Indian classical dance - Wikipedia Indian classical dance Part of a series on the Culture of India History People Languages Assamese Bengali Bodo Dogri Gujarati Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri Marathi Nepali Odia Punjabi Sanskrit Santali Sindhi Tamil Telugu Urdu Mythology and folklore Mythology folklore Cuisine Religion Art Architecture Sculpture Painting Literature Indian poetry Music and performing arts Music Performing arts Media Television Cinema Sport Monuments World Heritage Sites Symbols Flag Coat of arms India portal Indian classical dance, or Shastriya Nritya, is an umbrella term for various performance arts rooted in religious Hindu musical theatre styles, whose theory and practice can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. The number of recognized classical dances range from eight to more, depending on the source and scholar. The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognizes eight -- Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam. Scholars such as Drid Williams add Chhau, Yakshagana and Bhagavata Mela to the list. The Culture Ministry of the Government of India includes Chhau in its classical list. These dances are traditionally regional, all of them include music and recitation in local language or Sanskrit, and they represent a unity of core ideas in a diversity of styles, costumes and expression. Contents 1 Texts and roots 2 Dance forms 3 Shared aspects 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Bibliography 6 External links Texts and roots The Natya Shastra is the foundational treatise for classical dances of India, and this text is attributed to the ancient scholar Bharata Muni. Its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary between 500 BCE and 500 CE. The most studied version of the Natya Shastra text consists of about 6000 verses structured into 36 chapters. The text, states Natalia Lidova, describes the theory of Tāṇḍava dance ( Shiva ), the theory of rasa, of bhāva, expression, gestures, acting techniques, basic steps, standing postures -- all of which are part of Indian classical dances. Dance and performance arts, states this ancient text, are a form of expression of spiritual ideas, virtues and the essence of scriptures. Performance arts and culture Let Nātya ( drama and dance ) be the fifth vedic scripture. Combined with an epic story, tending to virtue, wealth, joy and spiritual freedom, it must contain the significance of every scripture, and forward every art. -- Nātyaśāstra 1.14 -- 15 While the Natya Shastra is the revered ancient text in the Hindu tradition, there are numerous other ancient and medieval Sanskrit dance - drama related texts that further discuss and expand on the classical repertoire of performance arts, such as the Abhinaya Darpana, Abhinaba Bharati, Natya Darpana, Bhava Prakasa and many others. The term `` classical '' ( Sanskrit : `` Shastriya '' ) denotes the Natya Shastra - based performing arts. The text Natya Shastra describes religious arts as a form as margi, or a `` spiritual traditional path '' that liberates the soul, while the folk entertainment is called desi, or a `` regional popular practice ''. Indian classical dances are traditionally performed as an expressive drama - dance form of religious performance art, related to Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, pan-Hindu Epics and the Vedic literature, or a folksy entertainment that includes story - telling from Sanskrit or regional language plays. As a religious art, they are either performed inside the sanctum of a Hindu temple, or near it. Folksy entertainment may also be performed in temple grounds or any fairground, typically in a rural setting by traveling troupes of artists ; alternatively, they have been performed inside the halls of royal courts or public squares during festivals. Dance forms The Natya Shastra mentions four Pravrittis ( traditions, genres ) of ancient dance - drama in vogue when it was composed -- Avanti ( Ujjain, central ), Dakshinatya ( south ), Panchali ( north, west ) and Odra - Magadhi ( Odisha - Bihar - Bengal, east ). Sources differ in their list of Indian classical dance forms. Encyclopædia Britannica mentions six dances. