Classical Dances of India

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Classical Dances of India

By Anna Busse

Student Semester in India programme

Pondicherry University

 

 

Indian Classical Dance is an ancient tradition that has its roots in

the Vedic religious and philosophical practices that are over 3,000

years old. Although very spiritual in nature, meaning, and

symbolism, Indian Classical Dance is taught and practiced in both

secular and religious methods. The oldest written account of this

dance form is known as the Natya Shastra, Preservation and the

recent revival of Indian Classical Dance has resulted in the

worldwide practice of its eight widely recognized styles, five of

which specifically coordinate to the five elements: earth, air,

fire, water, and wind. The five elemental dance styles are

geographically orientated to the regions of Tamil Nadu, Manipur,

Orissa, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh.

 

Bharatnatyam, originating in Tamil Nadu, represents the fire element

and is arguably the most ancient of all the Indian Classical Dance

forms. It was taught by many nattuwanars (dance gurus) and

davadasis (temple dancers) throughout time, well known among them

the Tanjore Quartet, who propagated the form of Bharatanatyam

commonly practiced today. It is known for its crisp movements,

vigourous footwork, and scuplturesque poses, combining Nritta and

Nritya.

 

Manipuri, from Manipur, spread beyond Manipur where it had been

solely a temple practice largely through the propagation of

Rabindranath Tagore in the early 20th century. It is known for its

soft appearance, flowing movement, and soft footwork even during

vigorous sessions. This arises from the dance form's focus on

rounding all movement, a countermovement for any action. Although

seemingly gentle, the dance requires a huge amount of muscle

strength and control.

 

Odissi, originating in Orissa, represents the element of water.

After the oppression of the British government on this dance form it

received a much needed revival after 1949 and India's independence.

Odissi is characterized by its fluid torso movements and crisp lower

body movement.

 

Mohiniattam, from Kerala, represents the element of air. It is known

as a more secular form of dance when compared to forms such as

Bharatnatyam and Odissi. It owes its name to Mohini, or Lord

Vishnu's incarnation as the divine enchantress. It is known for the

fusion of Kathakali (another classical dance of Kerala) and

Bharatnatyam, in response to the historical male domination of

Kathakali. It is primarily a solo female dance, with swinging steps

and torso movement, as well as a high level of dramatic expression.

 

Many also recognize Kathakali as opposed to Kathak as on of the

major dance forms of Indian Classical Dance. Kathakali is a very

dramatic dance, which depicts various stories or myths, enacting

plays through mudras. Kathakali literally means " story play " in

Sanskrit and Dravidian respectively. Originally only practiced by

men (who also played the female roles), in recent times women have

also entered this dance form.

 

Kathak, the final form, originated in Uttar Pradesh. This dance form

owes its name to the work Katha, meaning " storyteller. " The basic

footwork, Tatkar, is crucial in Kathak, and dancers work hard to

keep their bodies straight as they tell the stories of Radha and

Krishna. Due to Kathak's association with tawaif it was outlawed

under British Colonial rule as mere prostitution, receiving revival

after independence like Odissi.

 

All these dance styles have undergone numerous transitions in their

long history, which allows them to remain prevalent today. They all

embody rich cultural and religious traditions of the Indo-Aryans who

came to India with their Vedic way of life, many of which (such as

spiritual philosophy) can be found in modern practice in conjunction

with Indian Classical Dance today.

 

Sources Cited:

 

Borthwick Higgins, Jon (PhD) The Music of Bharata Natyam Volume 1,

1973

 

 

http://www.answers.com/topic/classical-indian-dance

 

 

 

http://www.dancevillage.org/dances.html

 

 

 

http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/kathak.html

 

 

 

http://www.wikipedia.org

 

 

 

http://indiafocus.indiainfo.com/arts/dance/classicaldance/

 

 

 

http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/nritya.html

 

 

 

http://in.geocities.com/medhahari/classical_Indian_dance/classical_In

dian_dance.html

 

 

 

http://indiafocus.indiainfo.com/arts/dance/classicaldance/