The classical dances of India

Questions on classical dance are among the most predictable in the art and culture section — and among the easiest to lose marks on, because the forms blur together in memory. The trick is to learn each through a few distinctive features rather than a long list of facts.

The common foundation

The theory behind Indian classical dance is traced to the Natya Shastra, attributed to Bharata Muni and dated very broadly to between the second century BCE and the second century CE. It deals with drama, dance and music together.

Three concepts appear in almost every question:

Other key ideas: rasa (the aesthetic flavour or emotion evoked in the audience), bhava (the emotion expressed by the performer), abhinaya (the art of expression) and mudras (hand gestures).

The eight classical dances

The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognises eight classical dance forms. (The Ministry of Culture also includes Chhau in its list of classical forms, which is why some sources say nine.)

Each form in a little more depth

Bharatanatyam

• Evolved from the temple dance of devadasis, known earlier as sadir or dasiattam.
• Revived and brought to the concert stage in the twentieth century, notably through E. Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale, who founded Kalakshetra in Chennai.
• Often performed solo, with the dancer portraying several characters (ekaharya).
• A performance traditionally includes items such as alarippu, jatiswaram, varnam and tillana.

Kathak

• Derived from the kathakars, storytellers of north India.
• Absorbed Persian and Mughal court influences, becoming a court art.
• Known for rapid spins, intricate footwork and rhythmic dialogue with the tabla.
• Gharanas: Lucknow (emphasis on expression), Jaipur (emphasis on rhythm and footwork), Banaras and Raigarh.

Kathakali

• A dance-drama of Kerala, traditionally performed by men, often through the night.
• Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Elaborate make-up codes the character: for example, pacha (green) for noble heroes and kathi for villainous characters.
• The poet Vallathol Narayana Menon founded the Kerala Kalamandalam (1930), central to its revival.

Kuchipudi

• Named after a village in Andhra Pradesh.
• Originally a dance-drama performed by male Brahmin troupes (bhagavatulu).
• Famous for the tarangam, in which the dancer performs on the rim of a brass plate, sometimes with a pot of water on the head.

Odissi

• Evidence of dance in the sculptures of Udayagiri caves and the temples of Odisha.
• Traditions of the maharis (temple dancers) and gotipuas (boy dancers).
• Two basic postures: chowk (a square stance) and tribhanga (three bends of the body).
• Revived in the mid-twentieth century by gurus including Kelucharan Mohapatra.

Manipuri

• Rooted in Manipur's Vaishnava tradition and older ritual dances such as Lai Haraoba.
• The Raas Leela, depicting Krishna and the gopis, is central.
• Soft, flowing movements; dancers do not wear ankle bells.
• Rabindranath Tagore helped bring it to wider attention by introducing it at Santiniketan.

Mohiniyattam

• "Dance of the enchantress" — a graceful solo dance by women, emphasising lasya (the feminine aspect of dance).
• Associated with the patronage of Swathi Thirunal, the nineteenth-century ruler of Travancore, and revived through Kerala Kalamandalam.
• White and gold costume; swaying movements likened to the palm trees and backwaters of Kerala.

Sattriya

• Created by the Vaishnava saint Srimanta Sankaradeva in Assam in the fifteenth–sixteenth centuries, as part of his Ankiya Naat plays.
• Preserved for centuries in the sattras (monasteries), performed by male monks.
• Recognised as a classical dance by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000 — the most recent addition.

How to remember them

Tie each dance to one image:

• a geometric half-sitting posture → Bharatanatyam
• a fast spin with ankle bells → Kathak
• a green-faced warrior → Kathakali
• a dancer on a brass plate → Kuchipudi
• a body in three bends → Odissi
• a soft Raas Leela without bells → Manipuri
• a woman in white and gold swaying → Mohiniyattam
• a monk in a monastery in Assam → Sattriya

Practice questions

1. Prelims-type: Which classical dance is associated with the tarangam? Which was the last to be recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi?
2. Prelims-type: Distinguish nritta, nritya and natya.
3. Mains-type (150 words): "The revival of Indian classical dances in the twentieth century was also a project of cultural nationalism." Discuss with examples.