What do you know about classical dances? | Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathak...

6 Classical Dances of India

The folk dances of India are much more than mere body movements, from the very ancient times the classical dance forms of India is considered as a discipline and a way to devote yourself to God through art.

The Six Classical dance of India are:

Bharatanatyam-Tamil Nadu:

Bharatanatyam - also called as Sadhir Attam, is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It has flourished in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times. It is one of the widely recognized eight forms of Indian classical dance it expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism. Bharatanatyam requires expression, posture and rhythm.

Description of Bharatanatyam by 2nd century CE is noted in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram, while temple sculptures of 6th to 9th century CE suggest it was a well refined performance art by the mid-1st millennium CE. Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance tradition in India. The dance form was prevalent in ancient Tamil Nadu, and several books have coded them such as Natya Shastra. Natya Shastra is a codification by Bharat muni (Sanskrit:भरत मुनि) bharatanatyam is the state dance form of Tamil Nadu.

Kathakali – Kerala:

Kathakali (Malayalam: കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colorful make-up, costumes and face masks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear. Kathakali is a Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking southwestern region of Kerala. 

Kathakali's roots are unclear. The fully developed style of Kathakalī originated around the 17th century, but its roots are in the temple and folk arts (such as krishnanattam and religious drama of the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut) southwestern Indian peninsula), which are traceable to at least the 1st millennium CE. A Kathakali performance, like all classical dance arts of India, synthesizes music, vocal performers, choreography and hand and facial gestures together to express ideas. However, Kathakali differs in that it also incorporates movements from ancient Indian martial arts and athletic traditions of South India. Kathakali also differs in that the structure and details of its art form developed in the courts and theatres of Hindu principalities, unlike other classical Indian dances which primarily developed in Hindu temples and monastic schools.

 

Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh:

Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India. Evidence of Kuchipudi's existence in an older version are found in copper inscriptions of the 10th century, and by the 15th century in texts such as the Machupalli Kaifat. Kuchipudi tradition holds that Tirtha Narayana Yati – a sanyassin of Advaita Vedanta persuasion, and his disciple, an orphan named Siddhendra Yogi, founded and systematized the modern version of Kuchipudi in the 17th century. Kuchipudi largely developed as a Hindu god Krishna-oriented Vaishnavism tradition, and it is known by the name of Bhagavata Mela in Thanjavur. 

The traditional Kuchipudi was performed by all Males troupe. A dancer in a male role would be in Agnivastra, also known as Bagalbandi, wear a dhoti (a single pleated piece of cloth hanging down from the waist). A dancer in a female role would wear a Sari with light makeup.

Manipuri – Manipur:

Originating from the north-east state of Manipur, Manipuri is a major dance form of India. The dance costume has a unique stiff skirt that goes down till the feet. Manipuri dance depicts the Raslila act of Radha and Krishna and sets up the audience for a spiritual experience. Manipur (/mʌnɪˈpʊər, mænəˈpʊər/) is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south. The state covers an area of 22,327 square kilometres (8,621 sq mi) and has a population of almost 3 million, including the Meitei, who are the majority group in the state, the Meitei Pangals (Manipuri Muslims), Naga tribes, Kuki/Zo tribes and other communities, who speak a variety of Sino-Tibetan languages. Manipur has been at the crossroads of Asian economic and cultural exchange for more than 2,500 years. It has long connected the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to Southeast Asia, China (or East Asia), Siberia (Russia), Micronesia, and Polynesia, enabling migration of people, cultures and religions.

 

Odissi – Odisha:

Performed mainly in temples, Odissi is among the oldest surviving forms of dance. It originates from Orissa and is popular for its style and the independent movements of the head, chest and pelvis.

Odishee (Odia: ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ), also referred to as Odishee in older literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India. Odishee, in its history, was performed predominantly by women,[1][4] and expressed religious stories and spiritual ideas, particularly of Vaishnavism (Vishnu as Jagannatha). Odishee performances have also expressed ideas of other traditions such as those related to Hindu gods Shiva and Surya, as well as Hindu goddesses (Shaktism). The theoretical foundations of Odishee trace to the ancient Sanskrit text Natya Shastra, its existence in antiquity evidenced by the dance poses in the sculptures of Odishee Hindu temples, and archeological sites related to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. It was suppressed under the British Rule. The suppression was protested by the Indians, followed by its revival, reconstruction and expansion since India gained independence from the colonial rule. 

Odishee is traditionally a dance-drama genre of performance art, where the artist(s) and musicians play out a mythical story, a spiritual message or devotional poem from the Hindu texts, using symbolic costumes, body movement, abhinaya (expressions) and mudras (gestures and sign language) set out in ancient Sanskrit literature. Classical Odia literature & the Gitagovinda set to traditional Odishee music are used for the abhinaya.

Kathak – Uttar Pradesh:

Belonging to Uttar Pradesh, this dance form was derived from kathas or stories. A story is narrated through dance form in the Kathak performances.

A dance of northern India, Kathak is often a dance of love. It is performed by both men and women. The movements include intricate footwork accented by bells worn around the ankles and stylized gestures adapted from normal body language. It was originated by Kathakas, professional storytellers who used a mixture of dance, song, and drama. Like other Indian dances it began as a temple dance, but soon moved into the courts of ruling houses.

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