As the story goes in Bharata’s Natya Shastra, when Lord Brahma was requested by the Gods to create a pastime, he combined certain aspects of the four Vedas and created a fifth Veda known as Natya Veda. Natya is an amalgamation of dance, drama and music and included Pathya (words) from Rig Veda, Abhinaya (gestures) from Yajur Veda, Geet (music) from Sam Veda and Rasa (emotions) from Atharva Veda.

This highlights the divine importance attached to dance in the Indian cultural tradition. From Shiva’s tandava dance, which signifies the cycle of creation, preservation and destruction, to the feminine response of Parvati, Indian mythology is replete with examples of dance forms and expressions. Similarly, the engravings of community dancing at Bhimbetka and the sculpture of Bronze dancing girl of the Harappan Civilisation highlights the importance of dance as means of social entertainment.

The first formal mention of dance is found in Bharata’s famous work Natyashastra which is a most comprehensive and vivid treatise on the various facets of Indian classical dance. The work was compiled probably between 200 BC and 200 AD and describes in detail the techniques, postures, emotions, ornaments, stage and even the audience. Bharata Muni describes dance as the ‘complete art’ encompassing within its scope all other forms of art – music, sculpture, poetry and drama.

ASPECTS OF DANCE

As per Natya Shastra, there are two basic aspects of Indian classical dance.

• Lasya – It denotes grace, bhava, rasa and abhinaya. It is symbolic to the feminine features of dance as an art form.

• Tandava – This is symbolic to the male aspects of dance and has more emphasis on rhythm and movement.

As per Abhinaya Darpan (5th–4th century BC), Nandikeshwara’s famous treatise on dance, an act has been broken into three basic elements:

• Nritta – It refers to the basic dance steps, performed rhythmically but devoid of any expression or mood.

• Natya - It means dramatic representations and refers to the story that is elaborated through the dance recital.

• Nritya - Nritya refers to the sentiment and the emotions evoked through dance. It includes the mime and the different methods of expression including mudras in the dance.

Nandikeshwara further elaborates the Nayaka-Nayika Bhav, in which the eternal deity is seen as the hero or Nayaka and the devotee who performs the dance is the heroine of the act, the Nayika. There are nine rasas or emotions that are expressed through the dance.

• Shringara for love

• Roudra for anger

• Bibhatsa for disgust

• Veera for heroism

• Shaant for peace and tranquillity

• Haasya for laughter and comedy

• Karuna for tragedy

• Bhayanak for horror

• Adbhuta for wonder

Fig. 6.1 : Prominent Mudras, involved in Indian dance forms depicting emotions.

These moods and expressions are emoted through the use of mudras - a combination of hand gestures and body postures. There are 108 fundamental mudras, a combination of which is used to depict a particular emotion.

INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE FORMS

Distinct styles of dance have evolved in different regions of India, each with their own specific nuances. However, all these dance forms are governed by the basic rules and guidelines laid down in the Natya Shastra, the principal rule being that true transfer of knowledge can only come through a guru. The guru passes on the knowledge of the different traditions - sampradayas - onto the disciple. This ‘guru-shishya parampara’ forms the core of Indian classical art form.

Presently, as per Sangeet Natak Akademi, there exists eight classical dance forms in India, which include Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak and Sattriya.

Bharatnatyam

Oldest among all classical dance forms, Bharatnatyam derives its name from Bharata Muni and ‘natyam’ which means dance in Tamil. However, other scholars have ascribed the name ‘Bharata’ to ‘Bhava’, ‘Raga’ and ‘Taal’.

The origins of this dance form can be traced back to ‘Sadir’ – the solo dance performance of the temple dancers or devadasis’ in Tamil Nadu, hence it was also referred to as ‘Dashiattam’.

With the decline of the Devadasi system, the art too became nearly extinct. However, the efforts of E. Krishna Iyer, a prominent freedom fighter, revived this dance form. Previously, this dance form was performed by solo female dancers; it has since become increasingly popular among male and group artists as well. Rukmini Devi Arundale, another famous proponent of Bharatnatyam, is remembered for giving global recognition to the dance.

In the early 19th century, four dance teachers of Thanjavur defined the elements of a Bharatnatyam recital. They are:

• Alarippu – It is an invocatory piece of performance which includes basic dance postures and is accompanied with rhythmic syllables. It is meant to seek the blessings of God.

