Bharatanatyam, Tamil Nadu (Southern India)

Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu in southern India has grown out of the art of
dancers dedicated to temples, and was earlier known as Sadir or Dasi Attam. It is
the first of India's traditional dances to be refashioned as a theatre art and to be
exhibited widely both at home and abroad.
Bharatanatyam rests on principles of performance and an aesthetics set down in
classics such as Bharata's Natyashastra. It has a rich repertoire of songs in
Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit. The present-day format of a Bharatanatyam recital,
as well as a valuable part of its musical compositions, were created by the famed
‘Tanjore Quartet’ of the nineteenth century: the brothers Ponniah, Chinnaiah,
Sivanandam and Vadivelu. Bharatanatyam has a highly evolved language of
Nritta, abstract dance, and Nritya which unfolds the narrative. The themes have
a wide range spanning human and divine love, and are generally classed under
the rubric of shringara (romantic love) and Bhakti (devotion). The music of
Bharatanatyam belongs to the Carnatic system of southern India. The musicians
accompanying a dance recital include at least one vocalist, a Mridangam (drum)-
player, and a flutist or violinist or Veena (lute)-player. The group also includes a
Nattuvanar, or dance conductor, who recites the dance syllables as he plays a
pair of small bronze cymbals.
Manipuri Dance, Manipur (North-eastern India)
Manipuri dance, evolved in Manipur in north-eastern India, is anchored in the
Vaishnava faith of the Meiteis, or people of the Manipur valley. The temples of
Manipur are still among the principal staging venues of the dance. Therefore the
predominant theme of Manipuri dance is devotion, and the rich lore of Radha and
Krishna lends it episodic content. Over a period of centuries, the traditional art
has gone through various stages of development to become the sophisticated
theatre art it is today.
Manipuri dance is introverted and restrained compared to most other dances of
India – the artist never establishes eye contact with the audience. The
movements are circular and continuous, each merging into the other. Mudras or
hand-gestures are subtly absorbed in the flow of the movement overall. The
facial expression is subdued and never exaggerated. These features are evident
even in the more vigorous masculine dances.
Jagoi and cholom are the two main divisions in Manipur’s dance, the one gentle
and the other vigorous, corresponding to the lasya and tandava elements
described in Sanskrit literature. They constitute independent streams and an
artist spends a lifetime perfecting any form within the spectrum. The jagoi
element is predominant in Ras Leela and similar votive performances. In such
dances the legs are bent and the knees held close together. This helps the feet
land softly on the ground and lends a floating swing to the movements. The
footwork is never audible as in several other dances of India, where it is often
used to mark the rhythm. The Pung, a drum, and flute are the principal
instruments used in Manipuri dance.
Kathak (Northern India)
Kathak is the principal dance of northern India, and is widely practised in Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and even parts of western and
eastern India today. It is believed to be connected with the narrative art of
Kathakaras or story-tellers who have expounded the scriptures, the epics
Ramayana and Mahabharata, and puranic literature to the lay masses since
ancient times. Expanding and refining its movement and vocabulary of
expression, this art possibly transited to a courtly milieu in medieval India, and
achieved its finest flowering under Mughal rule. Later, in the nineteenth century,
the princely courts at Lucknow, Jaipur, Raigarh, and other places emerged as
leading centres of Kathak dance. During the twentieth century, as training and
practice of Kathak increasingly received the support of public institutions,
choreographic work involving groups of dancers has claimed more space in
Kathak practice. Kathak's thematic content today straddles various worlds, even
though the lore of Krishna still has a special place in its repertoire. Kathak is
characterized stylistically by its footwork and pirouettes, and is pre-eminently a
dance of rhythm-play. A recital opens with an amad and moves on to that, Gat
Nikas, paran and tatkar, segments that offer scope for dance to varying rhythms
and tempos, and both abstract and expressive dance. The music of traditional
Kathak consists of the Thumri and other lyrical song-forms, and the essential
musical instruments are the Tabla, Pakhawaj, and Sarangi. The sitar and other
plucked strings are also associated with Kathak performed today.
