indian traditional dance

7/31/2019 Indian Traditional Dance

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Indian Traditional dance: the origins

Traditional Indian dance, in particularly Bharatanatyam and Odissi, as

Balasaraswati puts it, is an artistic yoga (natya yoga), for revealing the spiritual

through the corporeal. Bharatanatyam is the most widely practised of Indiantraditional dances worldwide, as it is the style that most faithfully adheres to the

Bible of the traditional Indian dance, the Natya Shastra, and most comrehensivelyembodies it. It is also the most ancient of all the traditional dance forms in India.

The legend and the inspiration

Gods and Godesses pleaded with Lord Brahma for another Veda to be created that

would be simple for the common man to understand, which is particularly

important in Kali Yuga. Granting their wish, Lord Brahma created the

Panchamaveda, the Fifth Veda, or NatyaVeda, a quintessence of the main fourVedas. Brahma took pathya (words) form the Rigveda, abhinaya (communicative

elements of the body movements, cf. mime) from the Yajurveda, geeth (music andchant) from Samaveda, and rasa (vital sentiment and emotional element) from

Atharvaveda to form the fifth Veda, NatyaVeda. After creating this Veda, LordBrahma handed it to sage Bharata and asked him to propagate it on earth. Obeying

the fiat of Lord Brahma, sage Bharata wrote down Natyashastra. Bharata together

with groups of the Gandharavas and Apsaras performed natya, nrtta and nrtyabefore Siva. It became the most authoritative text on the artistic technique oftraditional Indian dances, especially traditional Indian dances of

Bharatanatyam and Odissi.

The Natya Shastra reads, "When the world had become steeped in greed and

desire, in jealousy and anger, in pleasure and pain, the Supreme One (Brahma) was

asked by the people to create an entertainment which could be seen and heard byall, for the scriptures were not enjoyed by the masses, being too learned andambiguous." "This art is not merely for your pleasure, but exhibits cosmic

expression (bhava) for all the worlds. This art has been created following themovements of the world in work and play, profit, peace, laughter, battle and

slaughter, yielding the fruit of righteousness to those who follow the moral law, arestraint for the unruly, and a discipline for the followers of the rule; to create

wisdom in the ignorant, learning in scholars, afford sport to kings, and enduranceto the sorrow-stricken; it is replete with the diverse moods, informed with varying

passions of the soul, and linked to the deeds of mankind the best, the middling

and the low affording excellent counsel pastime and all else."

Bharata along with the apsaras and gandharvas demonstrated Traditional Indian

dance to Shiva who improved and modified the art as demonstrated by Bharata and

instructed the science of dance to Thandu Maharishi. This field of dance derived

the name Thandava, the Cosmic Dance of Shiva. Shiva instructed Lasya Natya toParvathi who passed it on to Usha, the daughter of Banasura. Through Usha this art


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form was passed on to the Gopis of Dwaraka who in turn passed on the same to themaidens of Sowrashtra.

The Gods and the Goddesses, being dancers themselves, have been passing the art

of the heavenly dance through many other human channels, whose aptitude,understanding, and personal idiosyncrasies naturally varied from person to person,

and created a number of styles ranging from Odissi

to Bharatanatyam. Traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam has beenundergoing a lot of change over the centuries (click here to read more). It used to

be and is still mostly performed by women dancers. Centuries ago the Hindu

temples in South India had dancers-priestesses called devadasis who would sing,dance Dasi Attam (old version oftraditional Indian dance), play many musical

instruments. They were well-versed in Sanskrit and other languages as they had to

adapt compositions to suit the audience. The devadasi tradition gradually degraded.

Initially, devadasis lead a very strict and celibate life and were not allowed to havea family. As the dance entered the royal courts, the dancers were calledRajanartakis, who performed in the royal courts and gradually became royal

concubines. The British colonial rule has completely corrupted the devadasi

tradition.

In the first half of the 19th century much oftraditional Indian dance ofBharatanatyam was redefined by the contributions of four talented brothers

known today as the Tanjore Quartet: Chinniah, Sivanandam, Ponniah andVadivelu. Styles of traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam were preserved in

practice mostly by the guru's and performers of the Isai Velalar community ofTamil Nadu. The Tanjore Quartet organized all the basic traditional Indian dance

of Bharatanatyam movements of pure dance into a progressive series, adavus.

