Indian Classical Dance Form

Indian Classical Dance Form

The roots of dance in India are very deep, which contains in itself the rich culture and history of India. Many genres developed in different parts of India, each of which has some specialties.

The description of the oldest dance is found in the Natyashastra composed by Bharat Muni. Apart from this, acting done by Nandikeshwar is also found in Darpan.

The bronze dancer found from the Harappan civilization shows that the tradition of dance in the land of India is centuries old.

Classical dance is based on Bhava, Rasa, Technique etc. which are mentioned in various ancient literatures.

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Types of Ras and Their Attitude –

• makeup - love
• humor - humor
• compassion - compassion
• Rudra - anger
• Terrible - Terror
• Veer - bravery
• wonder - awe
• divisive - hatred
• bhakti - calm

At present there are 8 classical dance forms in existence in India, which are described below.

1. Bharatnatyam – Tamil Nadu
2. Kathakali – Kerala
3. Odissi – Odisha
4. Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh
5. Kathak – Uttar Pradesh
6. Mohiniyattam – Kerala
7. Manipuri – Manipur
8. Sessional Dance – Assam

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1. Bharatanatyam – Tamilnadu

Bharatanatyam words makes by the folloing means  Bha means Sense , Ra means Raga , Ta means Rhythm ,  Natyam means  is composed of drama. That means the dance form which is made by the combination of sense , raga and rhythm, is called  Bharatanatyam. This is the oldest dance form of India. It is also mentioned in Bharat Muni's Natyashastra (200 BC – 200 CE). Apart from this, it is also described in Shilpattikaram.

• It was first performed by devadasis (dedicated girls in Hindu temples) in the temples of Tamil Nadu, hence it is also known as Dasiyattam.
• It was revived with the efforts of E. Krishna Iyer and Rukmanidevi Arundale. It is performed by both men and women.
• Under the patronage of four teachers of Thanjavur known as Tanjore Chatuskas, it also got fame as Tanjauranatyam.

Features of Bharatnatyam –

• Alarippu – The Beginning Part
• Jatiswaram – Pure form of dance – Nritta
• Shabdam – Dramatic element used in praise of God
• Varnam – combination of dance and emotion
• Padma – Perfection of the dancer
• Jawali – Short Love Songs
• Thillan - The closing stage

Cuttack Mukha Hasta is one of its main mudras, in which the symbol of Om is displayed with the help of three fingers. In Bharatanatyam, there is equal adjustment of Tandav and Lasya.

It is also called fire dance because most of its postures are in a swaying state.

It is also known as Ekacharya Lasyam dance form. In this the knees are mostly bent and equal force is given on both the knees.

Principal Dancers – Yamini Krishnamurthy, Saroj Vaidyanathan, Janaki Rangarajan, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Padma Subramaniam etc.

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(2) Kathakali – Kerala

It flourished in the temples of Kerala under the patronage of landlords and feudal lords. It is a combination of two dance forms – Ramaattam and Krishnaattam.

Kathakali got its name from katha meaning story and kali meaning drama. The credit for reviving it goes to V.N. goes to Menon. It is also called Gatha Geet of the East because it depicts the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Features of Kathakali –

Its characteristics are primarily the expression of emotions and feelings through the movement of the eyes and eyebrows. It represents the sky element. Brass lamps are used for lighting. Different colors are used to make up the face along with its crown, in which each color has its own importance.

• Green color - prosperity and modesty
• red color dominance
• black color - for evil
• Yellow color – for women

In this musical instruments like Dholak, Chhand etc. are used.

Prominent dancers – Rita Ganguly, Gopi Nath, Guru Kunchu Kurup etc.

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(3) Odyssey  – Odisa

Evidence of this is found in the Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves of Orissa. It got its name from the Odra dance mentioned in Natyashastra. It is displayed by two parts.

• Maharish – Devdasi
• Gotipua – young boys

The credit for making it famous goes to Indrani Rahman and Charles Fabry. Both Hindustani and Carnatic music are used in this.