• Jatiswaram – It is the Nritta component and is devoid of expressions, it includes the different poses and movements.

• Shabdam – It is the dramatic element with expressed words, which includes the abhinaya in the song. It is generally in praise of the glory of God.

• Varnam – It is the Nritya component. It is a combination of dance and emotions, and is the most important part of the whole performance. It is synchronised with tala and raag, to express the story.

• Padam – It refers to a mastery over the abhinaya (expression) of the spiritual message, by the artist. Music becomes light, dance becomes emotional.

• Jawali – These are short love-lyrics performed at a faster tempo.

• Thillana – It is the concluding stage of the performance, and comprises pure dance (Nritta) with exuberant movement and intricate rhythmic variations.

The four Thanjavur teachers, known as the ‘Tanjore quartet’, are Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Vadivelu and Shivanandam. Under them, Bharatnatyam also came to be known as Tanjore Natyam.

• Bharatnatyam is often referred to as the ‘fire dance’, as it is the manifestation of fire in the human body. Most of the movements in Bharatnatyam resemble to that of a dancing flame.

• In this dance form, equal emphasis is given on both the Tandava and Lasya aspects of dance, with major emphasis on ‘mudras’.

• One of the principal mudras is ‘Katakamukha Hasta’ in which three fingers are joined to symbolise ‘Om’.

• In a Bharatnatyam recital, the knees are mostly bent and the weight is equally distributed across both the feet.

• It is also characterised by the ‘Ekcharya lasyam’ style Fig. 6.3: Katakamukha hasta in which one dancer plays many different roles.

Famous proponents: Yamini Krishnamurthy, Lakshmi Viswanathan, Padma Subramaniam, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Mallika Sarabhai, etc.

Kuchipudi

Originally performed by group of actors going from village to village, known as Kusselavas, Kuchipudi derives its name from the village of Kusselavapuri or Kuchelapuram in Andhra. In 17th century, Siddhendra Yogi formalised and systematised the tradition. He authored ‘Bhama Kalapam’ and many other plays.

With the advent of Vaishnavism, the dance form became a monopoly of the male Brahmins and began to be performed at temples. Stories of Bhagavat purana became a central theme of the recitals, and the dancers came to be known as Bhagavathalus. The dance form gained prominence under the patronage of the Vijayanagara and Golconda rulers.

However, it remained confined to villages and remained obscure till the advent of 20th century, when Balasaraswati and Ragini Devi revived this dance form. Lakshminarayan Sastri, in early 20th century, brought in new practices such as solo recitals and female participation.

Some of the features of Kuchipudi dance are:

• It involves difficult foot movements, and is generally a team performance.

• Most of the Kuchipudi recitals are based on stories of Bhagwata purana but have a secular theme. There is a predominance of Shringara ras.

• Each principal character introduces itself on the stage with a “daaru”, which is a small composition of dance and song, specifically choreographed for the revelation of each character.

• The dance involves all three components of classical dances: Nritta, Natya and Nritya. It is similar to Bharatnatyam but has its own features.

• The performance has:

❖ Sollakath or Patakshara: The Nritta part, where movement of the body is made.

❖ Kavutvams: The Nritya part which involves extensive acrobatics. It may also be performed as Nritta

• The Kuchipudi dance style is a manifestation of the earthly elements in the human body.

• In a Kuchipudi recital, the dancer may combine the role of a singer into himself/ herself as well. Hence, it becomes a drance-drama performance.

• Both Lasya and Tandava elements are important in the Kuchipudi dance form.

• Apart from group performances, there are some popular solo elements in Kuchipudi as well. Some of them are:

❖ Manduk Shabdam – Tells the story of a frog.

❖ Tarangam – The dancer performs with his/her feet on the edges of a brass plate and balancing a pot of water on the head or a set of diyas.

❖ Jala Chitra Nrityam – In this item, the dancer draws pictures on the floor with his or her toes while dancing.

• A Kuchipudi recital is generally accompanied with Carnatic music; Violin and Mridgangam being the principal instruments. The recital is in Telugu language.

Famous proponents: Radha Reddy and Raja Reddy, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Indrani Rahman, etc.