Each adavu is a basic unit taught in systematic order and then combined withothers to produce choreographed traditional Indian dance of

Bharatanatyam sequences based upon the rhythmic pattern of a musicalcomposition. The brothers composed new music specifically for traditional

Indian dance of Bharatanatyam, and introduced a different sequence of items

which integrated various aspects of dance and music into a carefully coordinated,aesthetically sound progression. This infusion of creative energy marks the early

19th century as one of the most innovative periods in the history oftraditionalIndian dance. In the 20th century, such prominent personalities asMangudiDorairaja Iyerand Krishna Iyer made their significant contributions. The social

status and image of traditional Indian dance was restored by Rukminidevi

Arundale, the founder of Kalakshetra, who started teaching a simplified,Kalakshetra style invented by her after having learnt some of the Pandanallur style

of traditionalIndian danceof Bharatanatyam in a record 3 years' time. Traditional

Indian dance has undergone much change but is still deeply rooted in the spiritual

Hindu heritage. Contemporary traditional Indian dancers are both male and femaleartists. While most learn it as a hobby, very few make it their career and a lifestyle,
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as it is extremely demanding and complex in terms of dedication and dailypractice. While most university degree courses offer mainly a theoretical base in

traditional Indian dance, there areinstitutions that offer certificate and diplomacourseswith the focus on the practical skills.

Most of the contemporary choreographers and dancers may use some of the

formal traditional Indian dance technique or its elements to stage ballets

presenting various themes such as nationalism, unity of religions, the sanctity ofthe environment, the animal rights activism, the greatness of a king or a political

party, or even the delightfulness of Coca-Cola. In Vande Mataram, a dance festival

organised under the auspices of Natyarangam, a project of Narada Gana Sabha in1997 in Chennai, there was a host of topics: evils of the current education system,

the caste and reservation systems, threat of nuclear weapons, AIDS, the population

explosion, corruption in politics, bribery, religious fanaticism, secularism, the

greed for riches, the Chinese aggression, the Dandi March, literacy, agriculture,mechanisation, industrialisation. Most recently, some dancers ofNrityanjaliAcademy(Andhra Pradesh) managed to draw their divine inspiration even

fromCondom Songs.

The truetraditional Indian dance,it has to be stated clearly, is not a vulgarform of entertainment but a sacred ritual that is supposed to bring the rasanubhava

(catharsis, or spiritual upliftment) to the rasika (audience) and the dancer.

Traditional Indian dance technique

Balasaraswati has said: "Traditional Indian dance, in its highest moment, is the

embodiment of music in its visual form.... For more than thousand years, the

sastra's have confirmed that an individual dedicated to dance must be equally

dedicated to music and must receive thorough training in both the arts.. In

demonstrating the art of traditional Indian dance abroad, I have made a special

point of showing audiences how delicately linked is the realisation of movement to

raga expression in abhinaya, including the subtle expression of gamaka's,

intonation of sruti, and the unfolding of improvisation in niraval. In the same way

that we look for perfect blending of raga and tala and of raga and bhava inabhinaya, so also it is essential that the raga and the sahitya be perfectly matched

and in accordance with the necessities of expression in the dance."

"Sringara stands supreme in this range of emotions. No other emotion is capable

of better reflecting the mystic union of the human with the divine. I say this with

great personal experience of dancing to many great devotional songs, which have

had no element of sringara in them. Devotional songs are, of course, necessary.

However, sringara is the cardinal emotion, which gives the fullest scope for

artistic improvisation, branching off continually, as it does, into the portrayal of

innumerable moods full of newness and nuance.
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If we approach traditional Indian dance with humility, learn it with dedication and

practice it with devotion to God, sringara which brings out the great beauties of

this dance can be portrayed with all the purity of the spirit. The flesh, which is

considered to be an enemy of the spirit and the greatest obstacle to spiritual

realization, has itself been made a vehicle of the divine in the discipline of thedance. Sringara thus is an instrument for uniting the dancer with Divinity. Since

the dancer has universalized her experience, all that she goes through is also felt

and experienced by the spectator".