Features of Odyssey 

Tribhang Mudra is its main feature, in which the body is folded from three places. It has the following components –

chanting

• Batu Nritya – Fast and pure dance in which the dancer participates.
• Pallavi – The song is performed.
• Tharijham – part of the pure dance
• Triangle Manzoor – Part of the Completion

Prominent dancers – Sonal Mansingh, Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Kalucharan Mohapatra, etc.

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(4) Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh 

This dance has evolved from Krishnapuri or Kuchelapuram village in Andhra Pradesh where they used to perform it from village to village. The stories of Bhagwat Purana mainly have influence on this. Balasaraswati and Ragini Devi revived and popularized the Kuchipudi dance form in the 20th century.

Features of Kuchipudi 

The essence of makeup is mainly contained in these. In this each main character comes on stage with a rendition of "Daru". Daru is a short composition of the song.

In this dance, the dancer himself can present the part of the singer. It includes both Lasya and Tandava.

The main instruments are violin, mridangam and jugalbandi of Carnatic music is performed in it.

Some Single Elements Included in Kuchipudi –

• Mandook Shabdam – The story of the frog
• Tarangam – Dance performance by keeping the feet on the edge of the brass plate
• Jal Chitra Nrityam – Drawing a picture on the surface with the toe.

Principal Dancers – Yamini Krishnamurthy, Indrani Rahman, Radha – Raja Reddy, Uma – Rama Rao etc.

(5) Kathak – Uttar Pradesh

Kathak is the traditional classical dance form of Uttar Pradesh which reached its zenith during the Mughal period. In this period, it changed from the traditional classical dance form to erotic style and started being presented in the royal courts.

It was also influenced by the culture of the Mughal period. It was revived again in the 20th century by Lady Leela Sokhe.

Specialties of Kathak

The important feature of Kathak is that gharanas developed in it.

• Lucknow Gharana – It reached its peak during the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. More emphasis was given on expression in this.
• Jaipur Gharana – It is known for its long rhythmic patterns, speed and flow. It was started by Bhanu ji.
• Banaras Gharana – Established by Janki Prasad Mishra, this gharana focused more on floorwork.
• Raigad Gharana – Developed under the patronage of Raja Chakradhar Singh, this gharana lays more emphasis on fast music.

Pairs and pieces are short pieces with fast rhythm. Presenting his introduction, the dancer starts the dance. Jugalbandi is a distinctive feature of Kathak, in which there is a competition between the tabla player and the dancer.

Tarana is an important part of Kathak in which the concluding part takes place.

In Kathak, mainly Dhrupad jugalbandi is performed. Musical instruments like tabla, dholak etc. are used.

Principal Dancer – Birju Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj, Damayanti Joshi etc.

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(6) Mohiniattam – Kerala

It belongs to the state of Kerala. In this, Mohini, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is performed in dance form. This is a solo dance. VN Menon and Kalyani Amma revived it.

Features of Mohiniattam –

In this mainly the story of Mohini, the female form of Lord Vishnu is displayed. In this, more emphasis is given on Lasya. Normally white colored clothes are worn in this.

Principal Dancers – Jayaprabha Menon, Madhuri Amma etc.

(7) Manipuri – Manipur

The Manipuri style of dance is related to the state of Manipur. The source of its origin is told in Puranas to the dance of Shiva and Parvati. It lays more emphasis on Bhakti.

Features of Manipuri –

It has both Tandav and Lasya. Nagabhandra is an important currency of this genre. In this musical instruments like Kartal, Dhol etc. are used.

Principal dancers – Nayana, Swarna, Ranjana (all three Jhaveri sisters), Guru Bipin Singh etc.

(8) Sessional - Assam 

This dance form, developed in the 15th century, was founded by the Vaishnava saint Shankardev. This is the classical dance form of Assam, which originated there in the name of Vaishnava Matho, which is called Sattra in Assam. The song in this is composed by Shankardev and it is called Bor Geet.

Features of Sessional Dance 

It mainly focuses on narration of Bhagwat stories. It is a mixture of Ojapali and Devadasi dances prevalent in Assam. In this, more emphasis is given on dance postures with the flow of the song. In this, very strict rules have been made for currencies. Shell and flute instruments are used in this.

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