Indian Classical Dance
June 24, 2008
Indian classical dance was born and bred in the temples and then a few centuries later, reached the royal courts. It took a few more centuries before Indian classical dance reached the royal courts, and some more before reaching the public platforms. These dances have indeed come a very long way from ancient temples and shrines and this is why all Indian classical dances depend almost completely on the rich mythological tales of the Hindus.
Dance is a form of communication and that brings out the innermost feelings, simultaneously depicting cultural aspects of a civilization. Indian classical dance consists of rhythmic movements that are sensuous, but the ananda or bliss they evoke is extremely spiritual. Indians do not believer dance is only a form of entertainment, rather Indian dance is meant to attain a yogi’s state of supreme bliss, to experience liberation and the growth of righteousness through beauty and delight.
For centuries, dances were performed on a regular basis at temples before the deity as a devotional exercise, giving rise to Devadasis or temple dancing girls who were held in great respect and reverence in the early days. Accomplished artists, these girls could sing, dance, play many instruments and read and interpret religious texts to perfection. Their first and foremost duty was to sing and dance before the temple deity and offer their dances and songs as prayer and oblation. As they danced and sang, they lost all consciousness but of Him, possessing and transporting the audience to a high pane of consciousness and ecstasy.
An expression of devotional life, every classical dance from India begins with a prayer. India offers a number of classical dance forms, which can be traced to different parts of the country, each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The most famous classical forms consist of Bharatnatyam from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam of Kerala, Odissi of Orissa, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Manipuri of Manipur.
Consisting of mudras or hand movements each depicting a particular meaning, all Indian dance forms are thus structured around the nine rasas or emotions hasya (happiness), krodha (anger), bhibatsa (disgust), bhaya (fear), viram (courage), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonder) and shanta (serenity). Indian classical dance is divided into nritta- the rhythmic elements, nritya – the combination of rhythm and expression, natya- the dramatic element. To appreciate natya or dance drama, one has to understand and appreciate Indian legends. Most Indian dances take their themes from India’s rich mythology and folk legends. Hindu Gods and Goddesses like Vishnu, Shiva and Lakshmi , Sita are all depicted in these dances. Each dance form also draws inspiration from stories depicting the life and beliefs of the Indians.
The British Raj in India proved to be a time of cultural hardship where these traditional dances were viewed by the British rulers as debauched and of doubtful morality. Later, they linked Indian dance with Tawaifs and Devadasis (both groups whom the government considered to be nothing more than simple prostitutes), and British rule prohibited public performance of dance. Winning its freedom in 1947, India won her freedom and for dance an ambience where it could regain its past glory.
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