Classical Dance forms in India

Bharatanatyam is over 2000 years old. It is a dance primarily originating in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It is also the oldest surviving classical dance in India. Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra and Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara talk about this dance form. It is believed that Bharatnatyam was revealed by Lord Brahma to Bharata.  Bharatanatyam was originally performed exclusively by female temple dancers and was not brought to the stage for public performance until about 1930.

<strong”>E. Krishna Iyer was one of those who raised the social status of Bharata Natyamand greatly popularized it. Rukmini Devi Arundale is considered the most important revivalist in the Indian classical dance form of Bharata Natyam from its original ‘sadhir’ style. Rukmini Devi Arundale established a cultural academy called Kalakshetra (which means holy palace of arts) to revive the traditional arts of India.

History and evolution

• Visual evidence of this dance form can be found in various paintings, sculptures at many historical places.
• One of the five great epics of Tamil Literature, ‘Silappadikaaram’ (~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 the 6th to 9th centuries CE manifests the development of this dance form by around the mid-first millennium CE.

Figure: Sculpture depicting a Bharatanatyam dance

• 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.

Figure: Depiction of 108 poses of Bharatanatyam in Chidambaram temple, Tamil Nadu

• Another notable sculpture can be seen in Cave 1 of Karnataka’s Badami cave temples dating back to the 7th century where a 5 feet tall sculpture of Lord Shiva is depicted as Nataraja doing Tandava dance. The 18 arms of the Shiva sculpture expresses mudras or hand gestures that are part of Bharatanatyam.

Figure: Tandava dance of Lord Shiva found in Badami caves

• This particular dance form was kept alive by Devadasi, who were young girls ‘gifted’ by their parents to the temples and who were married to the gods

Features of Bharatanatyam

• Bharatanatyam dance is known to be Ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a single performance

• The repertoire of Bharatnatyam is extensive; however, a performance follows a regular pattern. At first, there is an invocation song.

• Then the next dance item is the alarippu, literally meaning – to adorn with flowers. It is an abstract piece combining pure dance with the recitation of sound syllables.
• The next item, the Jatisvaram is a short pure dance piece performed to the accompaniment of musical notes of any raga of Carnatic music. Jatiswaram has no sahitya or words, but is composed of adavus which are pure dance sequences – nritta. They form the basis of training in Bharatnatyam dance.
• As a solo dance, Bharatnatyam leans heavily on the abhinaya or mime aspect of dance – the nritya, where the dancer expresses the sahitya through movement and mime.
• Shabdam follows the Jatisvaram in a Bharatnatyam dance performance. The accompanying song is generally in adoration of the Supreme Being.
• After the shabdam, the dancer performs the varnam. The varnam which is the most important composition of the Bharatnatyam repertoire encompasses both nritta and nritya and epitomizes the essence of this classical dance form.
• After the strenuous varnam, the dancer performs a number of abhinaya items expressing a variety of moods.
• A Bharatnatyam performance ends with a Tillana which has its origin in the tarana of Hindustani music. It is a vibrant dance performed to the accompaniment of musical syllables with a few lines of sahitya.
• The finale of the piece is a series of well designed rhythmic lines reaching a climax. The performance ends with a Mangalam invoking the blessings of the Gods.
• The accompanying orchestra consists of a vocalist, a Mridangam player, violinist or veena player, a flautist and a cymbal player. The person who conducts the dance recitation is the Nattuvanar.

Famous exponents

• The four Nattuvanars namely Ponaiyah, Vadivelu, Sivanandam and Chinnaiya who are renowned as Tanjore Bandhu and who thrived in the Durbar of Maratha ruler, Sarfoji-II from 1798 to 1832 shaped up the modern-day Bharatanatyam
• Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, a dance guru from the village of Pandanallur was a noted exponent of Bharatanatyam who is predominantly known for his style referred as the Pandanallur school of Bharatanatyam.
• One of his students Rukmini Devi championed and performed the Pandanallur (Kalakshetra) style and also remained one of the leading proponents of the classical dance revival movement.
• Bala Saraswati was one of the foremost exponents of this dance form in the last century

History, Evolution and Source:

• This classical dance form. Kathakali originates primarily from the Indian state of Kerala.
• Basic components and distinct features of this form of classical dance can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit Hindu text- ‘Natya Shastra’. Kathakali also derives its textual sanction from Balarama Bharatamand Hastalakshana Deepika
• Dance-drama art form called ‘Krishnanattam’ and Ramanattam based on Mahabharata and Ramayana are precursor of ‘Kathakali’.

Features of the dance:

• Kathakali is a blend of dance, music and acting and dramatizes stories, which are mostly adapted from the Indian epics.
• The dance form combines four aspects of abhinaya – Angika, Aharya,Vachika, Satvikaand the Nritta, Nritya and Natya  are combined perfectly.
• The dancer expresses himself through codified hastamudras and facial expressions, closely following the verses (padams)that are sung.

