INDIAN ART & CULTURE 23-04-17

PERFORMING ARTS-CLASSICAL AND FOLK DANCES OF INDIA

The origin of Indian classical dance forms can be traced to Bharata muni’s
Natyasastra. The Natya Shastra is one of the fundamental treatises on Indian
drama and aesthetics. It contains the thoughts on the different kind of postures, the
mudras, the kind of emotions, the kind of attires, the stage, the ornaments and the
audience.
According to the Natyashastra, Brahma, the creator of the Universe, created drama.
He took the following components to create the fifth Veda called Natyaveda: Pathya
(words) from the Rigveda, Abhinaya (gesture) from the Yajurveda, Geet (music and
chant) from Samaveda Rasa (sentiment and emotional element) from Atharvaveda.
Indian classical dances are extremely traditional. The earliest of evidences to date
are the discovery of the bronze figurine of a dancing girl from the Indus Valley
Civilization excavations at Mohenjodaro dating back to 2500 B C. Sangeet Natak
Academy confers "classical" status on 8 dances: Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu,
Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala, Kathak of
Uttar Pradesh, Sattriya of Assam, Odissi of Odisha and Manipuri of Manipur. This is
on the basis of their history.
Even though these dances are inherited from different cultures and regions, they are
many similarities and likewise dissimilarities with each other.
INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCES -SIMILARITIES:
 The intricacies of all these dance forms are inspired from Bharat Muni's
Natyashastra
All the dance forms are invariably a combination of dance and drama. They
consist of Nritta (pure dance), Nritya (expressions), Natya (drama).
 All dance forms are also classified on the basis of Tandava, which is the
masculine and aggressive form and Lasya, which is the soft and feminine form.
 Music for all the dances is the one from Indian classical traditions. Music
instruments used are very similar.
INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCES DIFFERENCES:
 Some are based on Carnatic music some based on Hindustani music, whereas
sattriya has its own music.
 Some dances performed by both male and female other are solo either women
or male
Some of them are temple dances such as Bharatnatyam whereas some like
Kathak are predominantly court dances.
 Facial expressions in Kathakali, Bharatnatyam and Manipuri are a very
important component, which is not the case in other dance forms.
Based on the above all classical dances maintaining uniqueness’ but over the time
they are all influencing each other.

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THE CLASSICAL DANCES OF INDIA
BHARATANATYAM
Bharatanatyam is a distinctive dance form of South India especially in Tamil Nadu,
earlier performed in temples. It is assumed that Bharatanatyam was discovered by
Lord Brahma. Bharata muni, a well-known sage is the one who categorized it in a
Sanskrit text called the Natya Shastra. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by
the classical music.
MAJOR SOURCES OF REFERENCE
One of the five great epics of Tamil Literature, ‘Silappatikaram’ (2nd century CE) has
a direct reference to this dance form. The Shiva temple of Kanchipuram that is
decorated with carvings dating back to a period between 6th to 9th centuries CE
manifests the development of this dance form by around the mid first millennium CE.
Many ancient Hindu temples are embellished with sculptures of Lord Shiva in
Bharatanatyam dance poses. The eastern gopuram of the 12th century Thillai
Natarajar Temple, Chidambaram, of Tamil Nadu dedicated to Lord Shiva bears
sculptures depicting 108 poses of Bharatanatyam, referred as karanas in ‘Natya
Shastra’, that are intricately carved in small rectangular panels.
KUCHIPUDI
Kuchipudi the state dance of Andhra Pradesh has derived from the Bhagavatmela
tradition which has faster moves compared to other dance forms. Dancers
sporadically speaking dialogues are found in Kuchipudi. This classical dance of
India has indebted its origin to the Telugu Brahmins in Kuchelapuram Village, who
were well-known for their proficiency in staging the mythological folktales through
dance, drama, and music.
COMPARISON BETWEEN BHARATANATYAM AND KUCHIPUDI
 Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi both are classical dances and are from Tamil
Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively. Both have historical origin and were
revived in modern times.
 Both dance forms use Carnatic music and have similar sequence of dance items
like invocation, jatiswaram, thillana, etc. Both Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam
have many mudras in common.
 Cross pleat costume is used in Bharatanatyam. Cross pleat costume is
associated with Kuchipudi dance. In this the male artists plays the role of either
Muruga or Krishna.
 The accompanying orchestra are similar for both the dances consists of a violinist,
flutist, mridangam player, and vocalist.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BHARATANATYAM AND KUCHIPUDI