Kathakali

In the temples of Kerala, two forms of dance-drama, Ramanattam and Krishnattam, evolved under the patronage of feudal lords, narrating episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata. These folk drama traditions latter became the source of Kathakali, which derived its name from the words ‘Katha’ meaning story and ‘Kali’ meaning drama. It is closely related to Koodiyattam (Sanskrit drama tradition) and other ancient martial-arts performance also. It is a wonderful combination of music, dance and drama. However, with the breakdown of the feudal set up, Kathakali began declining as an art form. It was revived in the 1930s by the famous Malayali poet V. N. Menon under the patronage of Mukunda Raja.

Some of the features of Kathakali dance are:

• Kathakali is generally an all-male troupe performance.

• There is minimal use of props in the Kathakali recital. However, very elaborate facial make up along with a head gear is used for different characters. Different colours have their own significance:

❖ Green indicates nobility, divinity and virtue.

❖ Red patches beside the nose indicate royalty.

❖ Black colour is used to indicate evil and wickedness.

❖ Yellow colour is for saints and women.

❖ Completely Red painted face indicates evil

❖ White beard indicates beings with higher consciousness and divinity.

• It involves both dance and drama and the two cannot be clearly separated.

• Most of the Kathakali recitals are a grand representation of the eternal conflict between good and evil. It draws its themes from the stories narrated in the epics and the puranas. It is also called as the ‘ballad of the east’.

• The language used for Kathakali songs is Manipravalam, i.e., a mixture of Malayalam and Sanskrit.

• Music is important to rightfully convey the entire drama to the viewers. Different compositions of music are used during performance to give depth to the drama.

• Gestures are perhaps the crown jewel of the entire dance-drama. Kathakali is remarkable in the representation of the rasas through movements of eye and eye brows, through which the story is conveyed. Nine important facial expressions called ‘Navarasas’ are taught to convey the different emotions. Extensive hand gestures are also used. Therefore, this dance form calls for strenuous training.

• Kathakali is generally performed in open air theatres covered with coarse mats or temple premises with lush green trees of Kerala providing a backdrop. A brass lamp is used for lighting.

• The arrival of dawn, accompanied with a continuous sound of drums, chhenda and maddala marks the beginning and end of a Kathakali recital.

• Kathakali symbolises the element of sky or ether.

Famous proponents: Guru Kunchu Kurup, Gopi Nath, Kottakal Sivaraman, Rita Ganguly, etc.

Mohiniattam

Mohiniattam or the Dance of an Enchantress (‘Mohini’ meaning beautiful woman and ‘attam’ means dance), is essentially a solo dance performance by women that was further developed by Vadivelu in 19th century and gained prominence under the rulers of Travancore in the present State of Kerala. The patronage of Swathi Thirunal (the Travancore ruler in 19th century) is notable. After it had fallen to obscurity, the famous Malayali poet V. N. Menon revied it along with Kalyani Amma.

Some of the features of Mohiniattam are:

• Mohiniattam combines the grace and elegance of Bharatnatyam with the vigour of Kathakali. There is a marked absence of thumping of footsteps and the footwork is gentle.

• Mohiniattam generally narrates the story of the feminine dance of Vishnu.

• It has its own Nritta and Nritya aspects like that of other classical dances.

• The Lasya aspect (beauty and grace) of dance is dominant in a Mohiniattam recital. Hence, it is mainly performed by female dancers.

• The dance is accompanied by music and songs.

• Costume is of special importance in Mohiniattam, with white and offwhite being the principal colours and presence of gold coloured brocade designs. There is no elaborate facial make-up. The dancer wears a leather strap with bells (Ghungroo) on her ankles.

• The element of air is symbolised through a Mohiniattam performance.

• ‘Atavakul or Atavus’ is the collection of 40 basic dance movements.

• Musical instruments used are: cymbals, veena, drums, flute, etc.

Famous proponents: Sunanda Nair, Kalamandalam Kshemavathy, Madhuri Amma, Jayaprabha Menon, etc.

Odissi

The caves of Udayagiri-Khandagiri provide some of the earliest examples of Odissi dance. The dance form derives its name from the ‘Odra nritya’ mentioned in Natya Shastra. It was primarily practised by the ‘maharis’ and patronised by the Jain King Kheravela.

With the advent of Vaishnavism in the region, the Mahari system became defunct. Instead, young boys were recruited and dressed as females to continue the art form. They came to be known as ‘Gotipuas’. Another variant of this art, ‘Nartala’ continued to be practised at the royal courts.

In the mid-20th century, Odissi gained international acclaim due to the efforts of Charles Fabri and Indrani Rahman. Some of the features of Odissi are:

• It is similar to Bharatnatyam in the use of Mudras and postures to express emotions.

