[UPSC] Classical Dances of India, All Details and Top MCQs

Introduction

Natya Shastra is the foundational treatise for classical dance forms of India. Natya Shastra is attributed to an ancient scholar named Bharat Muni, who is also regarded as the father of Indian theatrics.

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The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognizes 8 classical dance forms, but the cultural ministry of Government of India also recognizes Chhau dance in its classical dances list.

There are three main components of Indian classical dances. They are Natya, Nritya and Nritta.

Natya refers to the drama component, Nritya refers to the expressional component (like mudras or gestures) and Nritta refers to the basic dance steps.

Classical Dances & Associated States

Dance	State
Bharatnatyam	Tamil Nadu
Kuchipudi	Andhra Pradesh
Kathakali	Keral
Mohiniattam	Kerala
Odissi	Odisha
Manipuri	Manipur
Kathak	Uttar Pradesh
Sattariya	Assam

The classical dances are discussed below:

1. Bharatnatyam

• Oldest classical dance form of all dance forms.
• Generally performed by women.
• Its name is derived from Bharatamuni (An ancient sage Bharat Muni) and Natyam(which means dance in Tamil).
• However some people say that the name is actually derived by mixing the words like Bhava (expression), Raga (music) and Tala (rhythm) and Natya (classical Indian theatre).
• The origin of this dance is traced to the solo dance performance of Devadasis (Temple dancers) in Tamil Nadu (earlier known as Sadir or Dasiattam)
• The art became nearly extinct after the decline of devadasi system but the efforts of prominent freedom fighter E.Krishna Iyer led to its revival.
• The present-day format of Bharatanatyam recital was created by the famed ‘Tanjore Quartet’ of the nineteenth century: the brothers Ponniah, Chinnaiah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu.
• The dancer women wear a typical sari & men with bare chest, wear a dhoti like outfit.
• Knees are always bent, the transitional movement of leg, hip, & arm, and expressive eye movements & hand gestures are used to convey emotions.
• Movements of Bharatnatyam resemble that of the dancing flame, and is therefore also known as “fire dance”.
• Famous Proponents: Rukumani devi Arundale, Yamini Krishna Murthy, Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Padma Subramanian, Mrinali Sarabai, Malika Sarabai.
• Bharatnatyam dance form can be broken down into 7 main parts viz;
  • Alarippu,
  • Jati Swarna
  • Shabda
  • Varna
  • Pada
  • Thillana
  • Sloka
• Bharatnatyam is characterised by Katakamukh Hastra. It is a hand gesture in which three fingers are joined to symbolize Om.
• The Bharatnatyam dance group sometimes also includes a Nattuvanar, who acts as a dance conductor and recites the dance syllables as he plays a pair of small bronze cymbals.

2. Kuchipudi

1. Kuchipudi, originated in Andhra Pradesh, where it grew largely as a product of Bhakti movement beginning in the 7th Century AD.
2. Kuchipudi derives its name from the village Kuchelapuram/Kusselavapuri.
3. The central theme of the dance is the stories of Bhagvata Purana.
4. It involves difficult foot movements and the emphasis is laid on the dynamics of movement and expressionism of feeling.
5. Kuchipudi dance is accompanied by Carnatic Music.
6. 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.
7. The solo items are Manduka Shabdam ( story of frog maiden), Bal Gopala Taranga (dance on the edges of brass plate with a pitcher full of water on head), Tala Chitra Nritya ( drawing pictures with dancing toes)
8. The famous personalities associated with the Kuchipudi dance are:
   • Yamini Krishnamurthy
   • Guru Vemapati Chinna Satyam
   • Raja & Radha Reddy