• The body movements and choreography of this dance draws inspiration from various martial arts of Kerala
• The attakkathasorstories are selected from the epics and myths and are written in a highly Sanskritised verse form in Malayalam. Many Malayalam writers have also contributed to the vast repertoire of Kathakali literature.
• Kathakali dance is chiefly interpretative.
• The characters in a Kathakali performance are broadly divided into satvika, rajasikaand tamasika

	Satvika	Rajasika	Tamasika
	Noble, heroic, generous and refined	Courageous people but they have an evil streak in their character	The characters of the thadi (beard)
Characters	Krishna and Rama.	Ravana, Kamsa, Sisupala and Duryodhana etc	Red beard – Evil character like Bakasura, White Beard-Hanumanta
Colour codes	In pacha, green colour dominates and kirita (headgear) is worn by all. Krishna and Rama wear special crowns decorated with peacock feathers	The kathi type depict anti-heroes., Evil characters like Ravana bear the ‘Tati’ (red) make-up. The moustache and the small knob called chuttippu fixed on “the tip of the nose and another in the centre of the forehead, is peculiar to the kathi character.	The characters of the thadi (beard) category are the chuvanna thadi, (red beard), vellathadi (white beard) and the karutha thadi (black beard). Vellathadi or the white bearded character is generally that of Hanuman, the dancer also wears the costume of a monkey. Kari are characters whose make-up have a black base, they wear black costume depicting a hunter or forest dweller.

• Kalasams are pure dance sequences where the actor is at great liberty to express him and display his skills. The leaps, quick turns, jumps and the rhythmic co-ordination make kalasams, a joy to watch.

Costumes

• Kathakali is a visual art where aharya, costume and make-up are suited to the characters, as per the tenets laid down in the Natya Shastra.
• The lips, the eyelashes and the eyebrows are made to look prominent. A mixture of rice paste and lime is applied to make the chuttion the face which highlights the facial make-up.
• Songs and musical instruments
• Kathakali music follows the traditional sopana sangeetof Kerala. It is said to be the ritual singing of the Ashtapadis on the flight of steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum. Now, Kathakali music also uses Carnatic ragas-the raga and talaconforming to the bhava, rasa and dance patterns (nritta and natya). The orchestra which is also used in other traditional performing arts of Kerala, normally comprises the Chenda, Maddalam, Chengila, Ilathalam, Idakka and Shankhu.

Major exponents

• Kavungal Chathunni Panicker, a celebrated and veteran performer of this field, is a scion of the famous Kavungal family associated with ‘Kathakali’ for six generations.
• Kalamandalam Gopi, a renowned name in ‘Kathakali’ with a career of over 30 years, is one of the most eminent representatives of the Kalluvazhi School of Kerala.
• Other imminent ‘Kathakali’ performers include Kalamandalam Krishna Prasad, Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, Kalamandalam Kesavan Namboodiri and Kalanilayam Balakrishnan, Kottakal Sivaraman, Rita Ganguly etc.,

It originated in the state of Kerala. The dance is performed by women in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu in his incarnation as the enchantress Mohini. Mohiniattam is exclusively danced by women. It is also softer than the very vigorous Kathakali.

The dance projects the essence of feminine grace. It is also noted for the Shringara (erotic) depictions of divine love. Traditionally, the dance was performed solo, but in the 21st century it may also be performed in groups.

 A brief history of the dance form

• Some scholars trace Mohiniattam to the second or third century A.D. (to the era of the great Tamil epic, Silappadikaaram), whereas others maintain that it was created in the middle of the eighteenth century in the court of Maharaja Svati Tirunal of Travancore
• It is also believed that the dance form acquired its affinity with the Bharata Natyam technique and Karnatak Music and thereby its repertoire, in Swati Tirunal’s court.
• In the beginning of the 20th Century, like all the other traditional arts, Mohiniattam also went into oblivion due to the policies of the British. However, due to the policies of the state and central government, the classical dance form has seen a revival.

Salient features associated with the dance-form

• 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.

• The most characteristic element of the “form” component of Mohiniattam is the circular or spiral movement of all the limbs of the body. This gives it a swaying effect which resembles the movement of a pendulum and thus it is called aandolika
• The movements are emphasized by the glides and the up and down movement on toes, like the waves of the sea and the swaying of the coconut, palm trees and the paddy fields.
• Movements have been borrowed from Nangiar Koothu and female folk dances Kaikottikali and the Tiruvatirakali.
• The footwork is not terse and is rendered softly. Importance is given to the hand gestures and Mukhabhinaya with subtle facial expressions.

