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Dances in India
Dance and music are an integral part of Indian life. The
Natya Shastra, written by Baratha between 2 B.C. and 2
A.D., is the source for all forms of Indian classical
dance. It is regarded as the fifth Veda.
Bharatnatyam
 It is believed that Brahma, the supreme Creator, created
Natya by taking literature from the Rig Veda, songs from
the Sama Veda, abhinaya or expression from the Yajur Veda
and rasa or aesthetic experience from the Arthava Veda.
Natya speaks in great detail of the different kinds of
postures, facial expressions, mudra or hand expressions,
including the attire and ornaments to be used. All the
dance forms are structured around the nine rasas or
emotions. They are hasya (happiness), shoka (sorrow),
krodha (anger), karuna (compassion), bhibasta (disgust),
adhbhuta (wonder) bhaya (fear), vikram (courage) and
shanta (serenity). The uniqueness of Indian classical
dance, 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.
Almost every village has its own folk dance, which is
performed by the village folk itself. These are performed
on festivals, ceremonies, special occassions, etc. All
night dance dramas are popular throughout India and mark
all the major festivals. This dance is the oldest of the
classical dance forms, and its origin can be traced to
Bharatha`s Natya Shastra. It is a very traditional and
stylized dance form. Strict about the techniques used in
performing, it disallows any kind of innovations except in
the repertoire 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 and 19th
centuries, lent the thematic as well as 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.
 Kathakali
Kathakali has its origin in the courts of the kings of
Kerala. It is one of the most refined and most scientific
dance forms of Kerala. Its present form is not more than
300 years old. This art demands complete control over
every part of the body. Kathakali draws heavily from
drama, utilising elaborate masks and costumes. The stories
or attakathas, which are depicted via Kathakali are
selected from epics and mythologies. These are written in
a highly Sanskritised verse form in Malayalam. Here, the
dancer expresses himself through highly complicated mudras,
closely following the text being sung. The splendour of
the costumes, ornaments and especially the facial make-up
are absolutely striking. |