3. Kathakali

1. Kathakali evolved from various social and religious theatrical forms in South India like Koodiyattam, Ramanattam, Krishnattam, etc.
2. Kathakali is a classical dance form of Kerala.
3. It derives its name from ‘Katha’ means story and ‘kali’ means drama.
4. Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata provide the content of most Kathakali plays.
5. It is performed in open air theatre or in temple premises. Brass lamp is used for lighting.
6. 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.
7. Malayalam with many Sanskrit words is the language used in Kathakali songs.
8. Kathakali is a mixture of dance, music, drama and acting and dramatizes stories.
9. The dance form can be distinguished via its elaborate facial masks, costumes, makeup, and movements.
10. Representation of Rasa through movement of Eye and Eyebrows is the most remarkable feature of Kathakali.
11. The facial expression is extremely important in this dance form to showcase the fight between good (pacha) and evil (kathi).
12. It is marked by heavy makeup, stunning costumes and different facial colours. The lips, eyelashes, eye brows are made to look prominent.
13. Different facial colours indicate different Mental stages & Character , e.g green indicates nobility, black indicates wicked, red patches indicate combination royalty & evil.
14. The famous personalities associated with this dance form are:
    • Ramankutty Nair & Kalamandalam Gopi and Mrinalini Sarabhai (Padma Shri in 1965 & Padma Bhushan in 1992)

4. Mohiniattam

Mohiniyattam is a classical dance tradition
of Kerala though its exact period of origin is not known.

• It gained prominence under the rulers of Travancore.
• ‘Mohini’ means beautiful and ‘Attam’ means dance, hence It is interpreted as the dance of Mohini (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu).
• It is also known as “the dance of enchantress” and is essentially a solo dance performance generally incorporating Lasya style.
• Mostly a solo performance by girls with circular movements delicate footsteps & subtle expression.
• The theme revolves around love & devotion to God.
• White and off-white is the principal colour used in costumes of Mohiniyattam.
• The gesture and facial expressions are natural and closer to natural and realistic expressions than being dramatic.
• It generally narrates the story of the feminine dance of Vishnu.
• Mohiniyattam perform symbolizes the element of air.
• Vallathol Narayana Menon along with Kalyani Ammal, Sunanda Nair, Vajyanti Mala, Hema Malini, Madhuri Amma, Jayaprabha Menon are the important personalities associated with this dance form.

5. Odissi

Odissi derives its name from ‘Odra Nirtya’ mentioned in Natya Shastra.

• Khandariya – Udayagiri caves provide some of the early examples of Odissi dance.
• It is inscribed at the Sun Temple at Konark.
• It was patronized mainly by the Jain King Kharvela and primarily performed
  by Maharis or Temple Female Servants as temple Service.
• Odissi dance music is Hindustani and lyrics of Gita Dovinda written by Jayadeava are used.
• Water is symbolized in this dance form.
• The woman wears an elaborate hairstyle, silver jewellery and long necklace etc.
• Mudras and postures for expressing emotions are similar to that of Bharatanatyam.
• The movements are soft and graceful.
• Geometrical shapes and patterns are created with dancers body. Hence it is called ‘Mobile Sculpture’.
• It involves two basic postures, which are:
  • Chowk: Posture mimicking a Square.
  • Tribhanga: Three Bended form of the
    body.
• The major subjects of performance are lore’s of incarnations of Lord Vishnu & verses of Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda.
• The famous persons associated with this dance form are;
  • Sonal ManSingh
  • Kelucharan Mohapatra
  • Pankaj Charan Das
  • Charles Fabri
  • Indrani Rehman

6. Manipuri

The mythological origin of Manipuri dance is traced to the celestial dance of Shiva and Parvati along with local ‘Gandharva’ in the valley of Manipur.

