Dances of India
The
origin of classical dance in India goes back to 2BC when the ancient treatise
on dance, Natya Shastra, was compiled. Dance in India is guided by the
elaborate codes in the Natya Shastra and by mythology, legend and classical
literature. Classical dance forms have rigid rules for presentation. Among
the leading forms of classical dance are Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Kathak,
Manipuri, Odissi, Kuchipudi and Mohini Attam. Bharata Natyam, originating
in Tamil Nadu, has movements of pure rhythm, rendering a story dramatically
in different moods. For a long time, Bharata Natyam was performed only
in temples by dancers in service of the temple, the devadasis. The dancers
must learn the language of gestures, mudras - so as to express feelings,
movements and characters in the stories which she narrates through dance.
Kathakali (pictured here), the dance drama from Kerala, requires
the artist to wear elaborate make-up. The colors on the face are symbolic
of the characters the dancer is depicting. The stories for attakathas
(the verse text for a kathakali piece) are selected from epics and mythologies
and are written in a highly sanskritised verse form in Malayalam. The
actor does not speak, but expresses himself through highly complicated
and scientifically ordained mudras and steps, closely following the text
being sung from offstage. The principal classical dance of north India,
Kathak, originated as a religious performance but later developed
as a court dance under the Moghuls. There are three gharanas (styles)
of performing kathak; the Banaras gharana, the Lucknow gharana, and the
Jaipur gharana. The Kathak is known for its intricate compositions,
fast spins, complex footwork, and stylized facial expressions. The Jaipur
gharana is also noted for its speed and rhythm. Kathak dance requires
an intimate knowledge of rhythm, and is not uncommon for many kathak dancers
to also be tabla players of great skill.
The lyrical style of dance, Manipuri, comes from the eastern State of Manipur. It describes the games of Krishna and the “Gopis”. Odissi was once a temple dance in Orissa. Kuchipudi, the dance-drama from Andhra Pradesh, is based on themes from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is a folk dance style which was subsequently stylized and drew near to Bharat Natyam while retaining the imprint of its folk origin. In addition, there are numerous forms of folk and tribal dance in India.