TraditionalIndian dancecomprises three aspects,Nritta,Nritya andNatya.

Nritta are rhythmical and repetitive elements, i.e. it isdance proper

Natya is the dramatic art, and is a language of gestures, poses and mime. cf.Abhinaya

Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya

Nritta can be broadly divided into Chari, Karana, Angahara and Mandala.

One-leg movement are called Chari. Two-leg movements are Karana. 3 Karanas make a Khanda. 3 to 4 Khandas make a Mandala. 4 to 9 Karanas make a Angahara. 4 to 5 Angaharas also make a Mandala.

108 Karanas and 32 Angaharas are defined in Natyashatra. The 13 Nritta Hastas(see below) are used to perform nritta. The rythmic body movements along with

hand gestures are called aduvus. A number ofaduvus constitute ajati.Jati will

generally end with aMuktaya or Teermana.

There are diferent types of Aduvus: Tattaduvu, Mettaduvu, Nataduvu, Kattaduvu,Kudittamettaduvu, Maiaduvu, Mandiaduvu, Jati, Nadai, Ardi. There are 12 aduvus

in each type, making it 120 aduvus in total. Only about 70-80 are generally

practised by an average traditional Indian dancer. Aduvus are often confusedwith the 108 Karanas carved in the Chidambaram Temple in Tamilnadu, India.

The entire body is divided into Anga, Pratyanga and Upaanga.

Anga Pratyanga Upaanga

Head, Hands, Chest, Waist,

Bottom, Legs are the Six

Angas.Some traditional Indian

Shoulders, Arms, Stomuch,

Thighs, Knees are the Six

Pratyangas.Some traditional Indian

Sight, Eyebrow, Eyelids,

Eyeballs, Cheeks, Nose,

Gums, Lower lip, Teeth,Tongue, Chin and Face are the
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dance experts distinguish also

Neck.

dance experts distinguish also

Wrists, Elbows and Ankles .

12 Upaangas.

Some traditional Indian dance

experts distinguish also Heels,

Fingers, Feet and Palms.

Pratynaga and Upaangas should move along with the Angas. Anga Lakshana, the

movements of body parts, are described below.

Shirobhedha - Head Movement Greevabhedha - Neck Movement Drushtibhedha - Eye Movement Paadabhedha

Mandala - Standing Posture

Utplavana - LeapsBhramari - Circling Movement

Chari - Leg Movement

Gatibhedha - Charecteristic walks

Traditional Indian dancetraditional indian dance

indian dance
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Hastas or Mudras - Hand Movements:

Asamyuta HastaSamyuta Hasta

Deva HastaDashavatara Hasta

Navagraha Hasta

Jaati HastaBandhu Hasta

Nritta Hasta

When all Angas(main body parts) are coordinated (along with pratyanga andupaanga), the traditional Indian dancer is said to possess Angashudhi. Anga

meaning body parts, and shudhi means perfection or purity. The Natyashastra has

shlokas describing how to perform all the abovemovements.

The Dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava,virile aspect. The tandava performed with bliss is called Ananda Tandava. The

tandava of the violent and destructive aspect is called Rudra Tandava. There are 7

types of Tandava in traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam:

Ananda Tandava, Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samara Tandava, Kaali tandava, Uma Tandava and Gauri Tandava.

There are some traditionalIndian danceexperts who distinguish 16 types

of Tandava. Tandava produces vigourous, brisk movements.

When the dance is performed by Goddess Parvathi, it is known as Lasya, wherethe movements are soft, gentle, graceful and sometimes seen as er otic.

Some traditional Indian dance scholars consider Lasya as the feminine version of

Tandava. Lasya is of 2 kinds:

Jarita Lasya and Yauvaka Lasya.

