If there is any classical dance which adheres closely to the principles of Natya Shastra (Indian treaties of performing arts, written by sage Bharat Muni 2000 years back), it is Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam involved in Tamil Nadu. If you happen to visit the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram, you will find many sculptures depicting the classical posters of Bharatnatyam. As the name suggests, Bharatanatyam is a combination of a. Bha means Bhava or emotion b. Ra means Raga or music and c. Ta which means Tala or rhythm. Bharatanatyam is the expression of divinity found in the universe which aims at the spiritual evolution of both the performer and as well as the audience. This divine beauty is portrayed through complex geometrical moments of the arms and legs accompanied by mudras (scientific hand gestures) and expressive movement of the eyes based on the 64 principles of Natya Shastra.
Kathak originated in Northern India as a devotional expression comprising a mythological story put forth with dancing and singing to the tune of music. It was adopted as a source of entertainment by the Mughal Emperors which subjected it to the Persian influences. The Bhakti movement of 15-16 century give Kathak back its original flavour. The classical form of Kathak represents those forms of life, creation by Lord, Brahma preservation by Lord Vishnu and destruction by Lord Shiva. The duel contact which occurs between a tabla player and an expert dancer is always in enthralling. The challenges rhythm created by tabla player is met by a Kathak dancer with fast footwork, spins and mimes with a lot of innovation and improvisation, is the peculiarity of Kathak.
Kathakali is an age-old classical dance of Kerala with great elaborate details in every aspect including makeup, dance, expression and music. Generally, a classical Kathakali performance begins at the evening and ends at dawn with the noble conquering over the evil. The story is based upon the incidences from Ramayana and Mahabharata. The typical Kathakali color of an actor's makeup depends upon the role enacted by him in the story! Their billowing costumes also look extraordinary. The orchestra of Kathakali is made of two drums along with cymbals with two vocal performers. The performer usually undergoes a rigorous training before he is considered eligible to perform his part in this type of performing arts. Such a performer has a thorough mastery over gross and fine muscular moments. While Kathakali is traditionally performed only by men, there is another dance performed in Kerala, called Mohiniattam, which is performed by a solo female dancer.
Odissi is another ecstatically passionate classical dance form of India which has its birthland in the state of Orissa, as its name suggests. Odissi is an expression of intense devotion dedicated to Lord Jagannath. In ancient times, this dance was used to be performed in temples as a means of religious offering. The female Odissi dancer is lavishly embellished with jewellery on almost all body parts. The hands and the soles are colored with the red dye and the sari to be worn has bright Shades of red, green, yellow, purple or orange. This dance involves graceful movements of the chin, arms and some thumping foot movements intermingled with the synchronous chiming and twinkling of the jewelry.
Kuchipudi is distinguished from other dance forms by the use of speech during dance and mime. Having found its origin in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Kuchipudi has undergone a noticeable transformation in its style from a collective drama form to a solo style and introduction of female roles over a period of last few centuries following innovations in dance choreography. Earlier, Kuchipudi used to be a group performance led by a group leader. The leader used to be a multirole exponent like singer, dancer, musician apart from being the main conductor of the play. The female roles used to be played by young and good looking boys. The dexterity of the footwork of the dancers and their balancing acts used to be immaculate. Gradually, Kuchipudi saw itself being developed into a solo dance form as well.
The collective dance forms from the East Indian state of Manipur are called Manipuri. Usually, they involve the loving dance act between Radha and Krishna call Raasleela. Manipuri classical dance stands apart from its counterparts from other states in that, while these other types of classical dances described above use instruments in the background orchestration, in the Manipuri style they are very much a part of dance itself. In the 15th century, Manipuri crystallized into a concrete dance form with the introduction of Vaishnavism. The core essence of Manipuri dance is the graceful expression of feminine devotion conceived by soft, supple and fluid undulating movements of the limbs. Thanks to the efforts of Bhagya Chandra, today's Manipuri is regarded as a highly evolved classical dance with high artistic standards.
Sattriya, the classical dance form of Assam found its way into the repertory of Indian classical dances a few years back. Formerly, it was being performed in the monasteries as a religious gesture.
Kathak originated in Northern India as a devotional expression comprising a mythological story put forth with dancing and singing to the tune of music. It was adopted as a source of entertainment by the Mughal Emperors which subjected it to the Persian influences. The Bhakti movement of 15-16 century give Kathak back its original flavour. The classical form of Kathak represents those forms of life, creation by Lord, Brahma preservation by Lord Vishnu and destruction by Lord Shiva. The duel contact which occurs between a tabla player and an expert dancer is always in enthralling. The challenges rhythm created by tabla player is met by a Kathak dancer with fast footwork, spins and mimes with a lot of innovation and improvisation, is the peculiarity of Kathak.
Kathakali is an age-old classical dance of Kerala with great elaborate details in every aspect including makeup, dance, expression and music. Generally, a classical Kathakali performance begins at the evening and ends at dawn with the noble conquering over the evil. The story is based upon the incidences from Ramayana and Mahabharata. The typical Kathakali color of an actor's makeup depends upon the role enacted by him in the story! Their billowing costumes also look extraordinary. The orchestra of Kathakali is made of two drums along with cymbals with two vocal performers. The performer usually undergoes a rigorous training before he is considered eligible to perform his part in this type of performing arts. Such a performer has a thorough mastery over gross and fine muscular moments. While Kathakali is traditionally performed only by men, there is another dance performed in Kerala, called Mohiniattam, which is performed by a solo female dancer.
Odissi is another ecstatically passionate classical dance form of India which has its birthland in the state of Orissa, as its name suggests. Odissi is an expression of intense devotion dedicated to Lord Jagannath. In ancient times, this dance was used to be performed in temples as a means of religious offering. The female Odissi dancer is lavishly embellished with jewellery on almost all body parts. The hands and the soles are colored with the red dye and the sari to be worn has bright Shades of red, green, yellow, purple or orange. This dance involves graceful movements of the chin, arms and some thumping foot movements intermingled with the synchronous chiming and twinkling of the jewelry.
Kuchipudi is distinguished from other dance forms by the use of speech during dance and mime. Having found its origin in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Kuchipudi has undergone a noticeable transformation in its style from a collective drama form to a solo style and introduction of female roles over a period of last few centuries following innovations in dance choreography. Earlier, Kuchipudi used to be a group performance led by a group leader. The leader used to be a multirole exponent like singer, dancer, musician apart from being the main conductor of the play. The female roles used to be played by young and good looking boys. The dexterity of the footwork of the dancers and their balancing acts used to be immaculate. Gradually, Kuchipudi saw itself being developed into a solo dance form as well.
The collective dance forms from the East Indian state of Manipur are called Manipuri. Usually, they involve the loving dance act between Radha and Krishna call Raasleela. Manipuri classical dance stands apart from its counterparts from other states in that, while these other types of classical dances described above use instruments in the background orchestration, in the Manipuri style they are very much a part of dance itself. In the 15th century, Manipuri crystallized into a concrete dance form with the introduction of Vaishnavism. The core essence of Manipuri dance is the graceful expression of feminine devotion conceived by soft, supple and fluid undulating movements of the limbs. Thanks to the efforts of Bhagya Chandra, today's Manipuri is regarded as a highly evolved classical dance with high artistic standards.
Sattriya, the classical dance form of Assam found its way into the repertory of Indian classical dances a few years back. Formerly, it was being performed in the monasteries as a religious gesture.
0 comments:
Post a Comment