performers’ Experiences

Abstract

Flow has been extensively researched as a state of deep absorption in task engagement, but its presence in culturally embedded artistic practices has not been sufficiently explored. The current study examines the experience of flow among Bharatanatyam performers, specifically, to understand the experience of flow as embedded within the artistic context of the practice. A qualitative approach was adopted to interview sixteen Bharatanatyam dancers of different levels of training and performance experience. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to examine the data to identify patterns of experience of flow. The findings of the study indicate that the experience of flow among Bharatanatyam performers was not merely a product of technical proficiency, but a complex interaction of skill, expressive engagement, and interpretive engagement. The experience of flow was marked by the presence of Abhinaya, which was seen as a means to facilitate flow by moving the attention of the performer from the execution of the steps to the interpretation of the story. The experience of flow was characterized by the absence of evaluative self-awareness, a change in the experience of time, and a shift in the focus of the performance. This study adds to the existing body of literature on flow by examining the experience of flow within the context of a traditional Indian classical dance form, specifically Bharatanatyam, to understand the impact of the artistic context on the experience of flow.