Classical Dance Forms in India

Natya Veda was created by Lord Brahma as per the story mentioned in Natyashastra of Bharata. Natya is an amalgamation of dance, drama and music. The first formal mentioned of the dance was founded in Natyashastra of Bharat Muni. There are various aspects of dance; Lasya (grace), Tandava (male aspects like movement and rhythm), Nritta (basic dance steps), Natya (dramatic representation) and Nritya (sentiments). The Indian can broadly divide into two forms; Classical dance forms and Folk-dance forms.

Also Read: Folk, Fusion and Modern Music in India

Classical Music of India

Indian Music – History and Anatomy

Classical Dance Forms in India:

The Indian classical dance forms are governed by some basic rules and guidelines. Presently as per the record of Sangeet Natak Akademi, there are eight classical dance forms exist in India.

Bharatnatyam

Bharatnatyam made of two words; Bharat is derived form name of Bharat Muni and Natyam is a Tamil word which means dance. The origin of Bharatnatyam can be traced back to ‘Sadir’ (the solo dance performance to temple dancers or devadasis). Alarippu (dance postures and syllables), Jatiswaram (poses and movements), Shabdam (dramatic elements), Varnam (composition of dance and emotions), etc. are the major features of this dance.

Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi is a traditional classical dance of state of Andhra Pradesh. It generally performed by the group of actors going village to village. The stories of Bhagavata purana are the central theme of this dance. It involves difficult foot movements. Both Lasya and Tandava are important elements of Kuchipudi dance. This dance is generally accompanied by the Carnatic music.

Kathakali

The Kathakali dance is evolved from the two dance-drama, Ramanattam and Krishnattam which were performed in temples of Kerala. ‘Katha’ means story and ‘kali’ means drama. There is minimal use of props in this dance. Colors have their significance in this dance as they showcase different emotions like Green indicates nobility, divinity and virtue; Yellow is for saints and women etc. Music, gestures and the language; Manipravalam (mixture of Malayalam and Sanskrit) all are other important features of this dance form.

Mohiniattam

The word Mohiniattam is made of two words; ‘Mohini’ means beautiful woman and ‘attam’ means dance and this dance is a solo performance. It combines the grace and elegance of Bharatnatyam with the vigor of Kathakali. This dance narrates the story of the feminine dance of Vishnu. This dance also symbolizes the element of air through performance. Lasya (beauty and grace) is the dominant aspect of Mohiniattam dance.

Odissi

The earliest evidence of this form can be traced back to Udayagiri-Khandagiri caves and the name derived from ‘Odra nritya’ of Natya Shastra. The mudras and posture of Odissi dance is very similar to Bharatnatyam. The tribhanga (three-bended form of body) and Chowk postures are important features of Odissi dance. This dance represents gracefulness, sensuality and beauty.

Manipuri

According to the mythological evidences, the origin of Manipuri dance is the celestial dance of Shiva and Parvati in the valley of Manipur with the local ‘Gandharvas’. And other said that the festival of Lal Haraoba is the origin of this dance. This dance gave emphasis on devotion and incorporated both lasya and Tandava elements. Ras-leela is a recurring theme of Manipuri dance. Thang-Ta and Sankirtana are also influenced by Manipuri dance.

Kathak

Kathak is a traditional and classical dance form of the state of Uttar Pradesh, originated from Ras-leela Brajbhoomi. Jugalbandi is the main attraction of this dance which shows competitive play between dancer and table player. Gat bhaav is dance without any music or chanting. The kathak dance is generally accompanied by the Dhrupad music.

Sattriya

This dance form was introduced by the Vaishnava saint Shankaradeva in the 15^th century AD. in Assam. The name is deriving from Vaishnava monasteries known as ‘Sattras’. This dance form also owns the devotional aspect of dance and mythological stories of Vishnu form the basic theme of this dance. Generally performed by the group of male monks. Sattriya dance has evolved into two separate stream – the Gayan-Bhayanar Nach and Kharmanar Nach. Ankia Naat is also type of Sattriya dance.

Thus, India is very rich country in term of classical dance forms which are world famous in modern-days as well.