Dance in India

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Dance in India covers a wide range of dance and dance theatre forms, from the ancient classical or temple dance to folk and modern styles.

Origin of Dance in India

Women dancing in the Moghul Era

Dance in India is believed to be originated by Lord Brahma. He used pathya (words) from the Rigveda, abhinaya (gestures) from the Yajurveda, geet (music) from the Samaveda and rasa (emotions) from the Atharvaveda to form the Natyaveda. Three best-known Hindu deities, Shiva, Kali and Krishna, are typically represented dancing. Shiva's cosmic dance, tandava, Kali's dance of creation and destruction and Krishna's dance with the Gopi's, Rasa Lila have been popular in the Hindu mythology.^{[citation needed]}

In the ancient times there were no halls or theaters and hence dancers used to perform in the temples. Dance was performed on regular basis before deity as a form of devotion. Even today the gods and goddesses are invoked through the religious folk dance forms from good old times. Mention may be made of Ram-lila Nach, Kirtaniya Nach, Kunjvasi Nach and Naradi Nach, Bhagata Nach, Vidapat Nach and Puja Art Nach in this category. Minimal use is made of musical instruments and dancer performs the dances without humming the tune.^{[citation needed]}

Gradually dancers moved from temples to houses of royal families where they performed exclusively for the members of the royal family. Now we have classical dance and folk dance that have emerged from Indian traditions, epics and mythology. There are hundreds of Indian folk dances such as Bhangra, Bihu, Ghumura Dance, Sambalpuri, Chhau and Garba and special dances observed in regional festivals. India offers a number of classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. The presentation of Indian dance styles in film, Hindi Cinema, has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience.^{[citation needed]}

Classical dance

Renowned classical dancer, Mallika Sarabhai

Main article: Indian classical dance

Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The criteria for being considered as classical is the style's adherence to the guidelines laid down in Natyashastra by the sage Bharata Muni, which explains the Indian art of acting. "The date and authorship of the Bharata Natya Shastra are both in dispute. The book has been variously dated from the 2nd century B.C to the 3rd century A.D, but there is even less certainty about the author. 'Bharata' originally meant a dancer-actor so that the title could mean simply 'A Shastra on Drama for the Dancer-Actor'. On the other hand 'Bharata' is also a name, and so it is possible that the title means 'A Shastra on Drama by Bharata'. However, for practical purposes, whatever his real name might have been, the saga of the Natya Shastra is called Bharata". Acting or natya is a broad concept which encompasses both drama and dance.^{[citation needed]}

Those who worship Vishnu are considered Vaishnavas. The dance style performed by Sri Krishna (an Avatar of Vishnu) and the gopis in Vrindavan is called Rasa lila, and is considered as a form of devotional dance. Many other Indian classical dances are used to illustrate events from the Puranas related to or describing Vishnu.^{[citation needed]}

The national Sangeet Natak Akademi currently confers classical status on eight Indian dance styles: Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (North India), Kathakali (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur), Mohiniyattam (Kerala), Odissi (Orissa), and Sattriya (Assam).^{[citation needed]}

Ottan Tullal

The Ottan Tullal means, literally, “running and jumping.” It was created by the poet Kunjan Nambiar in the mid-eighteenth century. According to one story, Nambiar was a member of a troupe maintained by the Raja of Ambalapuzha. One particular performance he was, it seems, overlooked for a part, which he felt, was in accordance with his talent and experience. However, he satisfied his ego by taking an artist's revenge. On the day of the performance he stationed himself opposite the palace and began to sing at the top of his voice as he danced to the accompaniment of the loud drumming. The content of is song was satirical in its criticism of the establishment. He attracted crowds, and Ottan Tullal was born.^{[citation needed]}

In the second account, Nambiar is said to have been playing the drum for a performance of Chakkiyar-kuttu and at one point made a mistake. Embarrassed at this public rebuke, Kunjan resolved to prove his worth and redeem his good name. The next day the Chakkiyar was performing as usual in his corner of the temple, with an attentive and admiring audience around him, but this time he had competition. In another part of the temple stood Kunjan Nambiar. He was dressed in an entirely new kind of costume, his singing and dancing too were quite different from anything the people had ever seen. At first they turned to him from sheer curiosity but gradually as they listened, they became absorbed in this novel exposition until finally Chakkiyar was left with hardly anyone to pay attention to him.^{[citation needed]}

