The tradition of dancing in India dates back to ancient times. Excavations of the Harappan civilization have uncovered a sculpture of a dancing girl, proving that dance developed even during that period. Bharat Muni's Natyashastra is considered to be the first and authentic text of Indian choreography. It is also called Panchveda.
According to Natyashastra theory, there are two types of dance, Margi (Tandava) and Lasya. Lord Shankar performed Tandava dance. This dance is performed with great curiosity and strength. Lasya, on the other hand, is a gentle dance performed by Lord Krishna with gopis.
Dances were quite prevalent in India till the 19th century. But by the 19th century, its popularity had dropped significantly. But in the 20th century, the efforts of many people revived dance.
Following is a brief description of classical dance arts of India:
According to Natyashastra theory, there are two types of dance, Margi (Tandava) and Lasya. Lord Shankar performed Tandava dance. This dance is performed with great curiosity and strength. Lasya, on the other hand, is a gentle dance performed by Lord Krishna with gopis.
Dances were quite prevalent in India till the 19th century. But by the 19th century, its popularity had dropped significantly. But in the 20th century, the efforts of many people revived dance.
Following is a brief description of classical dance arts of India:
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam is one of the most famous dances of Indian classical dances. It originated in the state of Tamil Nadu and is now one of the oldest classical dances in India. It is considered to be 2000 years old and follows the principles of the Natya Shastra (Bible of Indian Natya Shastra).
Its history has been fascinating. Traditionally the dance style of Bharatanatyam is actually an amalgamation of many different elements from the traditional forms of Dassi Attam and Sadra. A dance performed by the Devadasis is known as Dassi Attam while Sadr is a dance performed in the royal palaces of South India.
In this dance, hand and eye movements are performed more by the dancer to express a variety of emotions. Bharatanatyam is a term derived from the four most important elements of dance (in Sanskrit).
Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi is a famous dance form of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous all over South India. The dance derives its name from the village of Kuchipudi in Divi taluk of Krishna district, where the Brahmins residing practice this traditional dance. According to tradition, Kuchipudi dance was originally performed only by men and that too only by men of the Brahmin community. These Brahmin families were called Bhagavathalu of Kuchipudi. The first group of Bhagavathalu Brahmins of Kuchipudi was formed around 1502 AD. Their programs were dedicated to the deities. According to popular legends, the work of redefining Kuchipudi dance was done by a Krishna-devout saint named Siddhendra Yogi.
Fifteen Brahmin families of Kuchipudi have carried on the tradition for more than five centuries. Eminent gurus like Vedantham Lakshmi Narayana, Chinta Krishna Murthy and Tadepalli Peraya have enriched the dance by including women in it. Dr. Vemapathi Chinna Satyam added several dance dramas to it and created the dance structure of several solo performances and thus broadened the horizon of the dance form. This tradition has been great since men used to act as women and now women have started acting as men.
The Kuchipudi dancers present a sequence of movements in a particular circularity, with playful and quick movements, and the dance has an abundance of flight in footsteps leading to a distinctive dignity and lyricism in its performance. This dance, performed with Carnatic music, bears similarities with Bharatanatyam in many respects. In single maternity, Kuchipudi consists of the introduction of Jatiswaram and Tilana, while its dance form showcases the aspirations of the devotee to become absorbed in the God by many musical compositions. In one particular form of Tarangam, the dancer dances along the edges of the plate, in which two lamps are burning, and at the same time balances a water vessel Kindi.
Odyssey
Odisha, situated on the eastern seaboard, is home to the Odissi dance and is one of the many forms of Indian classical dance. Odissi love and emotion in the form of sensory and singing, is a worldly and extraterrestrial dance associated with gods and humans. Many regional features have also been mentioned in the Natya Shastra. The southern-eastern style is known as the Udhara Magadha style, in which the present Odissi can be identified as the ancient precursor.