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has given recognition to eight Indian dances. The Indian government 's Ministry of Culture includes eleven dance forms. Scholars such as Drid Williams and others include Chhau, Yaksagana and Bhagavata Mela to the eight classical Indian dances in the Sangeet Natak Akademi list. The classical dance forms recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Ministry of Culture are : Bharatanatyam, from Tamil Nadu Kathak, from Northern and Western India Kathakali, from Kerala Kuchipudi, from Andhra Pradesh Odissi, from Odisha Sattriya, from Assam Manipuri, from Manipur Mohiniyattam, from Kerala Bharatanatyam Kathak Kathakali Kuchipudi Odissi Sattriya Manipuri Mohiniyattam Shared aspects All major classical Indian dance forms include in repertoire, three categories of performance in the Natya Shastra. These are Nritta, Nritya and Natya : The Nritta performance is abstract, fast and rhythmic aspect of the dance. The viewer is presented with pure movement, wherein the emphasis is the beauty in motion, form, speed, range and pattern. This part of the repertoire has no interpretative aspect, no telling of story. It is a technical performance, and aims to engage the senses ( prakriti ) of the audience. The Nritya is slower and expressive aspect of the dance that attempts to communicate feelings, storyline particularly with spiritual themes in Hindu dance traditions. In a nritya, the dance - acting expands to include silent expression of words through gestures and body motion set to musical notes. The actor articulates a legend or a spiritual message. This part of the repertoire is more than sensory enjoyment, it aims to engage the emotions and mind of the viewer. The Natyam is a play, typically a team performance, but can be acted out by a solo performer where the dancer uses certain standardized body movements to indicate a new character in the underlying story. A Natya incorporates the elements of a Nritya. All classical dances of India used similar symbolism and rules of gestures in abhinaya ( acting ). The roots of abhinaya are found in the Natyashastra text which defines drama in verse 6.10 as that which aesthetically arouses joy in the spectator, through the medium of actor 's art of communication, that helps connect and transport the individual into a super sensual inner state of being. A performance art, asserts Natyashastra, connects the artists and the audience through abhinaya ( literally, `` carrying to the spectators '' ), that is applying body - speech - mind and scene, wherein the actors communicate to the audience, through song and music. Drama in this ancient Sanskrit text, thus is an art to engage every aspect of life, in order to glorify and gift a state of joyful consciousness. The communication through symbols is in the form of expressive gestures ( mudras or hastas ) and pantomime set to music. The gestures and facial expressions convey the ras ( sentiment, emotional taste ) and bhava ( mood ) of the underlying story. In Hindu classical dances, the artist successfully expresses the spiritual ideas by paying attention to four aspects of a performance : Angika ( gestures and body language ), Vachika ( song, recitation, music and rhythm ), Aharya ( stage setting, costume, make up, jewelry ), and Sattvika ( artist 's mental disposition and emotional connection with the story and audience, wherein the artist 's inner and outer state resonates ). Abhinaya draws out the bhava ( mood, psychological states ). See also Performing arts Ballet Circus skills Clown Dance Magic Mime Music Opera Puppetry Speech Theatre Ventriloquism Culture of India Hindu texts Languages of India Puranas Vedas Yajna References ^ Jump up to : Julius Lipner ( 2012 ). Hindus : Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge. p. 206. ISBN 978 - 1 - 135 - 24061 - 5., Quote : `` It would be appropriate here to comment on Hindu classical dance. This developed in a religious context and was given high profile as part of temple worship. There are a number of regional and other styles as well as source texts, but the point we wish to stress is the participative nature of such dance. In form and content, the heart of dance as worship in Hinduism has always been ' expression ' ( abhinaya ), i.e. the enacting of various themes ''. ^ Jump up to : Jean Holm ; John Bowker ( 1994 ). Worship. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 85. ISBN 978 - 1 - 85567 - 111 - 9., Quote : Hindu classical dance - forms, like Hindu music, are associated with worship. References to dance and music are found in the vedic literature, (... ) ``. ^ Jump up to : Frank Burch Brown ( 2013 ). The Oxford Handbook of Religion and the Arts. Oxford University Press. pp. 195 -- 196. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 972103 - 0., Quote : All of the dances considered to be part of the Indian classical canon ( Bharata Natyam, Chhau, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam, Odissi, Sattriya and Yakshagana ) trace their roots to religious practices (... ) the Indian diaspora has led to the translocation of Hindu dances to Europe, North America and the world. '' ^ Jump up to : James G. Lochtefeld ( 2002 ). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism : N-Z. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 467. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8239 - 3180 - 4., Quote : `` the Natyashastra remains the ultimate authority for any dance form that claims to be ' classical ' dance, rather than ' folk ' dance ''. Jump up ^ Ragini Devi 1990, pp. 60 - 68. ^ Jump up to : Mohan Khokar ( 1984 ). Traditions of Indian classical dance. Clarion Books. pp. 57 -- 58. Jump up ^ Sarwal, Amit ; Walker, David ( 2015 ). `` Staging a Cultural Collaboration : Louise Lightfoot and Ananda Shivaram ''. Dance Chronicle. 38 ( 3 ) : 305 -- 335. doi : 10.1080 / 01472526.2015. 1088286. Jump up ^ Bishnupriya Dutt ; Urmimala Sarkar Munsi ( 2010 ). Engendering Performance : Indian Women Performers in Search of an Identity. SAGE Publications. p. 216. ISBN 978 - 81 - 321 - 0612 - 8. ^ Jump up to : Williams 2004, pp. 83 - 84, the other major classical Indian dances are : Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Sattriya, Cchau, Manipuri, Yaksagana and Bhagavata Mela. Jump up ^ Tanvi Bajaj ; Swasti Shrimali Vohra ( 2015 ). Performing Arts and Therapeutic Implications. Routledge. pp. 6 -- 7. ISBN 978 - 1 - 317 - 32572 - 7. Jump up ^ Schramm, Harold ( 1968 ). `` Musical Theatre in India ''. Asian Music. University of Texas Press. 1 ( 1 ) : 31 -- 40. doi : 10.2307 / 834008. Jump up ^ Coorlawala, Uttara Asha ( 1993 ). `` The Toronto conference on `` new directions in Indian dance '' ``. Dance Chronicle. Routledge. 16 ( 3 ) : 391 -- 396. doi : 10.1080 / 01472529308569140. ^ Jump up to : Natalia Lidova 2014. Jump up ^ Tarla Mehta 1995, pp. xxiv, 19 -- 20. Jump up ^ Wallace Dace 1963, p. 249. Jump up ^ Emmie Te Nijenhuis 1974, pp. 1 -- 25. Jump up ^ Kapila Vatsyayan 2001. ^ Jump up to : Coormaraswamy and Duggirala ( 1917 ). `` The Mirror of Gesture ''. Harvard University Press. p. 4. ; Also see chapter 36 Jump up ^ Guy L. Beck ( 2012 ). Sonic Liturgy : Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 138 -- 139. ISBN 978 - 1 - 61117 - 108 - 2. Quote : `` A summation of the signal importance of the Natyasastra for Hindu religion and culture has been provided by Susan Schwartz, `` In short, the Natyasastra is an exhaustive encyclopedic dissertation of the arts, with an emphasis on performing arts as its central feature. It is also full of invocations to deities, acknowledging the divine origins of the arts and the central role of performance arts in achieving divine goals (... ) ''. Jump up ^ `` Natyashastra '' ( PDF ). Sanskrit Documents. Jump up ^ Tarla Mehta 1995, pp. xxix, 131 - 137. Jump up ^ Mandakranta Bose ( 2012 ). Movement and Mimesis : The Idea of Dance in the Sanskritic Tradition. Springer. pp. 13 -- 32, 108 -- 112. ISBN 978 - 94 - 011 - 3594 - 8. Jump up ^ Ragini Devi 1990, pp. 18 - 37. Jump up ^ Reginald Massey 2004, p. 32. Jump up ^ Ragini Devi 1990, pp. 67, context : 60 - 68. Jump up ^ Thera Mahanama - sthavira. Mahavamsa : The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka. Jain Publishing. pp. 40 -- 41. ISBN 978 - 0 - 89581 - 906 - 2. Jump up ^ Ragini Devi 1990, pp. 25 - 30, 67 - 68, 166. Jump up ^ Farley P. Richmond, Darius L. Swann & Phillip B. Zarrilli 1993, pp. 3, 34 - 36, 47, 171 - 173, 215, 327 - 329. Jump up ^ Sunil Kothari ; Avinash Pasricha ( 1990 ). Odissi, Indian classical dance art. Marg Publications. pp. 5 -- 6. ISBN 978 - 81 - 85026 - 13 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Indian Classical Dance ''. One India. 