The Thumri is a popular genre of Hindustani music characterized by a lyricism
that gives expression to various shades of romantic love. It acquired a special
connection with Kathak dance in the court of Wajid Ali Shah at Lucknow in the
nineteenth century. Typically, a Thumri has a short text of two to four lines which
are repeated sometimes using a sthayi-antara form. The singer extracts and
projects new shades of meaning from the reiteration of each line of text by vocal
inflections and melody changes—a process known as bol banana. The Thumri is
highly ornamented, employing melodic filigree and tiny turns of voice (murki)
and shakes. It is usually set to a slow tala, with
occasional lively drum interludes called laggis. There are several different styles
of singing thumri, the most prominent being the Punjabi, Purabi (of Lucknow),
and Benaras styles.
Odissi Dance, Orissa (Eastern India)
Odissi dance has its origins in Orissa in eastern India, where in its rudimentary
form it was performed as part of temple service by ‘maharis’ or female temple
servants. The traditional dance was remoulded as a theatre art towards the
middle of the twentieth century with reference not only to the existing dance art,
but representation of dance in Orissa’s medieval sculpture, painting, and
literature. In its remodelled form, Odissi dance has spread quickly across the
country. The Vaishnava faith of Orissa is intrinsic to Odissi dance and the lore of
Krishna and Radha supplies its content. Love lyrics from Jayadeva's Sanskrit work
Gitagovindam therefore have pride of place on the Odissi dance repertoire,
together with songs in Oriya by medieval and early modern poets such as
Upendra Bhanja and Banamali Das. These are interpreted by the dancer
employing a grammar of hand-gestures of hastas. Codified footwork of ‘Pada
bheda’, gaits and walks termed ‘chalis’, and spins or ‘bhramaris’ are other
components of the technique of Odissi dance. Recreated as it has been partly
from sculptural representation of dance, Odissi in its performance appears
sculpturesque, particularly in its serpentine ‘tribhangi-s’ or the firm, square
stance called chowk. The movements are soft and graceful. The dancer is
supported by a singer, a drummer who plays the Pakhawaj, flute and Sitar. The
dance conductor also sits with the musicians reciting the rhythmic syllables and
keeping time with his cymbals.
Kathakali
Kathakali or ‘story play’ took shape in Kerala in southern India in the seventeenth
century under the patronage of the prince of Karnataka, who wrote plays for
performance drawn from the epic Ramayana in Malayalam, the language of the
region. Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata provide the content of most
Kathakali plays, which have come down to us in a steady stream over three
centuries.
Kathakali categorizes its characters according to their nature and employs make-
up and costume to build them up as symbolic personalities. The faces of actors
are painted according to the type of character they represent – green for heroes,
kings, and divinities, red and black for the evil and fierce, etc. The main feature
of the costume is a large, billowing skirt for male characters and various
elaborate headdresses
The actor’s performance in a Kathakali plays is completely speechless: the
‘libretto’ is sung by two singers on the stage who keep time on gong and
cymbals, while a pair of drummers also on the stage play the Chenda. The story
is enacted using a vocabulary of facial expressions and hand-gestures.
A traditional performance of Kathakali starts in the evening after preliminaries
that include an invocatory drumming on the Maddalam, and concludes only at
daybreak. Though earlier only one play was enacted through the might, today
select scenes from two or three plays are presented.
Mohiniattam
Mohiniattam, which belongs to Kerala in southern India, takes its name from the
mythic enchantress Mohini. It is dance of feminine grace, and has grown out of
performances connected with Kerala’s temples.
The prince Swati Tirunal of Travancore, a patron of arts and an artist himself, was
one of the chief architects of the dance in the nineteenth century and composed
a large repertoire of songs which accompany the performance. Characterized as
it is by femininity, Mohiniattam has no heavy steps or rhythmic tension: the
footwork is gentle, soft, and sliding. The dancer’s body rises and falls with an
easy grace, with the emphasis mainly on the torso. Restraint in movement is the
hallmark of the dance.
