Indian Classical Dance Forms

One of the most creative ways to express and communicate is through dance. And the best use of entire body to express every emotion in human psychology is seen in Indian classical dance forms. The intricacy, deep thoughtful actions and celebration of the universal truth is what attracts one to Indian classical dances. The colorful costumes, the larger than life expressions, gaiety, the finesse are all a part of Indian dance forms. The rich and varied heritage of India is showcased through its traditional dance forms. Each region boasts of a particular traditional Indian classical dance.

Dance is a form of art that uses the body as a medium to express the emotions. In India, this art form is taken rather seriously and has been performed since the ancient ages. It has influenced poetry, songs, ballads, architecture, theater, music, and every other form of art. It is not easy to perform these Indian classical dance styles. Years and years of practice is required to become a master of a particular dance form. The types of dances and different dancing styles is a form of life, as important as religion and a way to be near to God.

The Indian mythology shows that even the gods and goddess took delight in dance. The Tandava is a cosmic dance by Lord Shiva. It contains all the ideas of creation, preservation and destruction of life. It is said the Apsaras or maidens of heaven would perform dance for the divine gods. Lord Brahma, the creator himself, used words (pathya) from Rigveda, gesture (abhinaya) from the Yajurveda, music (geet) from the Samaveda and emotions and sentiments (rasa) from the Atharvaveda to form a new veda, called the Natyaveda. Thus, dance and drama came into existence.

The Indian classical dance styles are very sensual and contain all the ingredients that evoke emotions. There are nine emotions around which the Indian classical dance forms are structured. These nine emotions include happiness (hasya), anger (krodha), sorrow (shoka), fear (bhaya), disgust (bhibasta), compassion (karuna), wonder (adbhuta), serenity (shanta) and courage (viram). These emotions are expressed using hand gestures called mudras. Expressions and dance, are the compulsory elements in every dance style of India.

There are eight dance forms that are recognized by the Sangeet Natak Academy set up by the Government of India.

List of Indian Classical Dance Forms

Each of the Indian classical dance styles has its own elaborate costume, make up and way of dance. Let us go through these beautiful and culturally significant dance forms of India.

Bharata Natyam
State of Origin: Tamil Nadu
Bharata Natyam is the National Dance of India. The meaning of Bharata natyam is as follows: Bha means expression (bhava), Ra meaning melody (ragam), Ta means rhythm (talam) and natyam means dance. As you can see, not only is the name complex, but so is the dance. This authentic classical dance form dates back to more than 2000 years. As I explained earlier, Lord Brahma wrote the fifth veda. He asked sage 'Bharata' to spread it around. To complete this task, the sage wrote 'Natya Shastra' or the science of dance. He wrote it on palm leaves that are still preserved in the holy temples of Tamil Nadu. It was performed by Devdasis (temple dancers) of the temples. This dance is performed with Carnatric music and is said to be a fire dance. This is because it has the ability to spark the metaphysical element of fire in the body. When you look closely at a Bharata natyam dancer dancing, you will feel as if her body is a dancing flame.

Kathakali
State of Origin: Kerala
One of my favorite dance forms is Kathakali. This is not just a dance, but a dance drama that is performed to explain a story or a mythological episode. The meaning of the world Kathakali is 'Story-Play'. This dance involves a lot of eye and eyebrow movement. The dancers are adorned in an elaborate costume with colorful makeup. Scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and other ancient epic stories are enacted in this dance form. This dance is performed only by men and the female characters too are enacted by male performers. The music played for this dance is Carnatic and musical instruments include Chenda, Idakka, Shuddha Madalam, etc.

Kathak
State of Origin: Uttar Pradesh
Moving on towards North India, Kathak is a dance form that originated in the northern states. The word Kathak means story and it originated from a Sanskrit word, Katha. This dance requires a lot of fast foot work (tatkar), spinning (chakkar) and use of emotions (bhav) to explain the story. It was performed in many temples and has a bit of Persian influence of the Mughal rulers. The dance basically involves a lot of foot work and can move from slow to fast movements with dramatic endings.

Kuchipudi
State of Origin: Andra Pradesh
Kuchipudi is a dance form that gets its name from a village of the same name in Andra Pradesh, southern state of India. The dance involves speech, mime and pure dance. The dancer is supposed to have many personalities and change them on stage as the dance progresses. This is a dazzling dance that has many daring eye expressions. The footwork is very delicate as well as swift. When the dance is performed on a brass plate rim, it becomes a breathtaking scene to remember. Initially, only men performed this dance style. However, with time, even women have started performing Kuchipudi.

Manipuri
State of Origin: Manipur
The north-eastern state of India, Manipur presents the world with its beautiful Indian classic dance form of Manipuri. The dance is used to portray the stories of Hindu gods Radha Krisha. It involves many elegant, expressive and impressive movements. The movements are rounded and have no sharp cuts. The feet hit the floor softly like a feather, unlike other Indian dance forms where the dancers' feet hit the ground hard. Good footwork, delicate and graceful movements of the body as well as facial expressions complete a Manipuri performance. The musical instruments used include Pung, Pena, drums and flute.

Mohiniyattam
State of Origin: Kerala
Another Indian classical dance form from God's own country, Kerala, this is a very young dance form as compared to other classical dance forms of India. This is a sensual dance performed by women. The term Mohini means beautiful maiden who enchants an audience and Attam means dance. The central theme of the dance is devotion to God and love. There are 40 basic movements of this dance. The dancer uses her eyes to enchant the mind and hand gestures are used to communicate.

Odissi
State of Origin: Orissa
The oldest dance form of India is Odissi that is said to have originated way back in 2200 BC. The dance involves use of poses, grace and a sensational performance. The theme involves stories of Lord Krishna and is used to show the peaceful ambiance of Lord Jagannatha of Puri.

Sattriya
State of Origin: Assam
Sattriya is a dance that is used to present mythological stories in an artistic form. This dance was traditionally performed by male monks (bhokots) as a ritual or on special festivities. Today, it is performed by men and women and the theme does not necessarily be have to mythological.

As you can see, each of the Indian classical dance form depicts the rich culture of India. These dances are performed since ages and are said to bring the performer closer to God. Most of these dances are spiritual in nature and used as a coherent expressions of human emotions. If you get a chance, make sure you have a look at each of these dance forms performed live. These eight Indian classical dance styles will leave you enthralled, spell bound and thirsty for more of these mesmerizing performances.