Bharatanatyam has manifold systems of writing/documentation. They are in the form of sculptures, paintings, inscriptions, and treatises. They are also in the form of personal notes by dance masters (Nattuvanars), notated descriptions by scholars, by wealthy merchants, travellers, and the court and temple dancers (Devadasis) themselves.

The female mind, body, and voice were used to embody the choreographies envisioned by the male Nattuvanars. But the qualitative fulcrum of this dance remained in extempore exposition. Every repertoire had a pedagogy that was fundamentally dynamic in its transfer and performance but also written and preserved. The Devadasi envisioned compositions as a representation of her psyche each time, both in practice and performance. Therefore the same repertoire gets reinterpreted every time by her, but within the structured pedagogy accorded by the composition and the choreographer. Let us investigate if the term choreography is useful in representing this unique process.