A Bharatanatyam arangetram marks a dancer's solo debut after ten to twelve years of rigorous training, signifying their readiness as deemed by their guru. This "ascending the stage" performance is a coming-of-age celebration, showcasing the dancer's dedication and skill. Spanning approximately two hours, the performance features a series of dances symbolizing various aspects of Hinduism, highlighting the dancer's concentration and stamina. The arangetram is a testament to years of hard work by both the student and guru.

Alarippu

The presentation can also begin with a rhythmic invocation (vandana) called the Alarippu. It is a pure dance, which combines a thank you and benediction for blessings from the gods and goddesses, the guru and the gathered performance team. It also serves as a preliminary warm-up dance, without melody, to enable the dancer to loosen their body, and journey away from distractions and towards single-minded focus.

Jatiswaram

The next stage of the performance adds melody to the movement of Alarippu, and this is called Jatiswaram. The dance remains a prelim technical performance (nritta), pure in form and without any expressed words. The drums set the beat, of any Carnatic music raga (melody). They perform a sequence (Korvai) to the rhythm of the beat, presenting to the audience the unity of music, rhythm and movements.

Shabdam

The performance sequence then adds Shabdam (expressed words). This is the first item of Margam where expressions are introduced. The solo dancer, the vocalist(s), and the musical team, in this stage of the production, present short compositions, with words and meaning, in a spectrum of moods. This performance praises God (such as Krishna, Shiva, Rama, and Murugan) and their qualities.

Varnam

The Varnam part of Bharatanatyam emphasizes expressive dance.

The performance thereafter evolves into the Varnam stage. This marks the arrival into the sanctum sanctorum core of the performance. It is the longest section and the nritya. A traditional Varnam may be as long as 30–45 minutes or sometimes an hour. Varnam offers huge scope for improvisation and an experienced dancer can stretch the Varnam to a desirable length. The artist presents the play or the main composition, reveling in all their movements, silently communicating the text through codified gestures and footwork, harmoniously with the music, rhythmically punctuated. The dancer performs complicated moves, such as expressing a verse at two speeds. Their hands and body tell a story, whether of love and longing or of a battle between the good and the evil, as the musicians envelop them with musical notes and tones that set the appropriate mood.

Padam

The Padam is next. This is the stage of reverence, of simplicity, of abhinaya (expression) of the solemn spiritual message or devotional religious prayer (bhakti). The music is lighter, the chant intimate, the dance emotional. The choreography attempts to express rasa (emotional taste) and a mood, while the recital may include items such as a keertanam (expressing devotion), a javali (expressing divine love) or something else.

Tillana

The performance sequence ends with a Tillana, the climax. It closes out the nritya portion, the movements exit the temple of expressive dance, returning to the nritta style, where a series of pure movement and music are rhythmically performed. Therewith the performance ends.

Some colonial Indologists and modern authors argue that Bharatanatyam descends from the ancient Devadasi culture, tracing its origins to between 300 BCE and 300 CE. However, modern scholars contest this theory due to the lack of direct textual or archaeological evidence. Although historical texts and sculptures depict dancing girls and temple quarters for women, they don't label them as courtesans or prostitutes. According to Davesh Soneji, courtesan dancing emerged in the late 16th or 17th century, during the Nayaka period in Tamil Nadu. James Lochtefeld notes that classical dance remained confined to Hindu temples until the 20th century.

The arrival of the British in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the ridicule and decline of classical Indian dance forms. Christian missionaries and British officials branded "nautch girls" and "devadasis" as harlots and launched the anti-dance movement in 1892, accusing these dance forms of fronting prostitution. This culminated in the 1910 ban on temple dancing in the Madras Presidency.

Colonial reforms, influenced by liberal ideals and orientalist perspectives, disregarded local traditions, deeming Bharatanatyam indecent and immoral. These reforms imposed Anglo-Indian laws, regulating sexuality and affecting traditional dance practices, intertwining political agendas with morality issues.

The 1910 ban on temple dancers sparked protests against the stereotyping and dehumanization of a rich dance tradition. Classical art revivalists like E. Krishna Iyer challenged this cultural discrimination, questioning the need for years of training in performance arts if merely to link them to societal evils.

During the Indian independence movement, Bharatanatyam saw a revival as artists such as Rukmini Devi Arundale, Balasaraswati, and Yamini Krishnamurti brought the dance from temples to mainstream stages, championing the Pandanallur and Thanjavur styles. The revival intertwined with nationalist movements, critiqued colonial morality and democratizing the art to include more participants. This period emphasized reclaiming cultural heritage and identity, aligning with the goal of building a modern India rooted in traditional values.

Rukmini Devi Arundale notably sanitized Bharatanatyam to appeal to middle and upper-class women. The movement aimed to protect the spirit of the art through decommercialization. The successful revival of Bharatanatyam can be attributed to the revitalization and sanitation of the art from previous years