Dance is a physical and visual art form. Indian dances have played an influential role in many other realms of art including poetry, sculpture, architecture, literature, music and theatre. Classical dances of India trace their roots to Bharat’s Natyasastra
(which was written between the 2nd century B.C. and 2nd century A.D.) . All forms of Indian classical dances owe allegiance to Natya Shastra, considered the ‘fifth Veda’ of the Indian culture.
The term “classical” (Shastriya”) was introduced by Sangeet Natak Akademi itya to denote the Natya Shastra based performing art styles. The Natya Shastra is one of the fundamental treatises on Indian drama and aesthetics Natya Shastra divides dance into two distinct forms-nritta, and nritya. Three main components form the basis of these dances. Nritya (dance ) is the visual and pantomimic representation of emotions and ideas. Nritta refers to movements of the body with gestures which are regulated by tala (musical time interval). Mudra and rasas are two other important features of Indian classical dance. Mudra means use of hand gestures by the artists to narrate a story and to demonstrate certain concepts such as objects, weather, nature and emotion. The majority of Indian classical dance forms are focused on the depiction of the nine rasas (Navarasas or the emotions), which includes Hasya (happiness), Krodha (anger), Bhibasta(disgust), Bhaya (fear) , Shokka (sorrow), Viram (courage), Karuna (compassion), Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (serenity).
India has thousands of year old tradition of fine arts and classical and folk dances. Some of the world-famous dance forms that originated and evolved in India are Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam and Odissi. The Encyclopedia Britannica talks about six acknowledged schools and other sources mention there are eight forms of classical dance. They are Bharatnatyam,Kathak, Kathakali, Odishi, Kuchipudi, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniattam.
Apart from Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Sangeet Natak Akademi officially recognized Odishi as the fifth school of Indian classical dance in 1958 and Sattriya as the sixth one in the list in 2001.
We will now discuss some important features of each classical dance and its major exponents. In this section we will also mention most renowned propounders and practitioners of the respective dance forms.
BHARATNATYAM
The 2,000 year old Bharatnatyam is considered the mother art of most of the other classical dances of India and inspires many art forms like sculpture, painting, and icon-making. This dance form evolved in the South of India in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in temples if Shiva.
At present Bharatnatyam is an immensely popular classical dance form of India. The present form of Bharatnatyam dance was evolved by Poniah Pillai of Tanjore and his brothers. Formats of Bharatnatyam consists of Alarippu (invocation), Jathi Swaram (note combinations ) Shabdam (notes and lyrics), Varnam (a combination of pure dance and abhinaya ) lighter items like Padams and Javalis (all erotic) and finally the thillana (again pure dance).
It is a highly specialized science with and mixture of traditional background and rigid codes and conventions. Bharatnatyam constitutes three primary ingredients of dancing which includes bhava or mood, raga or music and melody and tala or timing.
The technique of Bharatanatyam classical dance consists of 64principles of coordinated hand , foot face and body movements which are performed to the accompaniment of dance syllables. Bharatnatyam is always performed with the knees of the dancers bent. The dance form emphasizes on the hand movements to convey different kinds of emotionsto the spectator.Foot contact is important in Bharatanatyam. The foot touches the ground and the weight is equally distributed when the dancer is in the first position. While performing Bharatanatyam, the artist visualizes his/her body as made up of triangles. This dance form is characterized by the use of the ekaharya lasyanga style in which one dancer-actor plays many different roles. The dancers generally dance to a traditional south Indian Carnatic orchestra consisting of voice, strings, percussion, and flute. Bhasratnatyam is predominantly performed by wonen; men are also known to engage in it:
Popular Dancers: Mrinalini Sarabhai , Yamini Krishnamurthy, Anita Ratnam and Mallika Sarabhai.
KATHAK
Kathak, one of the classical dance forms of India, is characterized itself by fast footwork. Kathak dances are performed straight-legged. In Kathak dance the emphasis is more on footwork as against hasta mudras or hand formations in Bharatnatyam dance. Kathak requires minute foot work. Kathak dancers therefore move the weight of the body when they move their feet. The only portion that is moved is the shoulder line which enables the dancer to manipu;ate the upper torso (for instance one shoulder could be moved up while the other lowered). Another characteristic feature of the Kathak dance style is its jumps and spins. Kathak lays emphasis on the movements of the eywbrows and its approach to neck movement is similar to that of Bharatanatyam, I.e. the neck is moved from side to side. Kathak dancers maintained a clear distinction between lasya and tandava on one hand, nritta and abhinaya on the other, even when performing before kings. A Kathak dancer is not required strictly to stick to fixed steps and stages. He or she can change the sequence of steps to suit his or her skill and style of dancing.
