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Dance
Aangikam,
Art
India, Ballet,
Bharatanatyam,
Kalakshetra,
Dandiya
Dance, Indian
classical dances, Kathakali,
Kuchipudi,
Narthaki
- Online Magazine, Shiamak
Davar, Sruti,
The
Horizons
Dance
Forms of India
Dance is a physical and visual
art form which has an immediate and massive
impact on the on-looker. The various Indian
forms act like a window to India's rich
culture. Dance is a form of art, where the
body is used as a medium of communication.
Indian dances have influenced several other
realms of art like poetry, sculpture,
architecture, literature, music and theatre.
The earliest archaeological evidence is a
beautiful statuette of a dancing girl dated
around 6000 BC. Bharata's Natya Shastra
(believed to have been penned between the 2nd
century B.C. and 2nd century A.D) is the
earliest available treatise on dramaturgy. All
forms of Indian classical dances owe
allegiance to Natya Shastra, regarded as the
fifth Veda.
It is said that Brahma the Creator, developed
Natya, taking literature from the Rig Veda,
song from the Sama Veda, abhinaya or
expression from the Yajur Veda and rasa or
aesthetic experience from the Atharva Veda. It
explains the intricacies of dance, emphasising
on mudras or hand formations and their
meanings, the kind of emotions and their
categorisation, not to mention the kind of
attire, the stage, the ornaments and even the
audience. All the dance forms revolve around
the nine rasas or emotions, Hasya (happiness),
krodha (anger), bhibasta (disgust), bhaya
(fear), shoka (sorrow), viram (courage),
karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonder) and
shanta (serenity). All dance forms follow the
same hand gestures or hasta mudras for each of
these rasas. The dances differ where the local
guru has adapted it to local demands and
needs.
Classical
Dance Forms of India: The genesis of
contemporary styles of classical dance can be
traced to the period between 1300-1400 A.D.
India offers a number of classical dance forms
where each dance form embodies the influences
of the region from which it originates. The
links given below provide information about
indian dances still practised in India.
Bharatnatyam
- Tamil Nadu
Kathak
- Uttar Pradesh
Kathakali
- Kerala
Kuchipudi-
Andhra Pradesh
Manipuri
- Manipur
Mohiniattam
- Kerala
Odissi
- Orissa
Folk
Dance in India: Besides these, there
are several semi-classical dances that
contribute to the plethora of the Indian
dances. India is particularly rich in the folk
idiom with specialised dances for occasions
like marriage, seasons, rites, celebrations,
etc. Folk dances vary geographically. Some of
them are the Chauu dance of Bihar, Garba of
Gujarat, Bhangra of Punjab and Banjara of
Andhra Pradesh.
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