• The tribhanga posture, i.e. the three-bended form of the body is innate to Odissi dance form. Also the ‘Chowk’ posture with hands spread out depicts masculinity.

• During the dance, the lower body remains largely static and there is movement of the torso. Hand gestures play an important role to convey expressions during Nritya part.

• Odissi dance form is unique in its representation of gracefulness, sensuality and beauty. The dancers create intricate geometrical shapes and patterns with the body. Hence, it is known as ‘mobile sculpture’.

• The elements of Odissi dance form include:

❖ Mangalacharan or the beginning where a flower is offered to mother earth.

❖ Batu nritya comprising of the dance. It has the Tribhanga and the Chowk postures. ❖ Pallavi which includes the facial expressions and the representation of the song.

❖ Tharijham consisting of pure dance before the conclusion.

❖ The concluding item is of two types. Moksha includes joyous movements signifying liberation. Trikhanda majura is another way of concluding, in which the performer takes leave from the gods, the audience and the stage.

• Odissi dance is accompanied by Hindustani classical music and instruments generally used are Manjira (Cymbals), Pakhawaj (Drums), Sitar, Flute, etc.

• The dance form symbolises the element of water.

• The lyrics of Gita Govinda, written by Jayadeva, is used along with compositions of some local poets.

• The woman dancer wears an elaborate hair-style, silver jewellery, long necklace, etc.

Famous proponents: Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra, Sonal Mansingh, Sharon Lowen (USA), Anandini Dasi (Argentina).

Manipuri

Manipuri dance form finds its mythological origin to the celestial dance of Shiva and Parvati in the valleys of Manipur along with the local ‘Gandharvas’. The dance gained prominence with the advent of Vaishnavism in 15th century. Krishna became the central theme of this dance form. It is performed generally by females.

In the modern times, Raja Bhag Chandra of Manipur in 18th century tried to revive Manipuri dance. Rabindranath Tagore brought back the dance form into limelight when he introduced it in Shantiniketan (West Bengal).

Some of the features of Manipuri dance are as follows:

• Manipuri dance is unique in its emphasis on devotion and not sensuality.

• The faces are covered with a thin veil and facial expression is of lesser importance, Hand gestures and gentle movement of feet are important.

• While the dance incorporates both Tandava and Lasya, emphasis is laid on the latter.

• The females wear unique long skirts. The focus is mainly on slow and gracious movements of hand and knee positions.

• Nagabandha mudra, in which the body is connected through curves in the shape of ‘8’ is an important posture in Manipuri dance form.

• Ras Leela (Radha-Krishna love story) is a recurring theme of the Manipuri dance recital.

• The drum – pung – is an intricate element of the recital. Flute, Khartals (wood clapper), dhols, etc. also accompany music. Compositions of Jayadeva and Chandidas are used extensively.

• Thang-Ta and Sankirtana are also influenced by Manipuri dance.

Famous proponents: Jhaveri sisters- Nayana, Suverna, Ranjana and Darshana, Guru Bipin Singha, N Madhabi Devi, etc.

Kathak

Tracing its origins from the Ras Leela of Brajbhoomi, Kathak is the traditional dance form of Uttar Pradesh. Kathak derived its name from the ‘Kathika’ or the story-tellers who recited verses from the epics, with gestures and music.

During the Mughal era, the dance form degenerated into lascivious style and branched off into court dance. It was also influenced by Persian costumes and styles of dancing. The classical style of Kathak was revived by Lady Leela Sokhey in the 20th century.

Some of the features of Kathak are:

• An important feature of Kathak is the development of different gharanas as it is based on Hindustani style of music:

❖ Lucknow: Reached its peak under the reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. It puts more importance on expression and grace.

❖ Jaipur: Initiated by Bhanuji, it emphasised fluency, speed and long rhythmic patterns.

❖ Raigarh: It developed under the patronage of Raja Chakradhar Singh. It is unique in its emphasis on percussion music.

❖ Banaras: It developed under Janakiprasad. It sees a greater use of floor and lays special emphasis on symmetry.

• Kathak dance form is characterised by the use of intricate footworks and pirouettes.

• The elements of a Kathak recital are:

❖ Ananda or the introductory item through which the dancer enters the stage.

❖ Thaat comprising soft and varied movements.

