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The ultimate guide to Indian Performing Arts: Everything you need to know
The ultimate guide to Indian Performing Arts: Everything you need to know
India's performing arts carries a legacy that can be traced back to far as 200 BCE. Over the years various communities have continued to nurture their regional performing arts with great passion. Among the various forms of performing arts like music, dance, and theatre, classical dance forms occupy a central position as traditions that have been preserved in their original forms for thousands of years. With their roots in the ancient Sanskrit text of Natya Sastra, the major classical dance forms include – Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Sattriya, Manipuri, and Mohiniattyam.
Here we have compiled a basic training guide for beginners interested to pursue their training in Performing Arts! Here is all that you need to know to kickstart your passion for performing the art of classical dance:
Bharatanatyam – Born in Tamil Nadu, Bharatnatyam is usually a solo performance and is accompanied by instruments. To master Bharatanatyam, one needs to understand and perfect the seven order sequence that is the structure of any Bharatanatyam performance. The sequence is as followed: Alarippu, (the Vandana), Jatiswaram, (Nritta or pure form without expression), Shabnam, (expressions are introduced), Varnam, the core of the performance (Nritya), Padam, stage of spiritual reverence, Thillana, (return to pure form), Mangalam, the performance ends.
Kathak – Kathak originates from Uttar Pradesh and is a highly popular form of classical dance. Kathak can be divided into four main gharanas – Lucknow, Jaipur, Benaras, and Raigarh. Any Kathak performance has the primary three stages, Vandana or invocation; nritta or the pure dance with graceful movements of the body and nritya or the expressive dance which delves into storytelling and conveying various themes, usually spiritual.
Odissi – A dance form hailing from Orissa, Odissi has two traditional forms – Maharis performed by temple girls or devadasis and Gotipua performed by boys. The basic sequence of Odissi performances is – Mangalacharan, Pushpanjali, Batu Nritya (a pure dance form), dance drama sequence (expressive dance). Odissi themes are also primarily religious.
Kuchipudi – Originating in Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi, traditionally an all-male performance in its early days is generally performed as a night performance near Hindu temples. Knowledge of Bharatnatyam and Odissi can help master Kuchipudi. It includes among its three major sequences of Nritya Nritta and Natya elements of Bharatnatyam like jatiswaram, thillanas, padams, and varnam. Kavutvams or the performance of acrobatics is a distinctive element in Kuchipudi.
Kathakali – Heavily relying on the art of dance-drama, i.e. the ancient Kuttiyam or Sanskrit dance-dramas Kathakali performances are influenced by ancient martial art traditions and require strong athletic body movements. Performances communicate mythological tales like that of Ramayana or Mahabharata while some modern dancers adapt Shakespeare plays through their performance!
Mohiniattyam – A classical dance form from Kerala, Mohinattyam also comprises the three basic dance stages of nritta, nritya, and Natyam. With a sequence similar to Bharatnatyam, this dance form however is distinct in its posture – the dancer parts their feet, bend knees outwards, maintain an erect posture while gently swaying the body along with hips. This is known as Ati Bhanga.
Manipuri – Manipuri performances usually communicate Hindu Vaishnavism themes. The three major styles of Manipuri dance include Tal Rasak (clapping), Danda Rasak (Beating of two sticks as dancers position themselves in geometric patterns), and Mandal Rasak where the dancers make a circle as Krishna arrives at the center.
Sattriya – Hailed from Assam, Sattriya is a dance style depicting mostly dramas of Sankaradeva. Here masculine and feminine forms are integrated – the energetic masculine style meshes with the delicate feminine style creating a beautiful expression.
Conclusion:
These are some basic outlines of the major classical dance arts of India. Beginners will notice that there are some commonalities in styles and themes between many of them and mastering one art may help you gain quick expertise in others. Becoming an expert requires years of training and we hope that the fundamental structures of each dance that we have outlined above help aspirants gain an insight into the vibrant world of Indian classical dance.