Abhinaya in traditional Indian dance

Traditional Indian dance

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The techniques ofcommunicating a message

areAbinaya. Here theemphasis is more on facial

expressions and gestures.While some authentic styles

of traditional Indian dance,

such aMelattur style,emphasise a highlyexpressive, spontaneous and

elevated mode of abhinaya,

the late Balasaraswatytradition's abhinaya was

extremely subtle and

understated, while theKalakshetra style expressions

are largely theatrical. Somecontemporary styles, such as

the one propagated byShobana, favour theBollywood-type expressions.

While gestures can be seen from any distance even in a large dance hall, the subtle

facial expressions can only be seen from the front rows. This is the main featurethat distinguishes traditional Indian dance from the western ballet. Thus, unless

a traditional Indian dance recital is held in a small hall, a close-up, high-

resolution video is the only adequate medium of presenting theAbhinaya. Traditional Indian dance is essentially ekaharya performance: asingle dancerpresenting various characters, regardless of their gender.

The Abinaya is comprised of

Angikabhinaya

Vachikabhinaya Aharyabhinaya Satvikabhinaya

Angikabhinaya : communicating the meaning of the songs using the body, i.e.head, hands, legs, etc. The Bhedas come under Angikabhinaya.

Vachikabhinaya : communicating the story using narrations.

Aharyabhinaya : use of costumes, jewellary, make-up etc.

Satvikabhinaya :expressions of Bhava(moods)

Lord Shiva is praised as the embodiment of the above 4 types of abinaya in this

indian traditional dance

traditional indian dance
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following shloka.

Angikam bhuvanam yasya

Vachicam sarva vangmayamAharyam chandra taraditam vande satvikam shivam.

The meaning of the above shloka:

We bow to Him the benevolent One

Whose limbs are the world,

Whose song and poetry are the essence of all

language,

Whose costume is the moon and the stars...

In Lord Shiva's well-known pose ofNATARAJA:his right hand holds the drum of creation,

symbolising a new awakeninghis left hand holds fire, representing destruction ofthe old order

his other right hand is raised in blessing

the other left hand points to his left foot, whichhas crushed demon Muyalaka who represents

ignorance.

There are nine main or primary emotions, Sthayibhavas, also termed

asRasas (Moods):

Shringara - Love Hasya - Mirth Veera - Heroism Roudra - Anger Bhayanaka - Terror Bheebatsa - Disgust Adbhuta - Wonder Karuna - Compassion Shanta - Tranquility

Vatsalya (parental fondling) rasa is also sometimes included as one of the

stayibhava.

Vibhava (cause of emotion), Anubhava (effect of emotion) and Sanchari bhava(subordinate emotions) constitute the state of rasa.



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Nayika (the Heroine)

andNayaka (the Hero) bhavas:

The Nayika Bhava

The shastras have classified thebasic mental status of woman, the

Nayika, into 8

types,Ashtanayika bhavas. Thesedivisions portray the heroine in

different situations, express

different feelings, sentiments andreactions.

The Ashtanayika bhava are

Abhisarika Kalahantarika Khandita Proshitapathika Swadheenapathika Vasakasajjika Virahotkantita Vipralabda

Abhisarika - She is the one whoboldly goes out to meet her lover.

Kalahantarika - She is the one who is repenting her hastiness in quarrelling with

her lover, which has resulted in their separation.Khandita- She is the one who is angry with her lover for causing her

dissapointment.

Proshitapathika - She is the one who is suffering and missing her beloved who is

away on a long journey.

Swadheenapathika - She is the one who is proud of her husband's or beloved'slove and loyalty.

Vasakasajjika - She is the one who is preparing for the arrival of her beloved, by

decorating herself and her surroundings to provide a pleasent welcome for herlover.

Virahotkantita - She is the one who is seperated from her lover and is yearningfor reunion.

Vipralabda - She is the one who is dissapointed that her lover has not turned up at

the tryst as he promised.

Other classifications of the Nayika bhava in traditional Indian danceare:



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Mugdha -Inexperienced in

love.Madhya - Partly

experienced in love.

Pragalbha - Maturein the art of love.

This Pragalbha

Nayika is furtherclassified as

Dheera Adheera Dheeraadheera

Sweeya - Married and

faithful to her husband.

Parakeeya - Married but inlove with another man.