❖ Todas and Tukdas are small pieces of fast rhythm.

❖ Jugalbandi is the main attraction of kathak recital which shows a competitive play between the dancer and the tabla player.

❖ Padhant is a special feature in which the dancer recites complicated bols and demonstrates them.

❖ Tarana is similar to thillana, which comprises of pure rhythmic movements before the end.

❖ Kramalaya is the concluding piece comprising of intricate and fast footwork.

❖ Gat bhaav is dance without any music or chanting. This is used to outline different mythological episodes.

• Kathak is generally accompanied with dhrupad music. Taranas, thumris and ghazals were also introduced during the Mughal period.

Famous proponents: Birju Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Damayanti Joshi, etc.

Sattriya

Sattriya dance in modern-form was introduced by the Vaishnava Saint Sankaradeva in the 15th century AD in Assam. The art form derives its name from the Vaishnava monasteries known as ‘Sattras’, where it was primarily practised. It finds mention in the ancient text ‘Natya Shastra’ of sage Bharat Muni. It is inspired from Bhakti Movement.

Some of the features of Sattriya dance include:

• The dance form was an amalgamation of various dance forms prevalent in Assam, mainly Ojapali and Devdasi.

• The focus of the Sattriya recitals is to own the devotional aspect of dance and narrates mythological stories of Vishnu.

• Sattriya dance also includes Nritta, Nritya and Natya.

• The dance is generally performed in group by male monks known as ‘Bhokots’ as part of their daily rituals or even on festivals.

• Khol (drum), Cymbals (Manjira) and Flute form the major accompanying instruments of this dance form. The songs are composition of Shankaradeva known as ‘Borgeets’.

• There is great emphasis on rhythmic syllables and dance postures along with footwork. It combines both Lasya and Tandava elements.

• The Sattriya dance tradition has strictly laid down rules in respect of hand gestures and footwork, and it plays a very important role.

• Costumes worn by male dancers are Dhoti, and ‘Paguri’ (turban). While, females wear traditional Assamese jewellery, ‘Ghuri’ and ‘Chador’ made in Pat silk. Waist cloth is worn by both men and women.

• In the modern times, Sattriya dance has evolved into two separate streams – the Gayan-Bhayanar Nach and the Kharmanar Nach.

• Ankia Naat: a type of Sattriya, it involves play or musical-drama. It was originally written in Assamese-Maithili mix language called Brajavali. Another similar form is ‘Bhaona’, which is based on stories of Lord Krishna.

Please Note: Till now, Sangeet Natak Akademi has recognised eight classical dance forms whereas the Ministry of Culture has recognised nine classical dance forms including Chhau.

FOLK DANCES OF INDIA

The multitude of folklore, legends and myth prevalent in various parts of India, combined with local song and dance traditions, results in a rich mix of composite art. The folk dance forms are generally spontaneous, crude and performed by the masses without any formal training. This simplicity gives the art form an inherent beauty. However, these art forms have remained confined to a certain sect of people or at a particular locality, to whom the knowledge has been passed down the ages. Some of the well known folk dances of India are:

Chhau

The word Chhau originates from ‘Chhaya’ meaning shadow. It is a form of mask dance that uses vigourous martial movements to narrate mythological stories. Some narrations also use natural themes such as Sarpa nritya (serpent dance) or Mayur nritya (peacock dance).

There are three main styles of Chhau dance – Saraikella Chhau in Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj Chhau in Odisha and Purulia Chhau in West Bengal. Of these, Mayurbhanj Chhau artists do not wear masks. In 2010, UNESCO inscribed Chhau in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Garba

Garba is a popular folk dance of Gujarat, held at the time of Navratra. Garba actually refers to “Garbha deep” - an earthen pot with holes, in which a lamp is lit and women dance around it in circular movements with rhythmic clapping.

Dandiya Raas

It is an energetic, lively dance form in which polished sticks or dandiyas are used. It represents a mock fight between Durga and Mahishasura.

Tarangamel

It is the folk dance of Goa that celebrates the youthfulness of the region. It is performed during Dussehra and Holi. The use of rainbow-like costumes with multi coloured flags and streamers make it a visual spectacle.

Ghoomar or Gangore

It is a traditional folk dance performed by the women of the Bhil tribe in Rajasthan. It is characterised by the pirouetting movements of the women, which brings into prominence the multi-coloured vibrancies of the flowing Ghaghra.