 Bharatnatyam is precisely known for its elegance, grace, softness, and
sculptured poses (lasya type of dance). On the other hand most of the poses in
Kuchipudi are brisk, flat-footed, dazzling and overall curved having more
rounded poses (combine tandya and lasya elements).

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 Bharatnatyam is termed the fire dance replicating the inner fire within the human
body. On the other hand, Kuchipudi replicates man’s undying desire to unite with
God.
 kuchipudi involves dancing on copper plate called tarangam, whereas in
bharatnatyam no such thing has observed.
 Kuchipudi combines folk and classical shades.
 Bharatnatyam is oldest classical dance. It was originally a highly stylized female
solo dance while Kuchipudi was initially male group performance and
originating from dramas.
 Bharatnatyam performers have 3 plates in costumes as against 1 in Kuchipudi.
 The main difference lies in the abhinaya. bharatanatyam does not have
vachikaabhinaya (lip movement) whereas kuchipudi has lip movement, the
performer sings while dancing.

But the two are incomparable in vague sense and form an integral part of our
intangible cultural heritage.
MOHINIYATTAM
Mohiniyattam It is a classical dance form from Kerala.It is considered a very
graceful form of dance meant to be performed as solo recitals by women. The term
Mohiniyattam comes from the words “Mohini” meaning a woman who enchants
onlookers and “aattam” meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. The word
“Mohiniyattam” literally means “dance of the enchantress”. There are two stories
of the Lord Vishnu disguised as a Mohini. In one, he appears as Mohini to lure the
asuras (demons) away from the amrita (nectar of immortality) obtained during the
churning of the palazhi or Ocean of Milk. In the second story Vishnu appears as
Mohini to save Lord Shiva from the demon Bhasmasura. The dance involves the
swaying of broad hips and the gentle movements of erect posture from side to side.
This is reminiscent of the swinging of the palm leaves and the gently
flowing rivers which abound Kerala. There are approximately 40 basic movements,
known as atavukal. The vocal music of Mohiniyattam involves variations in rhythmic
structure known as chollu.

SALIENT FEATURES OF MOHINIYATTAM DANCE

Mohiniyattam is characterized by graceful, swaying body movements with no abrupt
jerks or sudden leaps. It belongs to the lasya style which is feminine, tender and
graceful.