Ottan Tullal has now become known as “the poor man’s Kathali”. This is because, in comparison, with that dane-drama, it is cheap to put on. There is only one performer, who plays all the parts in turn. The musical accompaniment is also simple, for it requires only one drummer, who plays on an elongated drum called the maddalam, one cymbal player who keeps the tal on his little cymbals, and sometimes a singer. The singer assists and occasionally takes over the singing from the dancer, who normally does at least some of the singing himself. The technique of the dance is also very similar to the Kathakali, but not quite as formal and inflexible. There are also no settings, no props, not even a curtain. The make-up of the dancer is not very intricate and though the costume is very colorful, it is not as elaborate as that of Kathakali.

Dasi Attam

The home of Dasi Attam is in the South, in the area covered by the States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Like all the other classical dances of India, Dasi Attam too has its roots in the Natya Shastra of Bharata. It derives its name from its chief exponents in ancient times who were the devadasis or woman in the service of the gods, and so Dasi Attam means "the dance of the devadasis". Relatively recently the term "Bharata Natyam" has come into general use for the dance hitherto known as Dasi attam. This change may well have been made in an attempt to dissociate the art from the devadasis who had come to be regarded as disreputable practitioners.

Hindi films

Main articles: Hindi dance songs and Bollywood song and dance

A Bollywood dance performance in Bristol

Dance in early Hindi films, was primarily modelled on classical Indian dance styles and particularly those of historic northern Indian courtesans (tawaif), or folk dances. Modern films often blend this earlier style with Western dance styles (MTV or in Broadway musicals), though it is not unusual to see Western pop and adapted classical dance numbers side by side in the same film. The hero or heroine will often perform with a troupe of supporting dancers. Many song-and-dance routines in Indian films feature unrealistically instantaneous shifts of location and/or changes of costume between verses of a song. If the hero and heroine dance and sing a pas de deux (a French ballet term, meaning "dance of two") often staged in beautiful natural surroundings or architecturally grand settings, referred to as a "picturisation".^{[citation needed]}

Indian films have always used what are now called "item numbers". A physically attractive female character (the "item girl"), often completely unrelated to the main cast and plot of the film, performs a catchy song and dance number in the film. In older films, the "item number" may be performed by a courtesan (tawaif) dancing for a rich client or as part of a cabaret show. The dancer Helen was famous for her cabaret numbers. In modern films, item numbers may be inserted as discotheque sequences, dancing at celebrations, or as stage shows.^{[citation needed]}

Indian producers now release music videos, usually featuring a song from the film. However, some promotional videos feature a song which is not included in the movie.^{[citation needed]}

Modern Day Dance Shows

Farah Khan, who was a judge on Just Dance (TV series)

Currently there are several reality dance shows that have a huge fan following in India. Various channels have their own reality dance shows such as Dance India Dance, Just Dance (TV series), Jodi Number One and others. A lot of reality shows also showcase the dancing talents of children such as Boogie Woogie. This trend has also caught on to Indians living abroad.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Dances in India
• List of Indian folk dances
• Bhangra and Giddha-traditional dances of Punjab
• Garba (dance) and Dandiya Raas-traditional dances of Gujarat
• Ghoomar: a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan.
• Ghumura Dance: The War Dance from Former Kingdom of Kalahandi, Orissa, India
• Mallakhamb
• Sword dance
• List of Indian women in dance

References

• Massey, Reginald (2004). "India's Dances: Their History, Technique, and Repertoire", Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, India.
• Narayan, Shovanna (2005). “ The Sterling Book :Indian Classical Dance”, New Dawn Press Group, New Delhi, India.

Further reading

• Encyclopædia Britannica. Indian dance.

External links

Media related to Dance of India at Wikimedia Commons