2009 - 04 - 19. Retrieved 2010 - 06 - 11. Jump up ^ Narayan, Shovana ( 2005 ). Indian classical dances : `` ekam sat vipraah bahudaa vadanti ''. Shubhi Publications. p. 5. Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. dance ( performing arts ) : Indian classical dance. Retrieved 03 - 11 - 2010. Jump up ^ `` SNA : Guidelines for Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards : : ''. Sangeetnatak.gov.in. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Scholarship to Young Artistes ''. Indiaculture.nic.in. Retrieved 2013 - 11 - 06. Jump up ^ Sangeet Natak Akademi Jump up ^ Ministry of Culture ^ Jump up to : Meduri, Avanthi ( 1988 ). `` Bharatha Natyam - What Are You ? ''. Asian Theatre Journal. University of Hawaii Press. 5 ( 1 ) : 3 -- 4. doi : 10.2307 / 1124019. ^ Jump up to : Ellen Koskoff ( 2008 ). The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music : The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia. Routledge. p. 955. ISBN 978 - 0 - 415 - 99404 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Janet Descutner ( 2010 ). Asian Dance. Infobase. pp. 45 -- 46. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4381 - 3078 - 1. Jump up ^ Kavitha Jayakrishnan ( 2011 ), Dancing Architecture : the parallel evolution of Bharatanātyam and South Indian Architecture, MA Thesis, Awarded by University of Waterloo, Canada, page 25 Jump up ^ Reginald Massey 2004, pp. 33 - 38, 83 - 84, 207 - 214. Jump up ^ Bruno Nettl ; Ruth M. Stone ; James Porter ; et al. ( 1998 ). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music : South Asia : the Indian subcontinent. Routledge. pp. 516 -- 521. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8240 - 4946 - 1. CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. ( link ) ^ Jump up to : Tarla Mehta 1995, p. 3. Jump up ^ Tarla Mehta 1995, p. 5. ^ Jump up to : Tanvi Bajaj ; Swasti Shrimali Vohra ( 2015 ). Performing Arts and Therapeutic Implications. Routledge. pp. 82 -- 84. ISBN 978 - 1 - 317 - 32572 - 7. Bibliography Ambrose, Kay ( 1984 ). Classical Dances and Costumes of India. Palgrave Macmillan. Ragini Devi ( 1990 ). Dance Dialects of India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0674 - 0. Natalia Lidova ( 2014 ). `` Natyashastra ''. Oxford University Press. doi : 10.1093 / obo / 9780195399318 - 0071. Natalia Lidova ( 1994 ). Drama and Ritual of Early Hinduism. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 1234 - 5. Williams, Drid ( 2004 ). `` In the Shadow of Hollywood Orientalism : Authentic East Indian Dancing '' ( PDF ). Visual Anthropology. Routledge. 17 ( 1 ) : 69 -- 98. doi : 10.1080 / 08949460490274013. Tarla Mehta ( 1995 ). Sanskrit Play Production in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 1057 - 0. Reginald Massey ( 2004 ). India 's Dances : Their History, Technique, and Repertoire. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7017 - 434 - 9. Emmie Te Nijenhuis ( 1974 ). Indian Music : History and Structure. BRILL Academic. ISBN 90 - 04 - 03978 - 3. Kapila Vatsyayan ( 2001 ). Bharata, the Nāṭyaśāstra. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978 - 81 - 260 - 1220 - 6. Kapila Vatsyayan ( 1977 ). Classical Indian dance in literature and the arts. Sangeet Natak Akademi. OCLC 233639306., Table of Contents Kapila Vatsyayan ( 1974 ). Indian classical dance. Sangeet Natak Akademi. OCLC 2238067. Kapila Vatsyayan ( 2008 ). Aesthetic theories and forms in Indian tradition. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 978 - 8187586357. OCLC 286469807. Kapila Vatsyayan. Dance In Indian Painting. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978 - 81 - 7017 - 153 - 9. Wallace Dace ( 1963 ). `` The Concept of `` Rasa '' in Sanskrit Dramatic Theory ``. Educational Theatre Journal. 15 ( 3 ) : 249. JSTOR 3204783. doi : 10.2307 / 3204783. Farley P. Richmond ; Darius L. Swann ; Phillip B. Zarrilli ( 1993 ). Indian Theatre : Traditions of Performance. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0981 - 9. Revealing the Art of Natyasastra by Narayanan Chittoor Namboodiripad ISBN 9788121512183 `` Andhra Pradesh Portal : Dance ''. Andhra Pradesh Government. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 03. 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Question: name the 8 classical dance forms of india
Answer: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam