In India the body is used as a medium of communication. The expression of dance is the most intricate and developed and yet easily understood. The ancient dance forms in India have had influence on India s poetry, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, and theatre. The nine emotions are happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sorrow, courage, compassion, wonder and serenity. All Indian dance forms follow the same hand gestures for each of these emotions.
Indian dances take their themes from India s rich mythology and folk legends.
In of the earliest Dances is that of Shiva s cosmic dance. This dance is though to have encompassed creation, preservation, and destruction. The idea behind this dance is now thought to be embedded into the Hindu thought and ritual. Shiva is a dance of a metaphor also. It stands for the belief that life is essentially a dynamic balancing of good and bad.