Mohiniattam uses rhythms that are special to Kerala: the rhythmic syllables used
are those of the Maddalam, a drum which provides accompaniment for female
roles in the Kathakali theatre. The main percussion instruments in the
performance are the Edakka. The other musical instruments are the Mridangam,
the Veena, the Flute, and the Kuzhitalam or Cymbals. The oscillations in the
melody accord with the movements in the dance.
Kuchipudi (Southern India)
Kuchipudi, one of the major dance forms of India was originated from Andhra
Pradesh, where it grew largely as a product of Bhakti movement beginning in the
7th Century AD. Kuchipudi derives its name from the village Kuchelapuram,
where it was nurtured by great scholars and artists who built up the repertoire
and refined the dance technique. The Kuchipudi is a dance-drama of Nritta,
Nritya and Natya. The Nritta consists of teermanams and jatis, the Nritya of
Sabdams, and the Natya of acting with Mudras for the songs. Nritta encompasses
steps and movements in the form of patterns of dance which, though ornate in
themselves, have no meaning to convey.
Kuchipudi, combines speech, Abhinaya (mime) and pure dance. The Kuchipudi
dancer is a multiple person on the stage and this multiplicity is achieved by the
swift change of mime which depends more on the combination of the naturalism
of the dramatic content and the symbolism of the poetic intensity of feeling of an
episode. The consequence of this is the emphasis laid on the dynamics of
movement and expressionism of feeling.
Kuchipudi dance is accompanied by Carnatic Music. Kuchipudi today is performed
either as a solo, duet or a group presentation, but historically it was performed
as a dance drama, with several dancers taking different roles.
Sattriya Dance
‘Sattriya dance’ refers to the body of dance and danced drama developed in the
sattras or monasteries of Assam since the sixteenth century, when the Vaishnava
faith propagated by the saint and reformer Shankaradeva (1449-1586) swept the
land. It is a distinct genre within the fold of classical Indian dance, with an
evolved language of hand gesture (hasta), footwork (pada karma), movement
and expression (Nritta and Abhinaya), and a repertoire centered on devotion to
Krishna.
Since the latter part of the twentieth century, when this monastic art was
embraced by artists outside the sattras, Sattriya dance has been practised also
as a modern theatre art. On the stage today, an artist presents a programme
adapted from the traditional repertoire, sometimes supplemented with new
choreography. Typically, it may start with an invocation to the deity, Krishna or
Rama, followed by the dance of the sutradhar, the conductor of performances in
the sattra. The dancer may then present a mix of pure dance and abhinaya
based upon the vast literature of the sattras, the items chosen to give full play to
her accomplishment in these departments of the dance. Ramdani, Chali, Mela
Nach and Jhumura offer scope for Nritta, while abhinaya may be explored in the
form of Geetar Nach. Group dances are also common in traditional and modern
Sattriya dance, and these may be prefaced with a brief musical ‘interlude’ on
drums, the Gayan Bayan, performed by a group of musicians. Entirely original
dance dramas in the mould of the traditional Sattriya dance are also presented
on the stage today. The musical component of the dance is rich and varied in its
rhythmic, melodic, and lyrical aspects.
Chhau (Eastern India)
The Chhau dance of Eastern India -- Orissa, Jharkhand, and West Bengal – is a
blend of martial traditions, temple rituals, and folk and popular performance of
this region. episodes from the epics Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas,
traditional folklore, local legends and abstract themes through the medium of
dance and a music ensemble that consists primarily of indigenous drums. In its
traditional context, the dance is intimately connected with the festivals and
rituals of this region. Important among these is the Chaitra Parva celebrated in
the month of April. The month of Chaitra celebrates the advent of spring and the
start of the harvesting season. The melody is interwoven and is provided by reed
pipes like the Mohuri, Turi-Bheri and Shehnai. Though vocal music is not used in
Chhau, the melodies are based on songs from the Jhumur folk repertoire, the
devotional Kirtan, classical Hindustani 'ragas', and traditional Oriya sources.
Dhol, Dhumsa, Nagada, Chadchadi and Jhanj provide accompaniment to Chhau
dance.