Kalbelia

It is a sensuous folk dance performed by the women of the Kalbelia Community of Rajasthan. The costumes and dance movement are similar to that of the serpents. ‘Been’ (wind instrument played by snake charmers) is the popular musical instrument of this dance form. UNESCO has inscribed Kalbelia folk songs and dances in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Charba

It is the popular folk dance of Himachal Pradesh, performed during the Dussehra festivities.

Bhangra/Giddha

Bhangra is the highly energetic folk dance of Punjab. Accompanied with infectious and catchy drum beats, it is a popular form of celebration during festivities. Giddha is the female counterpart of the male Bhangra.

Dadra

It is the semi-classical form of dance popular in Uttar Pradesh, accompanied by the music of the same style. It was extremely popular among the courtesans of the Lucknow region.

Jawara

Jawara is the harvest dance popular in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. The dance, which includes balancing a basket full of jawar on the head, is accompanied by heavy instrumental music.

Matki

Matki is performed by the women of Malwa region on the occasions of wedding and other festivities. It is mainly performed solo, while balancing a number of earthen pots on the head. Aada and Khada Nach are popular variants of the Matki dance.

Gaur Muria (Bison horn)

Gaur Muria is an important ritualistic dance form of the Muria tribes who live in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. The dance imitates the movements of a bison and is performed in group by both men and women.

Alkap

Alkap is a rural dance-drama performance prevalent in the Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand and Murshidabad and Malda regions of West Bengal. It is performed by troops of 10-12 dancers, accompanied by one or two lead singers known as gayens. The troops perform popular folk lore and mythological stories, in which the dance is interspersed with comical sketches known as kap. The dance is generally associated with the Gajan festival of Shiva.

Biraha

Biraha dance along with its variant, Bidesia, is a popular form of entertainment in rural Bihar. It is a portrayal of the pain of the women, whose partners are away from home. However, this dance form is practised solely by males, who play the role of female characters as well.

Paika

Paika is a martial folk dance performed in the Southern parts of Odisha. Paika is a form of long spear. The dancers are armed with wooden spears and shields, and show off their skills and agility in infantry like formations. It has a martial arts character. The word Paika signifies battle.

Bagurumba

Bagurumba is a folk dance performed by the Bodo tribe of Assam and is related to nature and environment. Musical instruments that accompany Bagurumba performance are Sifung, Kham, Serja, etc.

Jat-Jatin

Jat-Jatin is popular in the Northern parts of Bihar, especially in the regions of Mithila. This dance form is unique in its representation of the tender love and quarrel of a married couple.

Jhumair

Jhumair is a popular harvest dance, performed by the tribal people of Jharkhand and Odisha. It has two variations – Janani Jhumair, performed by women and Mardana Jhumair, performed by men. It is a major attraction at many fairs and festivals.

Danda-Jatra

The Danda Nata or the Danda Jatra is one of the oldest folk art of India. Mainly popular in Odisha, it is a unique blend of dance, drama and music. While it mainly narrates stories and lore about Shiva, the theme is generally social harmony and brotherhood.

Bihu

Bihu is the popular dance of Assam, performed in group by both men and women. The dancers are dressed in colourful traditional dresses to celebrate the pomp and gaiety. The dance performance includes group formations, rapid hand movements and brisk footsteps.

Thang Ta

Thang Ta is the exclusive martial dance form of Manipur. Thang means sword and Ta means spear. The dance performance is a unique display of skill, creativity and agility in which the performers enact a mock fight sequence – leaping to attack and defend.

Rangma

The Rangma is the war dance of the Nagas. Dressed in colourful costumes, jewellery and colourful headgears, the dancers enact mock war formations and traditions.

Singhi Chham

The Singhi Chham is a popular mask dance of Sikkim. The dancers are dressed in furry lion costumes symbolising the snow lion and pay tribute to Khang-Chen Dzong Pa (Kanchenjunga Peak).

Kummi

Kummi is a popular folk dance in the region of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The dance is performed by the women, standing in a circular formation. A unique feature of the dance performance is the absence of any accompanying music. The beats are generated by the rhythmic clapping. The dance is generally performed during Pongal and other religious festivities. Kolattam and Pinnal Kolattam are close variants of this dance form.

Mayilattam

Mayilattam is a folk dance of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in which young girls are dressed as peacocks, with colourful headgears, beaks and feathers. It is also known as peacock dance. Similar dances include Kaalai Attam (bull dance), Karadi Attam (bear dance), Aali Attam (demon dance), and Pampu Attam (snake dance).