Archaeological evidences of this dance form are found from the caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri near Bhubaneswar, second century BCE. Numerous examples of later Buddhist statues, tantric motifs of the dancing Yoginis, Nataraja and other divine composers of ancient Shiva temples and niches dating from the second century BCE to the tenth century AD, provide a proof of this continuing tradition of dance. This influence is enshrined in a specific philosophy - Jagannatha's faith or synthesis of religion. It was established in Orissa with Hinduism in about seventh century CE, many impressive temples were built. The resplendent Sun Temple of Konark, built in the thirteenth century, has a high level of activity for the construction of the temple building, including its dance pavilion or dance hall. Even today, these stone dance activities are a source of inspiration for Odissi results.
Mahiraj has been the principal authority of this dance for centuries. Mahrita, who was often the resultant (devadasi) of the temple, gradually started working in the royal courts, resulting in the loss of art form. Around this time a class of boys, known as Gotupua, who were proficient in art, started dancing in the temple and also for the general entertainment of the people. Many of the current gurus of this genre are related to the Gotupua tradition.
Odissi is a high-style dance and is based on a certain amount of classical theatrical and acting mirrors. Later it is mostly taken from Jadunath Sinha's Abhinay Darpan Prakash, Rajamani Pattra's Abhinaya Chandrika and Maheshwar Mahapatra's Abhinaya Chandrika.
Like other parts of India, creative literature provides inspiration for Odissi results and also provides themes for the dance. This is particularly true of the twelfth-century song Govinda composed by Jayadeva. Its literary style and poetic style are other examples of other fine poems and a profound example of hero-heroine expressions. The poet's devotion to Krishna is reflected in the work.
The Odissi board is basically a pakhawaz player (who is usually a guru himself), a singer, a flute player, a sitar or veena player and a manjira player.
The dancer adorns the ornate, silver Odissi jewelery and has a special hairstyle. Nowadays, saris are usually stitched and worn in a distinctive style.
In every presentation, even a modern Odissi dancer believes in the religious devotion of the Devadasis or Mahirs, who seek salvation or liberation through dance.
Kathak
The term Kathak is derived from the word Katha, which means a story. Storytellers or storytellers are those who often narrate stories based on a wide range of legends, mythology, and epics. It began as an oral tradition. To make the statement more effective, the swang and the postures were probably added later. In this way a simple form of descriptive dance developed and it also gives us the reasons for the development of this dance which appears as a Kathak today.
The Vaishnava religion, which was prevalent in Northern India in the 15th century, and in principle the Bhakti movement, contributed to a complete innovation of the lyrical and musical forms. The theme of Radha-Krishna became very famous with the works of Mirabai, Surdas, Nandadas and Krishnadas. Ras Leela's origin was an important development in Brij Pradesh (Mathura in western Uttar Pradesh). It is a combination of music, dance and interpretation in itself. The dance at Raslila, while the original was an extension of the Swang, is easily blended with the current traditional dance.
The dance received a new impetus with the arrival of the Mughals. A change from the courtyard of the temple to the court of the palace made its place, which led to the inevitable changes in the presentation. In both the Hindu and Muslim courts, Kathak emerged in a high style and developed into a mixed form of entertainment. There was a special emphasis on the dance here under the Muslim class and the sentiment gave this dance an aesthetic, effective and emotional dimension.
Today Kathak is emerging as a great dance. Only Kathak is the classical dance form of India, which is related to Muslim culture, it presents a unique synthesis of Hindu and Muslim talents in art. In addition, Kathak is the only form of classical dance associated with Hindustani or North Indian music. The development of these two is the same and both support and encourage each other.
Kathakali
Kerala is home to many traditional dance and dance forms. The most typical of these is the Kathakali dance.
Today, Kathakali is a popular dance form. It is thought to have originated in comparatively recent times. Although it is an art, it has arisen from many social and religious theatrical art forms prevalent in the southern regions in ancient times. Chakiyarkutta, Koodiyattam, Krishnanattam and Ramanattam - are some of the ritual performing arts of Kerala, which have a direct impact on the design and technique of Kathakali. According to a legend, when the Jamorin of Calicut refused to send their Krishnanattam program group to Travancore, the king of Kottarakkara became so enraged that he was inspired to compose Ramanattam.