Samanya - A free woman,

who truly belongs to any man for a price.

Jyeshta - The preferred one.Kanishta- The other woman.

Further classifications are

Uttama - Self-controlled and tolerant.Madhyama - Literally the middle one, who gives as she gets.

Adhama - Literally the low one, who has no self restraint.

The Companion to the Nayika plays an important role in any padam, javali or

Ashtapadi. This Companion is the one to whom the Nayika will convey her

feelings, she is the one who will take the message,if any, from the nayika to thenayaka, she is the one who will sort out the differences between the nayika and the

nayaka. This companion is usuallly a girl who is close to the Nayika. Theclassification of the Companion types in traditional Indian dance:

Daasi -Servant





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Sakhi -Friend

Kaaroo -Woman

from a lowercaste

Chatriya -Step Sister

Prativamshini -

Neighbour

Lindini - Saint Shilpani - Artist Swaa - Nayika herself as a messenger

The Nayaka BhavaJust like the heroines, the moods and emotions of the hero are also classified into

different types. The main types:

Dheerodaatta eg. Lord Rama Dheeroddhata eg. Demon Ravana Dheeralalita eg. Vatsaraaja Dheerashanta eg. Buddha

Another classification is:

Pati - Married and faithful to his wife.Upapati - Married but in love with another woman.

Vaisika - One who pays and enjoys women.

Further Nayaka classification:

Anukoola - Faithful to the Woman. eg. Lord RamaDakshina - Loves all his wives or women. eg. ArjunaDrishta- When rejected, pleads to be accepted by his woman. eg. Vaali

Shatha- The deceitful one. eg. Lord Krishna



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Most of the ashtanayika bhavas areexperienced by the Nayaka also though

the depiction of ashtanayika is morethan the nayaka. Nayaka's Companion

plays an important role too. Thiscompanion is categorised into

Peetamardhana Vita Cheta Vidooshaka

These traditionalIndiandanceelements are also seen as the

mystic symbols of Bhakti Yoga.Sringara means love, but this is not

confined to rati sringara. There is

bhakti sringara and vatsalya sringarabesides rati sringara. Even among

some of its practitioners, traditionalIndian dance is often misinterpreted

as being limited solely to bhakti. Balasaraswati believed traditional Indian dance is

based on bhakti and that "it is justified in being called a yoga because it is aspiritual discipline perfecting the mind to thought-free serenity".

Styles of traditional Indian dance in Bharatanatyam

There are several original traditionalIndian dancestyles that are over 150 years

old:

MelatturPandanallur Vazhuvoor (or Vizhuvur) Thanjavoor (orTanjore)Mysore

KanchipooramThe distinctive characteristics of theMelattur styleof traditional Indian dance are:

natural (spontaneous) and highly expressive abhinayalargest amplitude ofmovements, which requires a higher degree of flexibility emphasis on

sringara bhakti emphasis on crisp adavus, accuracy of jathis/ gathis, fluid

variations of patterned korvaisdramatic elements (characterisation)

original methods of application of principles of "loka dharmi" and "natyadharmi"

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The Pandanallur style of traditional Indian dance stresses:

its deep sitting positionsits lasya (feminine dance style) of padams is ratherslow and difficult to perform

it is performed on three levels: in deep sitting positions, on the ground, instanding positions and while moving or jumping.

The Vazhuvoor style of

traditionalIndian danceincludes:

wide range of dancingpacestatic postures are

inserted, most often in the

tillana, to break the monotony

and to add the variety ofrhythmssofter facial

abhinayaabhinaya is subtle

with more natyadharmi

(spontaneous expressions), so

the presentation is not

"overdone"the adavu's flow

smoothly, with rare abrupt

movementsextremely

elaborate movementsdeep

sitting positionsvariety ofpositions on the floorrich

sringar elementslasya

dominates tandavathe

dancer's body from the waist

up is stlightly bent

forward leaps are introduced

into every jatithe jati's have

more korvais (intervals), which creates a suspense effectperformance begins

with a Thodaya mangalam in praise of Lord Gnana Sabesar of Vazhuvoor the dancer starts the performance while entering the stage from the wings

The modern Kalakshetra style is a simplified form based on Pandanallur and, to

some extent, Thanjavoor styles.

