Dance forms of India Picturesque

Dance forms of India

Classical: The main Indian Classical Dance forms are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Sattriya.

 

Bharatanatyam: It is almost 2000 years old popular classical Indian Dance originated in Tamil Nadu. It is considered to be the mother of all other classical dances of India and inspires many art forms.

The name Bharatanatyam is derived from three basic concepts of Bhava, Raga and Thaala. Communication is done through ‘Bhavabhinaya’ (facial expression) and ‘Hasthamudras’ (hand gestures). The performance starts with the prayers to Lord Ganapati and worship of Nataraj. It is believed that Bharatanatyam was revealed by Lord Brahma to Bhrata a famous sage, who then codified this sacred dance in a book called the Natya Shastra.

The music of Bharatanatyam based on classical Carnatic music. The instruments used are Veena, Flute, Mridangam and Violin.

Kathakali: It originated in the state of Kerala in the 17^th century. The ward ‘Katakali’ has been derived from the words ‘Katha’ means ‘story’ and ‘kali’ which stand for dance. It is a highly stylized classical Indian dance drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate and fascinating costumes, detailed gestures and well defined body movements.

Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'.

Kuchipudi: It is a classical Indian dance form from Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is the mame of a village in the Divi Taluka of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and with resident Brahmins practicing this traditional dance form. Kuchipudi was never a solo affair and required a number of performers. In its early form, the female roles were played by boys and men with beautiful looks.The director called the ‘Sutradhar’ player the role of dancer, singer, and musician all in one. In modern times, most of the performances are solo and are done by female dancers.

Mohiniattam: It is also traditional dance form of Kerala. The word ‘Mohiniattam’ comes from the words ‘Mohini’ meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and ‘attam’ meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. Literally meaning of it is ‘dance of the enchantress’.

Some of South Indian Folk dances are Padayani, Kummi, Kolattarm, Perini, Thapetta etc.

Odissi: It is also known as Orissi (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ) is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Odisha, in eastern India. It is the oldest surviving dance form of India on the basis of archaeological evidences. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as Odra-Magadhi. 1st century BCE bas-reliefs in the hills of Udaygiri (near Bhubaneshwar) testify to its antiquity. It was suppressed under the British Raj, but has been reconstructed since India gained independence. It is particularly distinguished from other classical Indian dance forms by the importance it places upon the Tribhangi (literally: three parts break), the independent movement of head, chest and pelvis and upon the basic square stance known as Chauka or Chouka that symbolises Lord Jagannath. This dance is characterised by various Bhangas (Stance), which involves stamping of the foot and striking various postures as seen in Indian sculptures.  The common Bhangas are Bhanga, Abanga,Atibhanga and Tribhanga.

Guinness World Records has acknowledged the feat of the largest congregation of Odissi dancers in a single event. 555 Odissi dancers performed at the event hosted on 23 December 2011, in the Kalinga stadium, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. The dancers performed the Mangalacharan, Battu, Pallavi, Abhinay and Mokshya dance items from the Odissi repertoire.

Kathak: It is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathakars or storytellers. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti movement. From the 16^th century onwards it absorbed certain features of Persian dance and central asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of the Mughal era.

The name Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means he who tells a story, or to do with stories.

Manipuri:  It is originated from Manipur, a state in north-eastern India on the border with Burma. The cult of Radha and Krishna, particularly the raslila, is central to its themes but the dances, unusually, incorporate the characteristic symbols (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mridanga) of sankirtan into the visual performance. Manipuri dancers do not wear ankle bells to accentuate the beats tapped out by the feet, in contrast with other Indian dance forms, and the dancers' feet never strike the ground hard. Movements of the body and feet and facial expressions in Manipuri dance are subtle and aim at devotion and grace. Guru Naba Kumar, Guru Bipin Singh, Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, his wife Charu Sija Mathur, Darshana Jhaveri are some of the prominent exponents of this classical dance form.

Sattriya: Sattriya Nritya (Assamese: সত্ৰীয়া নৃত্য), is one among eight principal classical Indian dance traditions. In the year 2000, the Sattriya dances of Assam received recognition as one of the eight classical dance forms of India. Whereas some of the other traditions have been revived in the recent past, Sattriya has remained a living tradition since its creation by the founder of Vaishnavism in Assam, the great saint Srimanta Sankardev, in 15th century Assam.

Folk: Bihu, Bhangra, Chhau, Giddha, Garba, Dandiya Raas, Ghoomar, Ghumura, Karma, Sword dance, Dollu Kunitha

Divine Forms: Nataraja, Tandava, Rasa Lila, Lasya

State: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu

Match the following Dance forms with appropriate States.

            DANCE FORM                                             STATE

1.         Bharatnatyam                                      a.         Manipur

2.         Kathak                                                b.         Andhra Pradesh

3.         Kathakali                                             c.         North India

4.         Kuchipudi                                           d.         Odisha

5.         Manipuri                                              e.         Kerala

6.         Sattriya                                                f.          Tamil Nadu

7.         Odissi                                                  g.         Assam

8.         Chhau / Gaudiya Nritya                       h.         Punjab

9.         Bhangra                                               i.          Gujrat

10.       Garba                                                  j.          West Bengal

11.       Mohiniattam                                       

ANSWERS

1-f, 2-c, 3-e, 4-b, 5-a, 6-g, 7-d, 8-j, 9-h, 10-i, 11-e