Sculptures of Kerala temples and frescoes from around the 16th-century Mattancherry temple can be seen in dance depicting square and rectangular original postures, which display the characteristics of Kathakali. The Kathakali dance style is indebted to the ancient martial arts of Kerala for body postures and dance forms.
The performance of the Kathakali dance begins with Kellikotta, which attracts the audience. This is followed by Todayam. It is a religious dance, in which one or two artists pray to receive the blessings of God. Calicut is a formal announcement of the evening program. At this time, drums and strings are told at the venue of the program. As a part of this, a pure dance section called Purappaad is displayed. After this, musicians and drummers in Melappadam entertain the audience by performing their skills on stage. All the actors, except Tiranok, Pacha or Minuk, enter the stage. This is followed by a certain scene of the play or chosen play.
Elakiyattam is that part of a performance or presentation where the performer (character) gets an opportunity to demonstrate his excellence in acting. For most of the performance, the dancer engages himself in Cholliyattam. That is, to act mainly on the words of the verses sung by the accompaniment musicians.
As a result of the services of the poet Vallatol, this classical dance has gained new inspiration and many renovations have also been done to suit the needs of the changes happening in the society today
Manipuri
The Manipuri dance originated in the state of Manipur in the north-eastern part of India. It is one of the major dance forms of various Indian classical dances. Due to its geographical location, the people of Manipur have been saved from external influences and due to this the state is able to maintain its unique traditional culture.
The origin of the Manipuri dance can be traced back to ancient times, which goes beyond the history of the script. The dance in Manipur is associated with religious and traditional festivals. There are references to the dances of Shiva and Parvati and other deities who composed the creation.
Lai Haroba is one of the main festivals and is still presented in Manipur today, originating from the pre-Vaishnava period. Lai is an ancient form of Haroba dance, which forms the basis of all forms of dance forms in Manipur. It literally means the merriment of the gods. It is performed as a ritual offering of dance and song. Mayaba and Mayabi (priests and priests) are the main rituals, re-enacting the theme of the creation.
The Manipuri dance encompasses both the Tandava and the lasas and ranges from a very heroic masculine aspect to a serene and captivating feminine aspect. A rare feature of Manipuri dance is known as lyrical and engaging activities. In Manipuri acting, Mukhabhinaye is not given much importance - facial expressions are natural and not exaggerated. Sarvangabhinaya or the whole body is used to convey a certain rasa, that is its specialty.
In lyrical groups it is usually seen that the dancers do not wear ghungroos to give rhythm to the feet in a theatrical performance, much less with sensitive body movements. Whereas Manipuri dance and music is a highly developed rhythm system.
The classical style of Manipuri singing is called Nat, which is very different from both North and South Indian music, a genre that can be quickly identified with high voice, with certain types of vocalizations and adaptations. The main musical instrument is the Punga or Manipuri classical drum. There are also many other varieties of dhols, which are used in Manipuri music and dance. Pena, a stringed instrument, is used in Lai Haroba and Pena singing. Various varieties of Kartal are used in Raas and Sankirtan. Flute is also used with singing.
The Ashtapadis of Geet-Govinda composed by Jayadeva are very popular and are sung and danced with great devotion in Manipur.
Apart from Raas and other pastimes, every stage of life of every person is celebrated with a syncretic presentation. Dance and singing are performed in Manipur for all these occasions of child birth, upanayana, marriage and shraddha. The entire community participates in dance and singing as part of daily life experiences.
In this dance, hand and eye movements are performed more by the dancer to express a variety of emotions. Bharatanatyam is a term derived from the four most important elements of dance (in Sanskrit).
- Bha se bhava (emotion)
- Su se raga (music or melody)
- Ta se tal (rhythm)
- Natyam means dance
Kuchipudi
Fifteen Brahmin families of Kuchipudi have carried on the tradition for more than five centuries. Eminent gurus like Vedantham Lakshmi Narayana, Chinta Krishna Murthy and Tadepalli Peraya have enriched the dance by including women in it. Dr. Vemapathi Chinna Satyam added several dance dramas to it and created the dance structure of several solo performances and thus broadened the horizon of the dance form. This tradition has been great since men used to act as women and now women have started acting as men.