Mohiniyattam lays emphasis on acting. The dancer identifies herself with the
character and sentiments existing in the compositions like the Padams and Pada
Varnams which give ample opportunity for facial expressions.
KATHAKALI
Kathakali is a popular dance form in Kerala which gives more importance to heavy
makeup and facial expressions. The dance performances have different characters
and roles. The dancer playing the role of the god or moral character wears green
makeup on the face, while the villain daubs his face with green and red marks.
Chenda, Maddalam, and Chengila are the principal musical instruments used in
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Kathakali. Kathakali is a blend of dance, music,acting and dramatizes stories,
which are mostly adapted from the Indian epics.
It is a stylised art form, the four aspects of abhinaya angika, aharya,
vachika, satvika and the nritta, nritya and natya aspects are combined perfectly.
The dancer expresses himself through codified hastamudras and facial
expressions, closely following the verses (padams) that are sung. Kathakali derives
its textual sanction from Balarama Bharatam and Hastalakshana Deepika.
It is basically a Dance-Drama. Kathakali was traditionally a male-dominated dance
and now females are too welcomed in this dance form. Kathakali is also famous for
its huge elaborate costumes, amazing make-up style, face masks, and
ornaments.
KATHAK
Kathak is related with the recital art of storytelling. Kathak is an inevitable part of
North Indian Culture especially this art form gained popularity in Banaras,
Lucknow, and Jaipur. The story of Krishna and Radha is the chief theme of Kathak.
Instruments such as Harmonium, Talam, Tabla, Pakwaj, and Sarangi are used in
Kathak performances.
Kathak dance is a combination of music, dance and narrative. This dance form
traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks,
or storytellers. The present day Kathak dance mainly depends on the medieval
period Ras Lila, a local dance in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.
Kathak became highly stylised in both Hindu and Muslim courts and came to be
regarded as a sophisticated form of entertainment. There are three major schools
or gharanas of Kathak from which performers today generally draw their lineage.
These include the Lucknow Gharana, Jaipur Gharana and the Banaras Gharana.
SATTRIYA DANCE
It is a dance-drama performance art with origins in the Krishna-centred
Vaishnavism monasteries of Assam. The Sattriya dance form was introduced in
the 15th century A.D by the great Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam,
Mahapurusha Sankaradeva as a powerful medium for propagation of the
Vaishnava faith.

This neo-Vaishnava treasure of Assamese dance and drama has been, for centuries,
nurtured and preserved with great commitment by the Sattras i.e.
Vaishnava maths or monasteries. Because of its religious character and association
with the Sattras, this dance style has been aptly named Sattriya.

Sankaradeva introduced this dance form by incorporating different elements from

various treatises, local folk dances with his own rare outlook. There were two
dance forms prevalent in Assam before the neo-Vaishnava movement such as
Ojapali and Devadasi with many classical elements.
Sattriya was recognized in 2000 as Classical Dance by Sangeet Natak Akademi.

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THE THEMES AND STYLES USED IN SATTRIYA
• The themes performed are mostly on Radha-Krishna and other myths.
• Dramas written by Sankardev are typically presented.
• Sattriya performance integrated two styles: One Masculine (Paurashik Bhangi —
energetic and with jumps) and Feminine (Stri Bhangi—Lasya or delicate).
• Both male and female perform this beautiful, expressive dance openly on the
modern platform.
ODISSI
Odissi dance form is the cultural pride of Odisha. Abhinaya and Nritya are two
most fascinating feature of Odissi. It is performed in multiple styles including tri
bhangi. Odissi closely follows the tenets laid down by the Natya Shastra. Facial
expressions, hand gestures and body movements are used to suggest a certain
feeling, an emotion or one of the nine rasas.
Odissi is known as the oldest dance form of India on the basis of archaeological
evidences. The reason is the bass reliefs of 1st century BC in the Udaygiri caves.
The Natya Shastra speaks of the dance from this region and refers to it as Odra-
Magadhi. Characterized by various Bhangas (Stance), which involves stamping of
the foot and striking various postures as seen in Indian sculptures.
The common Bhangas are Bhanga, Abanga, Atibhanga and Tribhanga. The
techniques of movement are built around the two basic postures of the Chowk and
the Tribhanga. The chowk is a position imitating a square – a very masculine
stance with the weight of the body equally balanced. The tribhanga is a very
feminine stance where the body is deflected at the neck, torso and the knees.
There are three traditions of the Odissi Dance viz. Mahari, Gotipua and Nartaki
Schools.
MANIPURI
Manipuri dance is counted among major classical dance forms of India, especially
noted for themes based on Vaishnavism and spectacular execution of ‘Ras Lila’,
dance dramas based on love between Radha and Krishna. Other themes included in
this art form associate with Shaktism, Shaivism and on the sylvan deities called
Umang Lai during Manipuri festival ‘Lai Haraoba’.

