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  • Essay / Types of Classical Dances in India

    Art is one of the most important parts of human life. Every country has its own art forms like music, painting and dance. Artists represent art about religion and culture, this means they are trying to tell you a story or fact about dance. Over the years, due to cultural limitations, religious and social issues have influenced Indian art. Indian artists expressed their religious beliefs by carving statues of gods and goddesses and depicting religious events through dance. They also used folk tales in terms of dancing portraits of gods and goddesses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayIn my country India, there are different types of traditional dances like Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi , Kuchipudi and Bharat Natyam. Bharat Natyam is the most traditional dance in Indian culture. Bharat Natyam is one of the oldest and most popular Indian classical dance forms. It is essentially a dedication dance. It originates from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the most practiced Indian classical dances. It has rightly been said that Bharat Natyam is a symbol of beauty and aesthetic perfection. I agree that art is life for some people. Some dancers perform dances for their hobby or entertainment, while others make dancing their profession. For these people, dance is a type of art through which they survive. Bharat Natyam is the oldest of all classical dance forms in India. It is believed to have been created by the sage Bharat Muni who wrote the Natya Shastra, the bible of Indian classical dance. It was also called the fifth Veda (Bowers 14). It has become the most authoritative text on the artistic techniques of Indian classical dances, particularly Bharat Natyam and Odissi. Additionally, the term derives its name “Bharat Natyam” from the sage Bharata (Bowers 14). Natya Shastra was revitalized and redefined through the contributions of four talented brothers in the first quarter of the 19th century. “The four famous brothers Chinniah, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu succeeded in organizing all the basic movements of the pure dance of Bharat Natyam into a progressive series, by coordinating their various talents” (Cohen 442-443). In its early days, Bharat Natyam was performed as dasiattam (“dance of servants”), by the “devadasis (temple dancers)” of the temple (Cohen 442-443). The dancers were very knowledgeable in Sanskrit and other languages, as they had to compose their songs in Sanskrit so that the entire audience could understand their dances and songs. Initially, devadasis led a very strict and celibate life and were not allowed to start a family. . They were supposed to be sexually pure or virgins. “Bharat Natyam was mainly performed in the temples of Lord Shiva in Tamil Nadu” (Cohen 442-443). Another original form of Bharat Natyam was Goddess Parvathi. In reality, gods and goddesses are dancers themselves. Lord Shiva himself was the supreme dancer and Goddess Parvathi also used to dance with him (Bowers 15-16). Over the centuries, Bharat Natyam has undergone many changes. Originally, it was known as a female solo dance and mainly performed by female dancers, but as we see today, men can also perform this dance. It is extremely demanding and complex in terms of dedication and daily practice. All classical dances have their common features such as a common terminology withminor variations. All classical dancers are trained in the “guru-shisya” (teacher-disciple) tradition (Bharatnatyam arangetram 1). In Bharat Natyam, the student begins his training by practicing adavus (rhythmic body movements accompanied by hand gestures) or basic dance units. These units range from eighty to one hundred. Next, the student learns thirmanams, also called concluding movements. These thirmanams are generally repeated three times, "they conclude a rhythmic passage consisting of a deadavus series" (Cohen 442-443). All these rhythmic passages form the body of the alarippu, the jatisvaram and the tillana. The lines of the body are very important for Bharat Natyam. A dancer's body should have a noble, almost geometric angularity and harmonious, well-balanced symmetry. The body is lowered to achieve the basic position, the aramandi or ayatamandalam. these two forms are types of standing position, the knees are bent and wide apart with the feet pointed outwards “The arms are generally extended to the side at their full length” (Cohen 442-443). , the body must be completely curved, especially in thirmanams (Cohen 442-443 the torso is held and inclined. There must be hard and precise contact of the feet with the ground. Symbolic hand gestures are used in the. nritya and natya. These sequences are taken from the 2nd century texts, Abhinaya-darpana, they are also known. like the mirror of the gesture and are called hastas or mudras. There are twenty-eight one-handed hastas, also known as asamyukta and twenty-three two-handed hastas, also known as samyukta (Cohen 442-443). In the past, devadasis wore a sari in Bharat Natyam, draped over pajamas or pants (Cohen 442-443). One end of this saree is passed between the legs and tucked into the waist. Modern suits are more fitted with fitted pants. On the front, a decorative pleated fan is attached to the feet. The torso is covered with a blouse and a veil draped over it. The costumes are made of silk. They wear jewelry that covers the dancer from head to toe. “The bells (ghungharoo) worn around the ankles are an essential element of the spectacle” (Cohen 442-443). There was a wide choice of different hairstyles depending on the sculptures in the temple. “The most popular hair was rounded into a large halo at the back of the head, but one can also find bows and buns of various sizes attached to various parts of the head” (Bowers 40). “In addition to powder and lipstick, the dancer's makeup consists of heavy underlining of the lower eyelid with eye drops” (castor oil blackened by being held over a smoldering flame) (Bowers 41- 42). In the literary content of the songs, the Bharat Natyam dance comes from modern South Indian languages. Songs in classical Sanskrit or Tamil, Telugu and Kannada are used during the performance of Bharat Natyam (Cohen 442-443). Many songs are taken from the ecstatic compositions of the great saintly composers of South India, while some composers are anonymous (Cohen 442-443). These songs are set in the classic South Indian Karnatic mode. The dance is performed by an ensemble of musicians led by the nattuavanar. He is also called the dancer's guru or tutor (Cohen 442-443). The guru sets the rhythm with a pair of cymbals and sings or recites the rhythmic passages. In addition to a singer, there is a percussionist who plays a double-headed drum, this drum is also known as a mridangam. There may be one or more instrumentalists playing the vina, flute or violin. Bharat Natyam has undergone many changes over the centuries but it.