The Kuchipudi dancers present a sequence of movements in a particular circularity, with playful and quick movements, and the dance has an abundance of flight in footsteps leading to a distinctive dignity and lyricism in its performance. This dance, performed with Carnatic music, bears similarities with Bharatanatyam in many respects. In single maternity, Kuchipudi consists of the introduction of Jatiswaram and Tilana, while its dance form showcases the aspirations of the devotee to become absorbed in the God by many musical compositions. In one particular form of Tarangam, the dancer dances along the edges of the plate, in which two lamps are burning, and at the same time balances a water vessel Kindi.
Odyssey
Archaeological evidences of this dance form are found from the caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri near Bhubaneswar, second century BCE. Numerous examples of later Buddhist statues, tantric motifs of the dancing Yoginis, Nataraja and other divine composers of ancient Shiva temples and niches dating from the second century BCE to the tenth century AD, provide a proof of this continuing tradition of dance. This influence is enshrined in a specific philosophy - Jagannatha's faith or synthesis of religion. It was established in Orissa with Hinduism in about seventh century CE, many impressive temples were built. The resplendent Sun Temple of Konark, built in the thirteenth century, has a high level of activity for the construction of the temple building, including its dance pavilion or dance hall. Even today, these stone dance activities are a source of inspiration for Odissi results.
Mahiraj has been the principal authority of this dance for centuries. Mahrita, who was often the resultant (devadasi) of the temple, gradually started working in the royal courts, resulting in the loss of art form. Around this time a class of boys, known as Gotupua, who were proficient in art, started dancing in the temple and also for the general entertainment of the people. Many of the current gurus of this genre are related to the Gotupua tradition.
Odissi is a high-style dance and is based on a certain amount of classical theatrical and acting mirrors. Later it is mostly taken from Jadunath Sinha's Abhinay Darpan Prakash, Rajamani Pattra's Abhinaya Chandrika and Maheshwar Mahapatra's Abhinaya Chandrika.
Like other parts of India, creative literature provides inspiration for Odissi results and also provides themes for the dance. This is particularly true of the twelfth-century song Govinda composed by Jayadeva. Its literary style and poetic style are other examples of other fine poems and a profound example of hero-heroine expressions. The poet's devotion to Krishna is reflected in the work.
The Odissi board is basically a pakhawaz player (who is usually a guru himself), a singer, a flute player, a sitar or veena player and a manjira player.
The dancer adorns the ornate, silver Odissi jewelery and has a special hairstyle. Nowadays, saris are usually stitched and worn in a distinctive style.
In every presentation, even a modern Odissi dancer believes in the religious devotion of the Devadasis or Mahirs, who seek salvation or liberation through dance.
Kathak
The Vaishnava religion, which was prevalent in Northern India in the 15th century, and in principle the Bhakti movement, contributed to a complete innovation of the lyrical and musical forms. The theme of Radha-Krishna became very famous with the works of Mirabai, Surdas, Nandadas and Krishnadas. Ras Leela's origin was an important development in Brij Pradesh (Mathura in western Uttar Pradesh). It is a combination of music, dance and interpretation in itself. The dance at Raslila, while the original was an extension of the Swang, is easily blended with the current traditional dance.
The dance received a new impetus with the arrival of the Mughals. A change from the courtyard of the temple to the court of the palace made its place, which led to the inevitable changes in the presentation. In both the Hindu and Muslim courts, Kathak emerged in a high style and developed into a mixed form of entertainment. There was a special emphasis on the dance here under the Muslim class and the sentiment gave this dance an aesthetic, effective and emotional dimension.
Today Kathak is emerging as a great dance. Only Kathak is the classical dance form of India, which is related to Muslim culture, it presents a unique synthesis of Hindu and Muslim talents in art. In addition, Kathak is the only form of classical dance associated with Hindustani or North Indian music. The development of these two is the same and both support and encourage each other.
