CLASSICAL DANCE OF INDIA

There are many types of dance in India. One of them is Classical Dance. The content of classical dance are usually always spiritual and love to God. Classical Indian dance is the art that required skill , hard work and discipline. Every dance posture has a specific meaning. All Indian dancer describe some expression of life. Themes used in Indian dance are from Indian mythology. Most of the dances include an Indian God couple such as 'Vishnu & Lakshmi' , 'Rama & Sita' and 'Krishna & Radha'. To be a good dancer and performer , they must work hard and practice a lot because Indian dance are very unique and full of expression.

There are six types of Classical Indian Dance such as Kathakali and Mohoni attam from Kerala , Bharata natyam from Tamil Nadu , Kuchipudi from Andhara Pradesh , Odissi from Orissa , Kathak from Uttar Pradesh and Manipuri from Manipur.

Khatakali means story-play. It is an elaborate dance depicting the victory of truth. A striking features of Kathakali is the use of make-up and colourful costumes. This is because to show that the characters are super being from another world and their make-up is easily recognisable. The theme of Mohini attam is love and devotion or loyalty to God. Vishnu and Krishna is most often to be the hero. The basic dance steps are the Adavus which are four kinds such as Taganam , Jaganam , Dhaganam and Sammisram. The Mohini attam dancer used to maintain realistic make-up and wear a simple costumes compared to Khatakali. The dancers are put on beautiful white with gold border Kasavu saree of Kerala with white jasmine flower around at the side of their head.

Mohini attam dance

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Bharata natyam dance has been handed down through the centuries by dance teachers called Devadasis (guru). The training traditionally took around 7 years. So long... And this dance are usually passed down through the generations.

Bharata natyam dance

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Kachipudi is a dance drama that still exist today. Kachipudi is the classical dance form from the South-East Indian state in Andhra Pradesh. It derives its name from the village of Kuchelapuram , a small village about 65 km from Vijaywada. It is known for its graceful movements and its story narrative or dramatic character. It can most closely be associated with the Sanskrit theatrical tradition that knows as Bhagarata Mela Natakam. The actors sing and dance. The style is classical.

Kuchipudi dance

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Odissi is based on the popular devotion to Lord Krishna. The Odissi dancers use their head , bust and torso in soft movement to express specific moods and emotions. The expressions are similar to Bharat natyam. There are a number of characteristics of the Odissi dance. One of the most characteristic features of Odissi dance is the Tribhangi. The concept of Tribhangi divides the body into three parts, head, bust, and torso. Any posture which deals with these three elements is called tribhangi. The mudras are also important. The term mudra means "stamp" and is a hand position which signifies things. The use of mudras help tell a story in a manner similar to the hula of Hawaii.

Odissi dance

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Kathak is north Indian dance. It is bound with classical hindustani music. The Kathak comes from the original Sanskrit word "Khattaka" which means a storyteller. "Katha kahe so kathik kahave" , which means 'one who tells a story is a storyteller'. A woman storyteller was known as "Khatika" and male storyteller "Khataka". These include the epics and mythological stories and added expressions demonstration. The dancers traveled around country to entertained and educate people with legends and mythology.

Kathak dance

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Manipuri is a dance style originally called jogai which means circular movement. Manipuri dance is purely religious and it is spiritual experience. Development of music and dance has through religious festival and daily activities of the Manipuri people. Not only the dance for enjoyment purposes , but for all socio-cultural ceremonies. Manipuri classical dance not only claimed to be softest and mildest but also the most meaningful dance of the world.

Manipuri dance

The classical dance is a unique and interesting to learn. Nowadays , not only Indian learn classical Indian dance but also from another race. We must appreatiate our traditional arts. This is identity or symbol of ethnicsity. We must keep it and passed down through generations.