TheBalasaraswati style, although derived from the authentic devadasitraditions, is still a relatively recent introduction.

Note that, most recently, Dr.Padma Subramaniam's school, claiming to bethe one which is the most faithfully reflects the techniques described in

Natya Shastra, is calledBharatnrityam.



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Traditional

Indian dancersIn the ancientscriptures, aprofessional danseuse

was called "patra".

The AbhinayaDarpanahas a sloka that

describes Patra Prana

Dasha Smrutaha - the

ten essential qualitiessof the professionaldancer:

1.Javaha

(agility), Sthirathvam

(steadiness), Rekhach

a (graceful

lines), Bhramari(balance in

pirouettes), Drishtir

(glance), Shramaha

(hard work), Medha

(intelligence),Shraddh

a(devotion), Vacho

(good speech), and2. G

eetam (singing

ability).

According toAbhinayadarpanam,

one of the two most

authoritative texts on

Traditional Indiandance, a patra must be

TraditionalIndian dance


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young,slender,beautiful,large-eyed,with well-rounded breasts,self-confident,witty,pleasing,capable of keeping time (following the

rhythm)splendidly dressed of a happy disposition.

See more details in Natya shastra (XXVII.97-98).

The ten disqualifying criteria according to Abhinayadarpanam:

1. white specks in the apple of the eye scanty hair thick lips pendant breastsbeing either very fat or very thin, being either very tall or very short being

hunch-backed2. being either voiceless.

Traditional Indian dance recitals and arangetram

A traditional format, margam (path), of a traditional Indian dance of

Bharatanatyam performance, especially important in the graduation performance,orArangetram, is rather rigidly structured, and reflects the different stages of the

dancer's consciousness.

Aranga means raised stage andEtram meansclimbing in Tamil, one of the south

indian languages. It is also calledRangapravesha in Kannada, another south indian

language,Ranga meaning Stage and Pravesha meaning Enter. Ideally this should

be the first public appearance of the traditional Indian dancer. This is theoccation for the guru to present his/her deciple to the public. This is the testing

time for both the guru and the shishya(deciple) as the guru's knowledge and thedeciple's talent both are judged by the public. Hence, the guru will decide when the

deciple is ready for public graduation. Usually, at least 10-12 years of training isnecessary before the traditional Indian dancer is ready for Arangetram.

Arangetram was known as Gejjepooje in the old Mysore district,meaning worshiping the jingles in Kannada. For a traditional Indian dancer,

jingles are considered divine. Formerly, deciples were not allowed to wear jinglestill their first public performance when they consecrated the jingles, wore them andthen performed.

Accompaniments play a major role in the making of a memorable danceperformance.Basic accompaniments comprise a singer, a mridangam player, a

violin player and the Natuvanga. Veena, flute and other instruments are optional.

These people sit in the corner of a stage or in a place in front of the stage whichwill be in a lower level than that of the stage. The traditional Indian

dancer wears lot of jewellery, make-up and a specially stitched dress. Jingles are a

must. Usually duration of an arangetram will be 2 1/2 - 3 hours. To perform for

such long hours one must have good stamina and concentration. This time isdivided into two parts.


16/19

In the first half the traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam artists generally

performs

Pushpanjali orAlaripu

,Jatiswaram,Shabda

m Varnam

In the second half:

PadamAshtapadior Tillana

Mangalam

PushpanjaliThis is an item where

the traditional Indian

dancer ofBharatanatyam salutes togod, guru and the audience.

This item is a warm-up

item where the artistprepares the body for the

next hours of vigorous

performance.

Alaripu ("buddingflower")

Includes pure nritta. The

movements are performedfor syllables set for a beat

(Tala). The complexity of

the movements graduallyincrease, as the dancer's

attention focusses moreand more.. The steps are so

formed that it looks like a

bud blooming into aflower. This is also awarm-up piece to prepare the body for the next hours oftraditional Indian

danceperformance. Even though there is no obvious message communicated here,this can also be considered as an item where the artist salutes god, guru and the





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audience.