Kathak dance has three-Gharanas the school of kathak which are named as per the geographical areas in which they are developed they are Jaipur, Lucknow and Benaras Gharans. The Jaipur Gharana of Kathak emphasized technical mastery of pure dance. In the court of Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Oudh (a student of Kathak), Kathak dance emphasized dramatic and sensuous expression and developed into aa distinct style called the Lucknow Gharana. This Gharana is said to have originated with Wajid Ali Shah’s court dancer Thakur Prasadji.
Popular Dancers: Acchan Maharaj,Shambhu Maharaj, Lacjju Maharaj, Birju Maharaj and Ruby Mishra.
KATHAKALI
Kathakali is considered as one of the most magnificent theatres of imagination and creativity. Kudiyattam was a dance-drama form that can be regarded as the souce of some of the dramatic elements in Kathakali dance. Kathakali dance presents themes derived from the Ramauana, the Mahabharata and other Hindu epics, mythologies and legends.
The dance aspect of Kathakali consists of pure dance (nritya) as well as mine (abhinaya). Unlike other classical dances, Kathakali was thought to be the sole domain of men but now women also perform the dance. Like all other dance form in which the entire body, both skeletonand muscles, down to even the smallest facial muscle are used to portray emotion. When Kathakali dance is being performed the text of the drama or the story is sung for the dancer and is the baseline for his/her interpretation. Some of the ancient martial art-dances and folk dances also contributed significantly to the development of Kathakali
Kathakali is emotive as well as narrative in nature and its recitals are generally very long. Traditionally the performance begins after sunset and continues till late in the night. Nowadays, due to shortage of time, it continues for three hours or even lesser. The most distinctive characteristic of Kathakali is its dance costume. In Kathakali the makeup is very intricate and the costumes are very large and heavy, There are several kinds of Kathakali costum es namely, Sathwika (the hero), Kathi (the villain), Ninukku (females, and Thatti. Each character in Kathakali dance is immediately recognizable by characteristic makeup and costume.
Kathakali is unique in the fact that unlike the other classical dances of India one cannot make a clear distinction between the dance and drama portions of it. Kathakali is not a lolo dance like Bharatanatyam,nor is it a court dance like Kathak or lyrical like Nanipuri. Instead Kathakali is characterized by a strong dramatic element. In Kathakali the dancers are not narrators but actors and each dancer presents a particular character.
Kathakali dancers make geometric patterns which are either squares or rectangles and this is how they cover space. The distinctive feature of Kathakali are its jumps, sweeps and leaps.
KUCHIPUDI
Kuchipudi is one of the clasical dance forms of the South India. It derives its name from the Kuchipudi exhibits scenes from the Hindu Epics, legends and mytological tales through a combination of music , dance and acting. Kuchipude was performed in the open air by performers who were given a vigoruous training in abhinaya, music, dancing and singing. In its early form, the female roles were played by boys and young men. Siddhendra Yogi redefined the Kujchipude dance form, with the aim of eliminating exploitation of women. Owing to his efforts, Kuchipudi came to be enriched by the advet of the female dancers, with time.
Like other classical dances,Kuchipudi also comprises pure dance, mime and histrionics but it is the use of speech that distinguishes Kuchipudi's presentation as dance drama. The director (called Sutradhar ) plays the most important role. He combines the role of conductor, dancer, singer, musician, comedian, all in one. The Kuchipudi performance started with orchestral music which included Mridanga, Madala and a pair of cymbals. To bless the performance invocation of a deity was done. All this was followed by announcement of the theme of the play and introduction of characters by the sutradhar.
Kuchippudi has many features that are common to other classical dancesof India. Kuchippudi carries the sensuousness and fluidity of Odissi with the geometric line of Bharata Natyam. As in all other classical dance forms of India, ther Kuchipudi dance is both interpretive and lyrical, making use of abstract dance seequences as well. Kuchipudi dance retains its devotional character with sterss on dramatic outlook.
Bhama Kalapam, Gollakalapam, Prahlada Charitam, Sashirekha and Parinaya are some of the othe rfamous dance dramas in Kuchipudi.
Popular Dancers: Shri. Raja and Smt. Radha Reddy, Dr.Vempati Chinna Satyam, Guru Jayarama Rao and Vanashree Rao Vedantam Lakshminarayana, Dr. Uma Rama Rao, Tadepalli Perayya, Chinta Krishna Murthy are some of the prominint personalities of Kuchipudi.
ODDISSI
odissi is one of the famous classical Indian dances from Odisha state. The history of Odissi dance is almost two thousand years old. Odissi is a highly inspired, passionate, ecstatic and senuous form of dance. Like most of the South Indian classical dances of India Odissi too had its origin in the Devadasi tradition. The dance form has been extensively depicted in the sculptures of Brahmeswara temple and Sun Temple at Konark. Kalicharan Pattanayaka is accredited with the revival of Odissi. He presented the Odissi artists to perform on stage and motivated others to follow the suit.
