Classical dances of India

India is a country full of diversities, due to which art here comes in many forms. At the same time, the same form of art beautifies itself for its specialty in different places. Many forms of dance exist here. As if the dance itself changes its postures in different directions. The same different posture takes the form of a different classical dance. There are various classical dances of different states of the country.

Origin

A classical dance is a dance whose theory, rationale, training etc. connects a learner to the ancient Indian traditions. The learning and teaching has been prevalent of classical times exist since ancient times, due to which the teacher-student tradition started. If we talk about the origin of dance in India, then it has been going on since the Vedic period. There used to be many dramas in favor of divine power. In Vedas, not only chanting and singing of mantras were done to please god. In addition to them, dialogues were also used. The classical dance here is the heritage of this place. Bharatnatyam is one of the oldest and famous classical dances here. We get the evidence of early dances from “Natta Sutra”. Present in Panini’s Sanskrit grammar, written around 500 BC.

Various Forms

Different places of India have their own different classical dances, which strengthens the land of classical dance here. Its number can be eight or more than eight. The Sangeet-Natak Akademi of India has mainly suggested eight names in which Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudu, Odissi, Katthakakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniattam. Apart from all these, Drid William later suggested some other names in this, whose names are Chhau, Yaksgana and Bhagwat Mela. India’s Ministry of Culture added Chhau’s name to the list of Sangeet-Natak Akademi. Below are the names of all the forms of dance and their places.

Bharatanatyam : Tamil Nadu

2. Kathak : Uttar Pradesh

3. Kathakali : Kerala

4. Kuchipudi : Andhra Pradesh State

5. Manipuri: Manipur

6. Odissi : Orissa

7. Sattriya : Assam

8. Mohiniyattam : Kerala

A little about these dance forms

All these dances have their own rules, their own principles and their own separate training. On taking information about any one dance form, we get to know about its origin, development, its tradition as well as the history of its place of origin. Natya Shastra written by Bharatmuni – said to be the foundation of Indian classical dance. It consists of about 6000 verses, compiled in total 36 chapters. In this book, there is a very interesting explanation about Shiva Tandav, Rasa-Gyan, expressions, postures, expressions, acting techniques, standing posture etc.

Although the place of Bharatmuni’s Natya Shastra holds a very revered place in Hindu tradition. He had written many books. In these books “Abhinay Darpan”, “Abhinay Bharti”, “Natya Darpan”, “Bhav Prakash” etc. are very famous. Traditionally Indian classical dance has been performed through acting. These dances are performed on the ground of Hindu traditions. Its subjects are mainly “Vaishnava”, “Shaiva”, “Prakriti (Shakti)” etc. Due to the religious colour, this art has often been done in temples and around temples.

Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is a very broad form of Indian classical dance. It originated and developed from the temples in and around Tamil Nadu. Traditionally, Bharatanatyam is a “unit” dance form mainly performed by a woman. Its subject is Hindu traditions, in which influence of Vaishnava, Shaivism, Shakti etc. can be seen. Its theoretical foundation is compiled in ancient culture in Natya Shastra.

Bharatnatyam is famous for its special postures. Stable upper torso and bent legs with stable knees give a characteristic look to its posture. Its special sign language grammar gives it a different look. The performance of this dance is often accompanied by music and singers, at the time of performance the dancer or the teacher of the dancer is present there as a director. Bharatanatyam continued to be performed in Indian temples till the nineteenth century, around 1910 AD, the British government banned it. Indian people opposed this ban and started doing it outside the temples in the 20th century. Modern Bharatnatyam is a purely incorporated dance whose theme is not based on any particular religion.

Kathak

The word Kathak is derived from the word “Katha” in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, the story teller is called “Kathak”. Kathak originated during the Bhakti movement. At that time, the childhood and other stories of Lord Shri Krishna are shown in it. Apart from this, other stories are also presented through dance. Gradually it developed and around the 16th century, it was introduced along with the Persian language in the court of the Mughal emperors. Kathak is found in three different forms. This is due to three different forms being done at three different places. These three cities are Banaras, Jaipur and Lucknow. The main feature of this dance is the movement of its feet.

Kathakali

The origin and development of this acting-dance can be seen in Kerala around the seventeenth century. Kathak means story and Kali means performance, “Kathakali” is also an art form of telling stories in a special way like Kathak. In this, a very special kind of decoration is given to the dancer. Often men are seen performing this dance in very colorful make-up and special type of dress. Kathakali was primarily born with the characteristics of Hinduism, telling stories of great personalities from Hindu mythology. In modern times, along with acting and dancing, there is also a singer at the time of its performance which was not there in ancient times.

Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi is a classical dance originated in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Like other big classical dance arts, this too has flourished for religious belief. In traditional Kuchipudi all the artists were men. These men were mainly Brahmins. These men used to take the form of women during the performance. It was done with very good dress and decorations. Modern Kuchipudi is believed to have been systematically developed by Tirtha Narayana Yati and his disciple Siddhendra Yogi around the 17th century. This dance is especially for the “Vaishnava” tradition based on Lord Vishnu or Shri Krishna. It seems very similar to the “Bhagavata Mela” held in Tamil Nadu.

Odisii

Odissi originated in the state of Orissa in India. This form of classical dance was mainly performed by women. In this form too, dance was performed on the basis of religious beliefs. The stories and myths of Lord Vishnu’s Jagannath form were widely adopted in this dance. Apart from this, it was also done a lot on the basis of the stories of Lord Shiva and Surya. Odissi is mainly such a “dance-drama” in which the artists present dances with special postures on the basis of poems or stories based on Hindu beliefs.

Sattariya

This dance form originated among the Vaishnavas living in Assam around the 15th century. It was mainly based on the pastimes of Lord Krishna. Srimanta Sankardeva, a saint of the Bhakti period around the 15th century had linked it with the Bhakti movement. If this dance art is presented in one number, it is called “numerical dance”. It is mainly based on the stories of Krishna-Radha relationship or sometimes on the stories of Ram-Sita.

Manipuri

It originated and developed in Manipur located on the border of India and Myanmar (Burma). It is called Manipuri, because it originated in Manipur. Also known for its Vaishnava theme and Radha-Krishna’s love-lila “Rasleela”. Apart from this, it also happens on stories based on Shiva, Shakti etc. It is performed by a whole dance troupe. All of them wear a special type of dress “Kumil”. In this, the postures of the dancers are specially based on their hands and upper parts of the body.

Mohiniattyam

Mohiniyattam is based on the “Mohini” avatar of Lord Vishnu. That’s why, it’s called mohiniyattam. It’s originated and developed in Kerala. “Mohini” is that incarnation of Lord Vishnu with the help of which Lord Vishnu helped the deities in the battle between a Sur-Asur and confused the Asuras. “Lasya” style is used in this dance form, which is described in Natya Shastra. In the “Lasya” style, very soft feelings are shown through different postures. This is mainly a “solo” dance form which women have to work hard to learn. The songs used in this are mainly in “maniparva” language. Maniparva is combination of Sanskrit and Malayalam.