• The dance gained prominence after the advent of Vaishnavism.
• Manipuri emphasis on devotion and is generally performed by the females.
• It incorporates both Tandava and Lasya in which more emphasis is given to Lasya.
• The dancer never establishes an eye-eontact with the audience.
• The body connected through curves in the shape of ‘8’ called Nagabhanda Mudra is an important feature of this dance form.
• Various forms of the Manipuri Dance are:
  • Rasleela: Dance based on Radha Krishna and Gopis.
  • Sankirtana: Male Dancers bow and play Pung and Kartal while dancing.
  • Tangtha: Battle scenes are displayed.
• 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.
• Rabindra Nath Tagore introduced it in Shantiniketan thereby brought back the prominence of this dance form in modern times.
• Famous personalities associated with this dance form are:
  • Jhaveri sisters
  • Guru Bipin Singh
  • Guru Nabh Kumar

7. Kathak

Origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the travelling bards of ancient northern India known as kathakars or story tellers.

1. It is the dance form of North India (Uttar Pradesh)
2. It evolved during Bhakti movement, incorporating the childhood stories of Hindu God Krishna.
3. During the Mughal times, it was influenced by Islamic features, especially in costume and dancing style.
4. Later in the twentieth century, Lady Leela
   Sokhey revived the classical style of Kathak.
5. It is commonly identified with the court tradition in North India.
6. Kathak is accompanied by Dhrupad and Thumri music.
7. During the Mughal period, Taranas, Thumris, and Gazals were introduced.
8. It is usually a solo performance, and the dancers often pauses to recite verses followed by their execution through movements.
9. The focus is more on foot work; the movements are skillfully controlled & performed straight – legged by dancers wearing ankle – bells.
10. It is also known as “Natvari” dance and Jugalbandi (a competitive play between dancer and tabla player) is its important feature.
11. The famous personalities associated with Kathak are:
    • Lady leela Sokhey (Menaka) revived the classical style.
    • Birju Maharaj
    • Sitara Devi
    • Shambu Mahraj
    • Baijnath prasad (also calledLacchu Maharaj).

8. Sattriya

It was introduced by a Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam, Shankaradeva in 15th century AD.

1. Sattriya derives its name from the Vaishnava Monastries Known as Sattras.
2. The dance form is performed in a group by male monks known as Bhokots as part of their daily rituals.
3. It narrates the mythological stories of Vishnu.
4. It is an amalgamation of various dance forms like Ojapalli and Devadasi.
5. The emphasis is on hand gestures, movements, use of steps and expressions.
6. There is a strict guideline laid down for the hand gestures and footwork in Sattriya dance.
7. Khol and Flute are the main instruments played in Sattriya dance.
8. Gayan-Bhayanar Nach and Kharmanar Nach are two streams evolved in the modern times.
9. Famous Proponents of Sattriya dance are:
   • Ramakrishna Talukdar,
   • Krishnaakshi Kashyp.

Chhau Dance

Chhau is a tribal martial art popular in the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

• Chhau originates from ‘Chhaya’ means shadow.
• It is a form of mask dance in which martial movements are used to narrate the mythological stories.
• Sarpa Nirtya, Mayur Nirtya etc. are some of the natural themes used in Chhau dance.
• Saraikela Chhau in Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj (the mask is not used in this) in Odisha and Purulia Chhau in West Bengal are the three main styles of Chhau dance.
• Chhau was inscribed on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2011.
• The ministry of culture has added it to their list of classical dances, where as Sangeet Natak Akademi does not recognise it as a classical dance.

MCQs on Classical Dances of India

Which is the oldest classical dance of India?

1. Kathakali
2. Bharatnatyam
3. Kathak
4. Mohiniattam

Answer: Bharatnatyam

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Kathakali dance is a dance of:

1. Kerala
2. Uttar Pradesh
3. Assam
4. Odisha

Answer: Uttar Pradesh

Which dance is aslo known as the “dance of enchantress”?

1. Bharat Natyam
2. Kathakali
3. Mohiniattam
4. Kathak

Answer: Mohiniattam

Tribhanga is associated with:

1. Bharat Natyam
2. Odissi
3. Manipuri
4. Sattariya

Answer: Odissi

Sattriya dance is a dance of:

1. Kerala
2. Manipur
3. Odisha
4. Assam

Answer: Assam

So, these were the classical dances of India. We are sure that you will find this article very useful for your exam preparation.