• 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.
• The hand gestures, 24 in number, are mainly adopted from Hastalakshana Deepika, a text followed by Kathakali. Few are also borrowed from Natya Shastra, Abhinaya Darpana and Balarambharatam.
• The gestures and facial expressions are closer to the natural(gramya) and the realistic (lokadharmi) than to the dramatic or rigidly conventional (natyadharmi).
• Vocal music of this performance art incorporates different rhythms and lyrics of many of the compositions performed in this dance form are in Manipravala that is a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam language while the music style is Carnatic.
• Instruments played during a Mohiniattam performance usually comprises of Kuzhitalam or cymbals; Veena; Idakka, an hourglass-shaped drum; Mridangam, a barrel-shaped drum with two heads; and flute.
• Imminent 20th-century exponents of Mohiniattam apart from Vallathol Narayana Menon were Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, Thankamony, Krishna Panicker and Mukundraja. Present day exponents include Sunanda Nair; Smitha Rajan, granddaughter of Kalyanikutty Amma; Radha Dutta; Vijayalakshmi; Gopika Varma and Jayaprabha Menon among others.

Manipuri dance is one 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 classical dance form primarily originated in the North-Eastern state of Manipur.

History and evolution

• Its origin is traced back to ancient times.
• Lai Haraobais one of the main festivals still performed in Manipur which has its roots in the pre-Vaishnavite period. Lai Haraoba is the earliest form of dance which forms the basis of all stylised dances in Manipur.

• Lai Haraoba is the merrymaking of the gods; it is performed as a ceremonial offering of song and dance. The principal performers are the maibasand maibis (priests and priestesses) who re-enact the theme of the creation of the world.( The festival is usually celebrated by the Meitei community and is also referred to as the ‘Festivity of the Gods’.)
• With he arrival of Vaishnavism in the 15th century A.D., new compositions based on episodes from the life of Radha and Krishna were gradually introduced.
• It was in the reign of King Bhagyachandra that the popularRasleela dances of Manipur originated. Under successive rulers, new leelas, and rhythmic and melodic compositions were introduced.

Salient features of the dance form

1. • The central theme of this dance-form are the love stories of Krishna and Radha.
   • All the technical elements mentioned in the Sangeet Shastras are found in Rasleelas such as Nritta (pure dance), Nritya (interpretative dance) and Natya (theme expressed through 4 kinds of abhinaya), two distinct divisions of tandava and lasya, the prabandhas (musical compositions).
   • The songs are sung in Brajaboli, old Bengali,meitheli Sanskrit, Braj and now in Manipuri language written by devotional poets like Chandidas, Vidyapati, Gyandas, Jaydev and others
   • There are primarily two classifications associated with Manipuri dance-

   Jagoi: Predominant in Ras Leela, this steam highlights the Lasya element described in Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra. Here, the legs are generally bent and the knees are kept together. The feet movements are not as loud and pronounced as in the other classical dances of India.

         Cholam: It represents the Tandava form of classical dance.

   • Manipuri dances are performed thrice in autumn from August to November and once in spring sometime around March-April, all on full moon nights.
   • The dance-drama is performed through excellent display of expressions, hand gestures and body language. Acrobatic and vigorous dance movements are also displayed by Manipuri dancers in many other plays.
   • The costumes for Manipuri dancers, particularly for women are quite unique from other Indian classical dance forms.
   •  A crown decorated with peacock feather adorns the dancer’s head, which portrays the character of Lord Krishna. The costume of female dancers resembles that of a Manipuri bride, referred as Potloi costumes.
   • The swaying movements of the neck and torso are inspired from the bamboo trees lilting in the breeze.
   • The musical instrument generally used in this art form includes the Pung that is a barrel drum, cymbals or kartals, harmonium, flute, pena and sembong

Famous exponents

Imminent Manipuri performers include Guru Bipin Singh, his disciple Darshana Jhaveri and her sisters Nayana, Ranjana and Suverna, Charu Mathur and Devyani Chalia among others.

Figure:Manipuri

• It is a semi classical Indian dance with martial, tribal and folk traditions, with origins in eastern India.
• It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chau of Bengal, the Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand, and the Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha.
• The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other Indian literature

Figure: Chhau

The dancer impersonates a god, animal, bird, hunter, rainbow, night, or flower. He acts out a short theme and performs a series of vignettes at the annual Chaitra Parva festival in April.

In another form of Chhau, practiced in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa, the actors do not wear masks, but through deliberately stiff and immobile faces they give the illusion of a mask. The style of their dance is vigorous and acrobatic.

Salient features associated with this dance form:

• There are three types of Chhau dance forms: Saraikela, Mayurbhanj and Purulia (West Bengal)
• Chhau is taught to male dancers from families of traditional artists or from local communities
• Its vocabulary of movement includes mock combat techniques, stylized gaits of birds and animals and movements modelled on the chores of village housewives.
• The dancer’s face being expressionless, the chhau dancer’s body communicates the total emotional and psychological tensions of a character.
• The dancer is mute; no song is sung. Only instrumental music accompanies him
• The dance is rhythmic and is set to traditional folk music, played on the reed pipes mohuri and shehnai.
• Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010