JatiswaramThis is also an item where the movements will not convey any meaning or theme.

Here the steps are more complex than the previous items. The composition canhave amazing postures and teermanas or muktayas (ending of a jati). This is a

musical composition set to a raga unlike alaripu which has only syllables.

ShabdaThis is a dance item with both nritta and abinaya. Usually the theme of the lyrics

will be devotional like praising lord Krishna, depicting Krishna's childhood,

praising a king etc.The movements here are leisurely. In the Sabdam, emotions arewithheld at the beginning; thereafter, when the dancer has clarified herself, they

are released in a measured and disciplined manner. It is after, mastering this

discipline that she dances the Varnam which is a living river that holds togethermovement and interpretation.

VarnamThis is the item where the traditional Indian dancers are tested for their capacityto perform both abinaya and nritta. This can be treated as a benchmark to judge theartist's talent.The item will contain many complex steps and will have lot of room

for expressions also. To perform this item one should have lot of stamina and

concentration. The lyrics can be devotional, praising a king etc. Varna can alsohave shrigara rasa as its theme.



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PadamIn this dance item the dancer's

abhinaya is put into test. Itnarrates expression of divine love

or pangs of seperation in love.

The tempo is slow and theperformance is based on a specificmood of love.Padams will

haveNayaka (Hero, Supremelover, Divine

Lord)andNayika (Heroine, the

yearning soul). Heroine will talk

to her friend (sakhi) and narrateher feelings towards her hero.

The traditional Indiandance lyrics can be about how the

hero has betrayed, how he hasdelayed his arrival, how she isangry with her beloved hero etc.

AshtapadiThese are poet Jayadeva's Sanskrit compositions called Geetagovinda, an

extremely romantic composition. It describes the love of Krishna and Radha in

twelve cantos containing 24 songs. The songs are sung by Krishna or Radha or byRadha's maid. Each Canto is named differently considering Krishna's status of

mind.

Saamodadamodara - Joyful KrishnaAakleshakeshava - CarelessKrishnaMugdhamadhusoodhana - Bewildered

Krishna Snigdhamadhusoodhana - TenderKrishna Saakankshapundareekaksha - Longing KrishnaKuntavaikunta -

Indolent KrishnaNaagaranaaraayana - CunningKrishnaVilakshalakshmeepatihi - Abashed KrishnaMandamukunda -Languishing Krishna Chaturachaturbhuja - IntelligentKrishna Saanandadamodara - Blissful Krishna

Supreetapeetambara - Ecstatic KrishnaExpressions are given foremost importance while performing these poems. Needs

lot of grace. The traditional Indian dancer should be mature enough to

understand the lyrics and the situation to show the rasas.

DevaranamaThis item is a devotional piece where the lyrics are in praise of god, describing the

indian dance



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god etc. This is a pure abhinaya item with almost no emphasis on nritta. Thesesongs are the traditional Indian dance compositions of great mystics

like Purandharadaasa, Kanakadaasa, Vijayadaasa, Vyasaraaja to name a few.Thetraditional Indian dance compositions are popularly known asDaasa

Sahitya. It is a devotional literatures written in simple language understood bycommon man. It has made remarkable contribution to the spiritual and cultural

upliftment of people by preaching phylosophy of Love, Devotion and Peaceful Co-

Existance.

TillanaThis is usually the last item in any traditional Indian dance performance. Tillana

is full of complicated movements and postures. This will also havecomplicatedMuktayas or Sholkattu, ending of any step or aduvu. This is mainly a

nritta piece which might have a charana, a meaningfull lyrics for which abinaya is

shown.

MangalaMeaning ending the performance. Here the traditional Indian dancer of

Bharatanatyam will again salute god, guru and the audience for making theperformance a success.

A traditional Indian dance of Bharatanatyam recital resembles the structure of a

Hindu temple: first, one passes through the gopuram (outer gate) of alarippu, then

one crosses the ardhamandapam (midway hall) of jatiswaram, next the mandapam

(great hall of worship) of sabdam and enter the heart of the temple in the varnam.

indian traditional dance

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