Butta Bommalu

Butta Bommalu literally means basket toys and is a popular dance form of the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The dancers wear masks of different characters, resembling toy like shapes, and entertain through delicate movements and non-verbal music.

Kaikottikali

Kaikottikali is a popular temple dance of Kerala. It is performed by both men and women at the time of Onam to celebrate the rich harvest. Airukali and Tattamakali are similar forms of this dance.

Padayani

Padayani is a martial dance performed in the Bhagavati temples of Southern Kerala. Padayani literally means rows of infantry, and it is a very rich and colourful affair. The dancers wear huge masks known as kolams, and present interpretations of divine and semi divine narratives. Some of the popular characters are Bhairavi, Kalan (God of death), Yakshi and Pakshi, etc. It is performed to worship Goddess Kali.

Kolkali-Parichakali

It is a popular martial dance in the areas of Southern Kerala and Lakshwadeep. Kol means stick and Paricha means shield. The dancers use mock weapons made of wood and enact fight sequences. The performance starts at a slow pace, but slowly builds up the tempo and reaches climax in a frenzy.

Pata Kunitha

It is a popular dance form in the Mysore region. It is primarily a religious dance performed by men who use long bamboo poles decorated with colourful ribbons, known as pata The colourful exuberance makes it a visual spectacle and is extremely popular among the masses of all religion. Puja Kunitha is a variant of this dance form popular in the region around Bengaluru and Mandya districts.

Chakyar Koothu

It is an art form of Kerala. It is a solo performance, where the performer dresses himself as a snake. It is combination of prose and poetry, and is generally a narration in Malayalam. It has been traditionally performed by the Chakyar community (a priestly caste). The performer wears a colourful headgear, a large black moustache and red spots all over his body.

Jhoomar

It is performed by tribal Sikhs in Punjab and adjoining areas during the harvest season. It is performed in a circle. Movement of arms is the most important part, on the tune of the drums. Costumes are same as in Bhangra. It was carried to India by the traders from Balochistan.

Karma Naach

It is performed during the tribal festival of ‘Karma’ by many tribes of Eastern India especially in the Chota Nagpur Plateau. Dancers form circle and dance with arms around each other’s waist.

Raut Naach

Performed in Chhattisgarh by the Yadav community, especially during the festival of Diwali.

Dumhal

It is performed in Jammu and Kashmir by the Wattal tribe. It involves colourful costumes with a tall conical hat for men. Performers dance and sing to the drum beats.

Fugdi

It is performed in the Konkan region of Maharashtra and Goa during festivals by women. They dance in varied formations, mostly in circles or rows. It has many sub-types as per local customs.

Cheraw

It is a folk dance of Mizoram and is performed using bamboo sticks. It is likely to have a foreign origin. Men tap long pairs of bamboo in rhythmic beats, and girls dance to the beats of bamboo.

Dalkhai

Mostly performed during the festival of Dussehra in Odisha. It is performed by the tribes and many musical instruments are used. Events from Ramayana and Mahabharata, stories of Lord Krishna, etc. are represented. At the beginning and end of every stanza, a word signifying Girlfriend is used.

Hulivesha

Performed in Coastal Karnataka, Hulivesha involves male dancers painted like the tiger who dance and potray an angry tiger to honour Goddess Durga whose favourite animal is tiger. It is generally performed during Navaratri festival.

Tippani

Originating from Saurashtra region of Gujarat, it is performed exclusively by women who beat the floors with tippani (two long wooden stick joined by square wooden or iron block) on the beats of a folk song.

Garadi

It is a famous folk dance of Puducherry, and is performed to celebrate the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. The dancers distinguished as “Vanars” (Monkeys) celebrate this victory. Dancers wear 10 “Anjalis” (iron rings) on each of their legs.

Tera Tali

Performed by “Kamar” tribe of Rajasthan. Women sit on the ground while performing Tera Tali and cymbals (Manjiras) are tied to differents parts of the body of a performer, which is quite unique.

Hojagiri

A famous folk dance of Tripura, Hojagiri involves movement of only the lower-half of the body by a group of four to six women or young girls. It is performed during Lakshmi puja. The female dancers balance earthen pitchers as well as other props while dancing.

6 INDIAN DANCE FORMS

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BACKGROUND