Dance
Dance is a popular art form in India also and is inextricably linked to mythology and classical literature. Dance can be divided into two main forms: Classical and Folk. The classical dances of India have had a long history and have references in the great epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Dance formed an intrinsic part of worship in the temples of India.
The earliest work on dancing is the Natyasastra written around 200 BCE by Sage Bharata, which is a great exposition of Indian aesthetics on theatre, dance, music and drama. According to Natyasastra dancing is divided into three categories, Nritta (bhava or pure dance), Nritya (abhinaya or histrionic expression) and Natya (dramatic representation). Among the entire dance forms existing in India, Kutiyattam – the two millennia old art form is the oldest.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi has given eight dance forms the classical status. They are Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Satriya. Apart from the major classical dances, India has a rich heritage of folk and tribal dances. Folk dances are considered to be the expressions of rural India. Bihu from Assam, Yakshagana from Karnataka and Ghoomar Dance from Rajasthan are the most popular folk dances.
Kathakali
Kathakali, a colourful dance-drama originated in the Indian state of Kerala, is perhaps one of the most stylized performing art forms around the globe. Originated in 17th century, this art form repres Read more...
Kutiyattam
Kutiyattam is an artistic tradition that goes beyond 2000 years. It is the only ancient form of Sanskrit theatre, which has kept alive its vibrant tradition till date. Sometimes it takes 40 days t Read more...
Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam, the female classical solo dance of Kerala, is the dance of the Mohini, the celestial enchantress of Hindu mythology. The dance is based on ‘Hastha Lakhsana Deepika’, Read more...
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam, which originated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India, is one of the oldest classical dance forms of the country. It is based on ‘Natya Sasthra’ written by the s Read more...
Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi dance has originated from the village of Kuchelapuri or Kuchelapuram in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh and has a history of nearly two millennia. Since its origin, it has remaine Read more...
Kathak
Kathak is a classical dance from Northern India. During the 16th century, a group of male nomads known as Kathak as enacted the stories of Hindu mythology with a combination of songs, mime and dan Read more...
Manipuri
Manipuri, the classical dance of the North Eastern State of Manipur in India, is a graceful, peaceful and lyrical dance form. The prevalent ambience during a Manipuri performance is devotional Read more...
Odissi
Odissi is the classical dance form which originated in Orissa, an Eastern state in India. Like Bharatanatyam, this classical dance is also centuries old. This enchanting classical dance fo Read more...
Satriya
The dance Satriya has its origin in the island of Majuli, situated in the middle of the mighty Brahmaputra River in Assam, the northeastern state of India. This dance form was introduced by Sriman Read more...
Yakshagana
Yakshagana or the music of the celestial beings is a 400-year-old dance opera, hailing from the coastal strip of Karnataka in South India. This traditional theatre form selects an episode from R Read more...