India Travel

Indian Dance

Kathakali	Kuchipudi	Manipuri

India has different classical dance forms that can be mapped to the different regions of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of the people of that region. Indian dances are often based on the spiritual content; however, there are dances that are performed on more trivial happy occasions. Classical Indian dances are mostly spiritual in nature. Indian mythology, legends, religion and classical literature form the basis of most Indian dances.

The classical dances of India are:

1. Kathakali and Mohini Attam from Kerala
2. Bharat Natyam from Tamil Nadu
3. Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh
4. Odissi from Orissa
5. Kathak from Uttar Pradesh
6. Manipuri from Manipur

Kathakali: Kathakali literally means story-play and this elaborate dance form shows victory of truth over false hood. Kathakali artists use strong make up and costumes to which depicts that the characters are super beings. Kathakali makeup is generally divided into three types, the satvik or Godlike, rajasik or heroic and tamasik or demonic.

Mohini Attam: The theme of Mohini Attam is devotion or love for God and most stories would have Vishnu or Sri Krishna as the hero. Through subtle and delicate movements in circular motion the dancers express their dreams or ambitions about the hero (Krishna). The Mohini Attam dancers generally use very simple costume with normal make up.

Bharat Natyam: This dance from was traditionally performed in temples by Devadasis under the guidance of their dance teachers (nattuwanars). The training traditionally took around seven years. Bharat Natyam was founded by the four great nattuwanars from Tanjore, namely Chinnaiah, Ponnaiah, Vadivelu and Shivanandam.

Kuchipudi: This is a dance drama form in which the actors sing and dance in a typical style that is a successful blend of folk and classical. Probably that is the reason why this dance form allows more fluidity and freedom, which makes it very popular and enjoyable among people.

Odissi: This dance form is based on the devotion to Lord Krishna in which the performers would dance to the verses of the Sanskrit play Geet Govinda to express their love and devotion to the God. The Odissi dancers concentrate on “Tribhang” or the division of body into three parts, head, bust and torso, which moves is soft flowing movements to express specific moods and emotions.

Kathak: This North Indian dance form is inextricably related to Hindustani Music and is accompanied by Tabla or Pakhwaj. The fast, rhythmic movement of the feet is definitely a site to enjoy. Traditionally these dance depicted the stories of Radha and Krishna in “Natwari” style, however, under the Mughal influence these dance took a more entertaining form and the religious, spiritual note was toned down.

Manipuri: This dance was earlier called “Jogai”, which means circular movement. It is told when Krishna, Radha and the “Gopis” danced “Ras Leela”, Lord Shiva ensured that no one disturbed the beauty of the dance and to entertain his wife Parvati, he got the dance re-enacted in the beautiful area of Manipur.

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