Indian Dance

Dance and music are an integral part of Indian life. The body is used most beautifully as a medium of communication to express the various moods and emotions most effectively. The Natya Shastra, written by Bharatha between second century BC and second century AD, is the source of all forms of Indian classical dance. It is regarded as the fifth Veda. Brahma, the supreme Creator, is believed to have created Natya by taking literature from the Rig Veda, songs from Sam Veda, abhinaya or expression from Yajur Veda and rasa or aesthetic experience from Atharva Veda. It speaks in great detail of the different kinds of postures, facial expressions, mudra or hand expressions, and the attire and ornaments to be used. All dance forms are structured around the nine rasa or emotions. They are hasya (happiness), shoka (sorrow), krodha (anger), karuna (compassion), bhibasta (disgust), adhbhuta (wonder) bhaya (fear), viram (courage) and shanta (serenity). All dance forms follow the same hand movements, with variation creeping in due to local demands. The uniqueness of Indian classical dances is that they are all devotional in content. In fact Bharata Natyam was till the early 20th century, only performed by 'devadasis' or maids of God, in temples. Folk dances have gained more popularity, as they are easier to understand and perform. They do not require the skill and expertise of a classical dance performer. They are performed by the rural folk and are extremely enjoyable. Almost every village has its folk dances. These are performed on festivals, ceremonies etc. All night dance dramas are popular throughout India and mark all major festivals. Bharatha Natyam This dance is the oldest of the classical dance forms, and its origins can be traced to Bharatha's Natya Shastra. It is a highly traditional and stylized dance form. Strict about the techniques used in performing it disallows any kind of innovations except in the repertoire and forms of presentation. It developed in South India, in its present form, two hundred years ago. The musicians of the Tanjore court of the 18th to 19th centuries lent the thematic and musical content to the dance. It is essentially a solo dance and has close affinities with the traditional dance-drama form called Bhagvat Mela performed only by men, and folk operettas called Kuruvanji performed only by women. Its sophistication and stylization make it a unique form of art-dance. Kathak Kathak finds its roots in katha- story. A band of storytellers, attached to temples in Northern India, narrated stories from epics. Later they added mime and gesture to their recitation. The popularity of the Radha-Krishna legend, led to further innovations in the dance form. With the advent of the Muslim rule, it was brought out of the temples and in to the courts of the rulers. Since then it has been commonly identified with the court traditions of the later Nawabs of northern India. It is really an amalgam of several folk traditions, the traditional dance drama forms prevalent in the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan known as Krishna and Radha lila. Jaipur, Benaras and Lucknow became the main centers of the dance. While Banaras maintained the purity of the dance, Jaipur gave emphasis to rhythm, and Lucknow introduced erotic steps. The Kathak dance goes through a regular format mostly concentrating on rhythm; its variation being- Tatkar, Paltas, Thoras, Amad and Parans. Kathakali It is one of the most refined and most scientific dance forms of Kerala. It is not more than 300 years old in its present form. This art demands complete control over practically every fibre of the body. Kathakali draws heavily from drama and is danced with elaborate masks and costumes. The stories for attakathas, the verse text for Kathakali piece are selected from epics and mythologies and are written in a highly Sanskritised verse form in Malayalam. The actor expresses himself through highly complicated mudras, closely following the text being sung. The splendour of the costumes, ornament and especially the facial make-up are absolutely striking. Kathakali has its origins in the courts of the kings of Kerala. It is a highly classical dance form. Kuchipudi This dance drama of Andhra Pradesh is the corresponding style of the Bhagvata Mela Nataka of Tamil Nadu. Kuchelapuram in Andhra Pradesh is the birthplace of this dance. Except that the emphasis is on the animation, the grammar is derived from the Natya Shastra. Each principal character in Kuchipudi dance introduces himself or herself on the stage with a brief composition of dance and song, specially designed for the character to help reveal his or her identity and show the performers skill in the art. These compositions are called dharu, and there are nearly 80 dharus or dance sequences in the dance drama. The most popular dance is the pot dance, where the dancer keeps a pot on her head and her feet on the rims of a steel plate. She moves on the stage manipulating the brass plate without spilling a drop of water on the ground. The music in Kuchipudi is classical Karnatic. The mridanga, violin and a clarinet are the common instruments employed as accompaniment. Manipuri, is the dance form of Manipur and is inextricably woven into the life of the people of the state. The dance form is mostly ritualistic, and has still preserved the dance drama technique, which draws heavily from the rich lore of the legend and mythology. Although many forms of ritual, magical, community and religious dances were known to Manipur before the advent of Vaishnava faith in the 18th century, the dances known as the rasa dances evolved only as a result of the interaction of the Vaishnava cult and several highly developed forms of ritual and religious dances which were prevalent in the area. The costumes used in this dance are colorful and bright, and the music is slow and rhythmic. The numbers presented are Lai Haraoba and Rasa Leela. The former deals with the creation of the world and the latter deals with the intimacy between Krishna and his consort-Radha. A large variety of intricate rhythmic patterns are played on the drums and cymbals. Mohiniyattam This dance form too belongs to the Devadasi dance heritage, like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi. The word 'mohini' literally means the maiden who steals the hearts of men. It is believed that Lord Vishnu took the guise of a 'Mohini' to enthrall people, both in connection with the churning of the milk-ocean and with the episode of slaying of Bhasmasura. Thus, it thought that Vaishnava devotees gave the name 'Mohiniyattam' to this dance form. It is similar to Bharatanatyam, and its movements are graceful like Odissi and the costumes are attractive and sober. It is essentially a solo dance. The first reference of solo dance is found in the 'Vyavaharamala', composed in the 16th Century. The dance is very popular in Kerala. Odissi This is also based on the Natya Sashtra and it can be traced back to 2nd Century BC., when the Jain king Shastra ruled. Himself an expert dancer and musician, he arranged a performance of Thandava and Abhinaya. In the 17th Century, a class of boys known as the Gotipuas came into being. They dressed as women and danced in the temples. The present Odissi as a solo form, evolved out of all these. It has been revived during the last two decades. Its technique is built round a basic motif in which the human bodies takes the thrice deflected (tribhanga) position of Indian sculpture. The repertoire comprises numbers, which are built on pure dance design recalling sculptural poses of Temples of Orissa. The dances are performed to poetry ranging from invocations to Ganesha to the verses of the Gita Govinda. Oriya poetry is equally popular. The dancer has scope to improve within the beats and the melodic line framework in the dance patterns and the freedom to interpret the poetic line in a variety of ways to evoke a single mood. Yaksha Gana This belongs to Karnataka and has a rural origin. It is an blend of dance and drama. Its heart lies in 'Gana' meaning music. It is about 400 years old. The language is Kannada and the themes are based on Hindu epics. The costumes are almost akin to the Kathakali dance costumes and the style too seems to have drawn inspiration from it. As prescribed in the Natya Shastra, it has the Sutra Dhara (conductor) and the Vidhushaka (the jester).

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