This dance form is named after the north-eastern state of Manipur, India from where
it originated but it has its roots in ‘Natya Shastra’, the age-old Sanskrit Hindu text. A
mix of Indian and southeast Asian culture is palpable in this form.

The age-old dance tradition of the place is manifested from great Indian epics,
‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’, where the native dance experts of Manipur are
referred as ‘Gandharvas’. The Manipuris perform this religious art that aims at
expressing spiritual values during Hindu festivals and other important cultural
occasions like marriage.

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THE THEMES USED IN MANIPURI DANCE FORMS
• Mostly influenced by Hindu Vaishnavism themes.
• It also includes themes related to Shaivism and Shaktism and regional deities.
• Tandav Manipuri depicts themes of Shiv, Shakti or Krishna as warrior.
• Lasya theme includes Love inspired stories of Radha-Krishna.

INDIAN FOLK DANCES

HARIKATHA: Harikatha is an art form composed of storytelling, poetry, music,
drama, dance, and philosophy. Any Hindu religious theme can be the subject for it.
At its peak, Harikatha was a popular medium of entertainment, which helped
transmit cultural, educational and religious values to the masses. It is popular in
Andra Pradesh. The main aim of Hari Katha is to imbue truth and righteousness in
the minds of people and sow the seeds of devotion in them. Another of the aims is to
educate them about knowledge of self (atman) through stories and show them the
path of liberation.
BIHU: The Bihu dance is a folk dance from the Indian State of Assam related to the
festival of Bihu. This Joyous dance is performed by both young men and women
and is characterized by brisk dance steps, and rapid hand movement. Dancers
wear traditionally colourful Assamese clothing.
BHANGRA is a folk dance conducted by Punjab Sikh farmers to celebrate the
coming of the harvest season. The folk dance has been popularized in the western
world by Punjab.
GARBA is a dance form that originated in the Gujarat region. Traditionally it is
performed during the nine-day Hindu festival Navaratri. Either the lamp (the Garba
Deep) or an image of the Goddess Durga is placed in the middle of concentric rings
and the people dance around the centre, bending sideways at every step, their arms
making sweeping gestures, each movement ending in a clap.
JHOOMAR is a folk dance performed during the harvest season in Punjab. It is slower
and more rhythmic form of bhangara. Though the content of these songs is varied
they are usually love with emotional songs too. The Jhoomar is a dance of ecstasy.
The dance is performed in circle to the tune of emotional songs. Jhumar is also
folk dance of Jharkhand that is performed during harvest.
GIDHA is a popular folk dance of women in Punjab. Girls or women form a circle to
start performing Gidha. All of them clap their hands and sing small couplets that are
humorous and spoken in Punjabi language. Then two or three of them come to the
center and perform the dance. Normally, no musical instruments are accompanied
with Gidha, except sometimes a dholak.
GHOOMAR is a traditional women’s folk dance of Rajasthan. It is performed by
groups of women in swirling robes, and Nadu. The women stand in a circle and
dance clapping their hands rhythmically. One of the women leads the singing with a
favourable song while the rest take up the refrain. This dance is usually performed
during temple festivals, Pongal, family functions etc.