In its present form Odissi is a well established and codified classical dance form if India. Odisi is considered a dance of love, joy and intense passion, pure, divene and human. Over a period of time three schools of Odissi dance developed, they are-Nahari, Nartaki, and Gotipua. The Nahari system traces its roots in the Devadasi tradcition. The dance form of Odissi that developed in royal courts is called the nartaki tradition. In the Gotipua tradition of Odissi dance young boys dress up in female attires and enact female roles.
Odissi like all classical dances in India follows the basic rules set forth in the Natyasastra. Odissi is similar to Bharatnatyam in terms of themudras and expr5esions used in the performance. The 'Tribhang ' or the division of the body into three parts, including head, bust and torso, is one of the highlighting features of Odissi. This 'Tribhangi' concept has created the very characteristic poses which are more twisted than found in other classic al Indian dances. Mudra is also an important component of Odissi dance.
There are various styles and the most exquisite methods of covering space through different forms of covering space through different forms of sitting(baitha), walking (charis), leaping nd elevations. The dancer moves either front of back, in a circle etc. and creates intricate geometrical shapes and patterns . One of the most beautiful one is the spiral. The dancers weave their bodies into a spiral shape, with athe different portions twisted in different ways. The final result is stunning, and portrys a static sculpture like quality.
The Odishi dancer personifies the Lord Jagannath phi,osophy.Apart from the depiction of Lord Jagannath, the repertoire of Odishi includes verses of the Geet Govinda, in order to depict the love and devotion to God. Dashavataar, the depiction of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, is a popular performance of Odissi.
Popular Dancers: Kelucharan Mhapatra, INdrani Rehman, Sonal Nansingh , Sanjukta Panigrahi Protima Gauri Bedi, Nadhavi Nudgal, Guru Mayadhar Raut, Surendranath Jena , Kiran Segal, Madhavi Mudgal, Aloka Kanungo, Manoranjan Pradhan, BijayniSatpathym Sangeeta Das & Leena Mohanty.
SATTRIYA
Sattriya is a classical dance form of assam. It is devotional in character and Bhakti Rasa is the predominasnt theme of this dance form. This was an artistic way of presenting mythological teachings to the people in an accessible, immediate, and enjoyable manner. Traditionally, Sattriya was performed only by bhokots (male monks ) in monasteries as a part of their daily rituals or to mark special festivals . Today, in addition to this practice, Sattriya is also performed on stage by men and women who are not members of the sattras, on themes not merely mythological.
This dance form was evolved in Assam in The 15th century by the great Vaishnavite saint Shri Sankardev. Reference of this dance forms are found in the ancient Indian classical texts like Natyashastra, Kalikapuana, Abhinayadarpana and also in sculptures etc.
Like the other classical dance forms in India, the Xattriya dance has also its own distinctive characteristics. For example, the first position o fSattriya is called'Ora', it is of two types Tandave (Vigorous ) and Lasya (Elegent and Graceful). This 'Ora' is called 'Aramandi' in Bharat5anatyam dance of Tamil Nadu of South India and 'Soak' in Odissi dance of Odhshaa. Over and above, in Satttriya the Griba Karma (the movement of neck), Dristy (eye movement) , Pada Cahlan(foot movemnent), Bhramari or Paak (the circular movement of the vody)etc.,are note worthy. The Hasta (hand gestures)are vfery beartifully described in Suvankara's 'Srihastamktavali'.There are six types of Angya (Limb), six types of Pratangya, six types of Upanga ( Lower limb) , nine different types of Dristy (eye movement ) , sistyfour types of Karana (Matiakhora or Exercises), ninetypes of Shirakarma (HEad movement), four types Gribakarma are found in Sattriya dance. The repertoier of Sattriya consisted of numbers perdominantly based on the dance element involved in the the entry, exit and movement of the characters in the deama (ankiya bhaona) on stage and tillrecently, was performed by the bhokots (monks).
The distinctive features of the graceful Sattriya dance technique are the ulah, the wavy movements, doop, the dipping and bobbing, hali, the horizontal movements, citika, the springing movements, etc. and the high spiritual content rooted in the sattra tradition. The Sattriya dancer which incorporate the entire grammar of the movement of Sattriya and form the foundation of the training of a Sattriya dancer.
Popular Dancers: Maniram Datta Moktar, Vapuram Bayan Ataai, Rosehwar Saikia Bayan Moktar, Indira P. P. Bora, Pradip Chaliha, Parmanand Borbayan, Ghana Kanta Bora, Jatin Goswami, Ganakanta Dutta Borbayan, Manik Borbayan.
MANIPURI
Manipuriis the classical dance from the Manipur region in the North East. The art form is primarily dominated by the themes from the Vishnu Puranas, Bhagbata Puranas, and Geeta Govinda . The earliest records of this danceform date back to about 100 AD.Itessentially followed the Natyasastra but had some distinct differences. Manipuri is known as the youngest and oldest classical dance of India because although its origins are ancient, it acquired its prsent form recently. It can perhaps be described as a combination of ideas set forth in Natyasastra and an older book known as the Srimad Bhagvata.