Kathakali
Kerala is home to many traditional dance and dance forms. The most typical of these is the Kathakali dance.
Today, Kathakali is a popular dance form. It is thought to have originated in comparatively recent times. Although it is an art, it has arisen from many social and religious theatrical art forms prevalent in the southern regions in ancient times. Chakiyarkutta, Koodiyattam, Krishnanattam and Ramanattam - are some of the ritual performing arts of Kerala, which have a direct impact on the design and technique of Kathakali. According to a legend, when the Jamorin of Calicut refused to send their Krishnanattam program group to Travancore, the king of Kottarakkara became so enraged that he was inspired to compose Ramanattam.
Sculptures of Kerala temples and frescoes from around the 16th-century Mattancherry temple can be seen in dance depicting square and rectangular original postures, which display the characteristics of Kathakali. The Kathakali dance style is indebted to the ancient martial arts of Kerala for body postures and dance forms.
The performance of the Kathakali dance begins with Kellikotta, which attracts the audience. This is followed by Todayam. It is a religious dance, in which one or two artists pray to receive the blessings of God. Calicut is a formal announcement of the evening program. At this time, drums and strings are told at the venue of the program. As a part of this, a pure dance section called Purappaad is displayed. After this, musicians and drummers in Melappadam entertain the audience by performing their skills on stage. All the actors, except Tiranok, Pacha or Minuk, enter the stage. This is followed by a certain scene of the play or chosen play.
Elakiyattam is that part of a performance or presentation where the performer (character) gets an opportunity to demonstrate his excellence in acting. For most of the performance, the dancer engages himself in Cholliyattam. That is, to act mainly on the words of the verses sung by the accompaniment musicians.
As a result of the services of the poet Vallatol, this classical dance has gained new inspiration and many renovations have also been done to suit the needs of the changes happening in the society today
Manipuri
The Manipuri dance originated in the state of Manipur in the north-eastern part of India. It is one of the major dance forms of various Indian classical dances. Due to its geographical location, the people of Manipur have been saved from external influences and due to this the state is able to maintain its unique traditional culture.
The origin of the Manipuri dance can be traced back to ancient times, which goes beyond the history of the script. The dance in Manipur is associated with religious and traditional festivals. There are references to the dances of Shiva and Parvati and other deities who composed the creation.
Lai Haroba is one of the main festivals and is still presented in Manipur today, originating from the pre-Vaishnava period. Lai is an ancient form of Haroba dance, which forms the basis of all forms of dance forms in Manipur. It literally means the merriment of the gods. It is performed as a ritual offering of dance and song. Mayaba and Mayabi (priests and priests) are the main rituals, re-enacting the theme of the creation.
The Manipuri dance encompasses both the Tandava and the lasas and ranges from a very heroic masculine aspect to a serene and captivating feminine aspect. A rare feature of Manipuri dance is known as lyrical and engaging activities. In Manipuri acting, Mukhabhinaye is not given much importance - facial expressions are natural and not exaggerated. Sarvangabhinaya or the whole body is used to convey a certain rasa, that is its specialty.
In lyrical groups it is usually seen that the dancers do not wear ghungroos to give rhythm to the feet in a theatrical performance, much less with sensitive body movements. Whereas Manipuri dance and music is a highly developed rhythm system.
The classical style of Manipuri singing is called Nat, which is very different from both North and South Indian music, a genre that can be quickly identified with high voice, with certain types of vocalizations and adaptations. The main musical instrument is the Punga or Manipuri classical drum. There are also many other varieties of dhols, which are used in Manipuri music and dance. Pena, a stringed instrument, is used in Lai Haroba and Pena singing. Various varieties of Kartal are used in Raas and Sankirtan. Flute is also used with singing.
The Ashtapadis of Geet-Govinda composed by Jayadeva are very popular and are sung and danced with great devotion in Manipur.
Apart from Raas and other pastimes, every stage of life of every person is celebrated with a syncretic presentation. Dance and singing are performed in Manipur for all these occasions of child birth, upanayana, marriage and shraddha. The entire community participates in dance and singing as part of daily life experiences.
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