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CHANGU dance is a popular dance form from Orissa. It derives its name from a kind
of drum called Changu, which invariably accompanies the dance. The dance is
performed only by women. Men only sing songs, play on the Changu and move
with the female dancers with simple steps. The female dancers dance in a half
sitting position with swaying and sometimes jerky movements.
THERUKOOTHU is a widely popular folk dance of Tamil Nadu. Therukoothu
commonly occurs during the village festivities and become the centre of all fun,
frolic and attention of the folk people. Therukoothu is performed in junctions of the
villages. Only men take part in Therukoothu even female roles are played by the
men folk.
MAYILATTOM is an artistic and religious form of dance performed in the Hindu
temples of Tamil Nadu. Mayilattam performer wear costumes from head to toe like
peacock with beak, that can be opened and closed using a thread and performs
specific dances. The performer dances not on his bare foot but on a tall piece of
wood attached at the end of his feet.
PADAYANI
Padayani is one of the most colorful and popular dances of Southern Kerala.
Padayani is associated with the festival of certain temples, called Padayani or
Paddeni. Such temples are in Alleppey, Quilon, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam
districts. The main Kolams (huge masks) displayed in Padayani are Bhairavi
(Kali), Kalan (god of death), Yakshi (fairy) and Pakshi (bird).
RAAS OR DANDIYA RAAS is the traditional dance form of Gujarat, India where it is
performed depicting scenes of Holi and lila of Krishna and Radha. It is performed
during Navaratri evenings.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GARBA AND RAS
The main difference between Garba and Raas is that Raas is played with Dandiyas
(pair of colourfully decorated sticks), while Garba consists of various hand and feet
movements. Sometimes instead of sticks, people also use “Swords”.
The circular movements of Dandiya Raas are much more complex than that of
Garba. The Dandiya Raas dance originated as devotional Garba dances, which were
performed in Goddess Durga’s honor. This dance is also nicknamed ‘The Sword
Dance’. The sticks of the dance represent the sword of Goddess Durga.
CHHAU Chhau means a mask. Chhau dance probably originated as a martial art and
performers, apart from a mask, hold swords and shields and performing vigorous
movements and leaps. This is a popular dance in Odisha, Bihar and Bengal. The
stages are decorated and brightly lit by torches, lanterns and flickering oil lamps. The
musical instruments used are the Dhol, Nagara and Shehnai. The themes often
revolve around mythological heroes and warriors from the Mahabharata and
Ramayana.
YAKSHAGANA is a musical dance drama popular in Karnataka. A Yakshagana
performance begins at the twilight hours with the beating of several fixed
compositions on drums for upto an hour before the ‘actors’ get on the stage. A
performance usually depicts a story from the Indian epics and puranas. It consists
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of a narrator who either narrates the story by singing or sings pre- composed
dialogues of characters, backed by musicians playing on traditional musical
instruments as the actors dance to the music.
BAMBOO DANCE is tribal dance of Nagaland. This dance form is exclusively
performed by girls. They gently jump over the bamboo sticks, which are placed
horizontally in parallel spacing over the vertically placed bamboo sticks to form
interlace. Two women, who sit on either side of the ground, slide the sticks over the
vertically placed bamboo sticks. The dance is accompanied with a rhythmic music
from which the dancers adjust their steps.
PREVIOUS YEARS QUESTIONS (PRELIMS)
1. With reference to the famous Sattriya dance, consider the following statements:
(2014)
1. Sattriya is a combination of music, dance and drama.
2. It is a centuries-old living tradition of Vaishnavites of Assam.
3. It is based on classical Ragas and Talas of devotional songs composed by
Tulsidas, Kabir and Mirabai.
Which of the statements given above is / are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
2. Consider the following pairs: (2014)
1. Garba : Gujarat
2. Mohiniattam : Odisha
3. Yakshaganas : Karnataka
Which of the pairs given above is / are correctly matched?
(a) 1only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
3. In the context of cultural history of India, a pose in dance and dramatics called
Tribhanga has been a favourite of Indian artists from ancient times till today.
Which one of the following statements best describes this pose? (2013)
(a) One leg is bent and the body is slightly but oppositely curved at waist and neck.
(b) Facial expressions, hand gestures and make-up are combined to symbolize
certain epic or historic characters
(c) Movements of body, face and hands are used to express oneself or to tell a
story
(d) A little smile, slightly curved waist and certain hand gestures are emphasized to
express the feelings of love or eroticism
4. How do you distinguish between Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dances? (2012)
1. Dancers occasionally speaking dialogues are found in Kuchipudi dance but not
in Bharatanatyam.
2. Dancing on the brass plate by keeping the feet on its edges is a feature of
Bharatanatyam but Kuchipudi dance does not have such a form of movements.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

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