India the Sacred land - Dances of India
*Brahma Ji created "Natyaveda", the fifth Veda, by taking kavyam (poetry) from Rig veda : Sangeetham from saama veda : Abhinayam from Yajurveda and Rasa from atharvaveda. The art of Natya (dance) became the entertainment for devas. Bharathamuni's natya shastra is based on Natyaveda. Dance is a form of communication and brings out the innermost feelings and depicts cultural aspects of civilization. Dance of the mind and soul- traditional in nature.
*Abhinaya (expressions and mudras) Nritta (adavu/footwork) are two sides of the coin- Natya
*9 rasas - Dance forms are structured around nine rasas or emotions that form the integral part in this art form - happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sorrow, courage, compassion, wonder and serenity. The most famous classical dance forms are Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Odissi of Orissa, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri of Manipur, Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala. *Kathak originated from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.Two major lineages of the art form- Jaipur Gharana and Lucknow Gharana. Concept of Bhakti and dance performance restricted to within family members in Jaipur Gharana and the concept of entertainment to all prevailed in the Lucknow Gharana.
*Odishi- originated from Oriya. Sculpture poses are strikingly unique in this dance form. The temples Bhasveswara and the Konark sun temple have these poses carved in pillars.
*Manipuri- from Manipur. Based on Bhakti bhava and the RadhaKrsna Rasa Lila more popularized through this form.
*Kuchipudi from kuchelapura in Andhra Pradesh. State of Telengana is also famous for this dance form. Small Pot of water on the head and feet on a brass plate, the dancer proves his/her mettle in displaying balance along with hand gestures and abhinaya (the facial expression)
*Bharathanatyam-Oldest dance form originated from Tamilnadu. Sathir is even before bharatanatyam where the performer sings are dances (more of expressions) The dancers are mostly Devadasis who will dance to please only the Lords. In the later years, bharatanatyam gained prominence and there was a proper setup in the musicians where it is led by the guru who is the conductor or the nattuvanar and a separate singer along with instrumentalists/accompaniments. The art form gives equal importance to both nritta (footwork) and abhinaya (expressions)
*Kathakali and Mohiniattom- originated from Kerala. Kathakali is a Myth and mime drama. God/goddesses themed performances. Loud drums- Maddalam, chenda and Edakkya played depicting the courage of heroes and cunningness of evil. Eye expressions are highlighted. The performers are all males members and follow a strict diet. Makeup takes long hours and the colors used symbolizes the good and the bad characters. Bearded makeup shows the older characters. Mohiniattom is a graceful, womanly dance form derived from the Lord's Mohini avataram.
The forms of folk dances:
Folk music/dance has no written grammar but has been sung/performed for a very long time, deeply rooted with the traditions, customs, religions etc. It talks about the lifestyle, culture, food, nature as well. Most folk dances are sung and performed by the dancers themselves. Some have only drums played, some have sticks to make the beats etc. The popular folk dances are Hikkat from Kashmir, Bihu from Assam, Bhangra from Punjab, Garba from Gujarat, Kolattam from Tamilnadu/Kerala and Karakattam from Tamilnadu. Some important points to note about the specific folk dances are - Hikkat- from Jammu and Kashmir. No musical instruments played while performing; Bihu- Harvest dance of Assam (happens in the mid April); Bhangra- From Punjab. Famous in the baisakhi festival times. They make loud sounds (hoi hoi) while dancing at super speed. Men dressed in lungis, fancy tops and turbans, Women in colorful skirts, tops and dupatta, both holding scarf-like pieces of cloth tied to each pointer (index finger) The drum/dholak player takes the center spot; Garbha/Garaba- From Gujarat, danced in circular moves around a pot, clapping hands in rhythm- Navarathri, sarad purnima, vasant panchami festivals have garbha. Almost like the Kummi of Tamilnadu, where mostly the dancers sing songs- say stories while singing (with tunes) or express lifestyle. Goomar (Rajasthan) almost on the same lines (Clapping hands and twirling moves with colorful long skirts, sometimes holding a pot of fire -where it talks about the royal lifestyle of Rajput culture as well; Dandia (Gujarat) has sticks, rhythmically played along while dancing- same as Kolattam from Tamilnadu. Pinnal Kolattam rope tied on a roof/ long sturdy rod where dancers braid those colorful cloth ribbons in patterns and un-braid them with timing.; Kavadi and Karagam from Tamilnadu are danced on religious festivals (mostly); Kavadi consists of two semicircular pieces of wood or steel which are bent and attached to a cross structure that can be balanced on the shoulders of the devotee. It is often decorated with flowers and peacock feathers (the vehicle of God Murugan) among other things. Some Kavadis are very heavy to carry. Karagam is an ancient folk dance of Tamilnadu performed in praise of the rain goddess.The ancient Tamil epic says that this type of dance derived from a mixture of multiple forms of Tamil dance forms like Bharatanatyam postures and mudras. The offering of this dance is to the goddess to bless rain.; Oyilattam- It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row with two scarfs in each hand and perform rhythmic steps to the musical instrument- Thavil (percussion) One Oyilattam was performed by a few volunteers this year sankranthi celebrations in our ashram; Theyyam is a popular ritual form of worship in Kerala; Yakshagana literally means the people(gana) who are the Yaksha (nature spirits); Yakshagana is the scholastic name used for art forms formerly known as Kelike, Ata, Bayalata (North kerala, Tulu Nad and south Karnataka). We also learnt about mudras, which activate different nerve centers and are very powerful tools to help alleviate some nervous conditions.
