Essay on Indian Dances Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.
When man’s soul urges and inner drives are expressed in rhythmic body movements, it is called dance. Man is destined to dance his way to higher and still higher levels of consciousness and evolution. The aesthetic foundations of Indian dances are laid on the rock foundations of spiritual sadhana. Lord Shiva, the Natraj, is said to be originator of dance. He is also the Supreme Dancer. His cosmic dance is very famous. His Tandava reflects his violent nature as a stern judge and upholder of justice and righteousness. He dances, both in sorrow and joy, as the god of rhythm and movement. He performs his Cosmic Tandava dance at the termination of the age.
Indian dances are famous all over the world. They have changed little through all these centuries and the dancers perform their dance recitals according to the traditional precepts enshrined in Bharata’s Natyashasta a There are said to be 180 styles of dancing, and 101 of these are described in the Natyashastra. Many of these dance styles can be seen depicted on the walls and pillars of some of the famous Indian Temples. Music, dance and drama have been an integral part of Indian religion and secular life. Indian dances are not simply a things of legs and limbs but of the whole body and soul. They are highly developed and stylised and so have changed little in technique. They strictly adhere to the principles and rules laid down by Bharat Muni’ s Natyashastra, they along with variegated folk forms, present a panoramic and spectacular view of splendid and continuous dance tradition in India. Their history, sprawling from the pre-historic antiquity down to our own days, makes a fascinating reading. Indian dances, a proud and magnificent heritage of India, are a phenomenon to be enjoyed, seen and to be participated.
Of the classical Indian dances the five are very famous. They are Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri and Odissi. In the subtle Bharata Natyam, popular in the south India, feeling (bhava), raga (melody) and rhythm (tala) play the most vital role. It is the oldest dance style and is associated with Lord Shiva. It is a solo dance and most complicated to be understood fully by a lay man. Preserved in its prestine glory and unalloyed purity in Tamil Nadu, it enjoys today a very wide currency and popularity. For centuries in medieval India it was performed by Devadasis or handmaids of gods in the exquisite temples of South India.
Bharat Natyarn’s three components—movement, music and mime contribute equally in its performance. Basically it is a solo lasya, that is, tender and erotic dance, generally per-formed by a danseuse and occasionally by a danseur. No doubt it is based on the theme of love, but it is invariably devotional in essence and never sensual. During its performance it evolves like a bud into a blossom gradually through many stages. The final stage is very fine example of pure and abstract dance full of fascinating movements and rhythms accompanied and governed by the scintillating music. It presents a complex pattern of pure dance. The dancer conjures up intricate images of dance and footwork with statusque poses. It concludes with the chanting of a Sloka. In short, no other dance form can surpass Bharata Natyam and a few can equal it in its delicacy, grace, consummation and richness.
Kathakali is fundamentally of epic dimensions. Its universal appeal and popularity is an established fact. Its epic dimensions finally merge into cosmic ones, It is performed in an open air in a temple compound or a village courtyard. The only lighting used is a tall and massive brass lamp fed with coconut oil and set in front of the actors at the centre of the stage. It is accompanied by continuous thundering of the drums. It begins with the invocation of gods and lowering of a curtain held by two men. The themes of the dance are generally from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas or the Vedas. This dance-play continue all through the night. The facial vocabulary plays a very significant role in the portrayal of the subtlest passions with such perfection as transport the spectators to the magic world of myths, legends and fairies. Traditionally, young boys perform female roles. Kathakali costumes are traditional, gorgeous, spectacular, varied, ostentatious, and ornamental.
Kathak is a major classical dance form of North India dance both by men and women. It is well known for its spontaneity, freedom from uniformity and a lot of room for innovations and improvisations. It enjoys a fair amount of individuality and autonomy. A kathak dancer can change his or her sequence of stages to suit individual style and aptitude. Kathak makes a great use of a number of Hindustani musical compositions like Dhrupad, Hori, Dhama, Pad, Bhajan, Thumari, Ghazal, Dadra, etc. It also begins with invocation to gods. There is a rich variety in its repertoire as far as expression of feelings and passions is concerned. In an expressional dance the performer combines mime with music and dance and interprets the song to the accompaniment of soft music of the sarangi or a sitar. The song either in Braj, Hindi or Hindustani may be sacred, secular, devotional or erotic.
Manipur, bordering Burma, is a picturesque Indian state. Its famous dance form is called Manipuri. Rasa-dance which is full of devotional favour, and is performed to the singing of songs and kirtans and to the accompaniment of such musical instruments as khol or mridange (drum), manjira (cymbals) and a bamboo flute. Its liquid beauty, lyrical quality, re-strained but rhythmic swaying, swinging and spinning, coupled with soft vocal and instrumental devotional music, defies description. The text or songs accompanying Manipuri dance are from great saint, lyricists like Jayadeva, Vidyapati, Chandidas or the Bhagavatapuran. The costume of the Manipur dancers is always rich, ornamented and extremely captivating. Odissi, the dance form of Orissa, is the highly inspired, impassioned, ecstatic and sensuous. In medieval times this dance was performed by the Devadasis called Maharis in the temples. Rooted deeply in traditions and rituals, the dance is very old though its name is new. It commences with invocation to gods to the accompaniment of rhythmic vocal syllables blended into drum beats. The chant of the musician, the beat of the drum and the lilting and measured feet movements of the danseuse are so harmonized and produce a fine balance between the danseuse and the dancer, and the spectators are ushered into a fascinating world of mime, music and motifs reflecting sculpture stances. It represents a fine synthesis of Lasya and Tandava styles of Indian classical dances. It is an idiom which transcends all the limits of communication leading to rich aesthetic and spiritual experience.
Indian folk and tribal dances are fine examples of creative creations. They lack stylisation, refinement and artificiality. Folk and tribal dance forms cover various styles and forms originated, developed and maintained by the villagers, farmers, peasants, fishermen, and shepherds, nomads and tribals. These are out and out for pleasure and enjoyment. They are characterized most by their spontaneity, collective impulse and participation, simplicity, freshness and lack of restraint. Their richness, multiplicity diversity and variety is a thing of great wonder and no less admiration. They are at once thoroughly social, religious, ceremonial, seasonal, martial and ritual, always inspired by mythology, legends, religion and primitive instincts.
