Boarding School in India | Classical Dance

Residential school

INTRODUCTION

India has a very rich tradition of classical dance. The Natya Shastra, which is the oldest surviving text on stagecraft in the world, spends a considerable time discussing it.

In the old days of the theatre, the dancers would mime the story while the singers would sing the dialogue. The instrumentalists would accompany them all. The nature of the old theatre was such that the dancers occupied a central position.

For many centuries the dancers were attached to the temples. This maintained a strong religious flavour to dance.

Even today many of the traditional themes are mythological in nature.

Over the centuries different areas have given their own colour to the ancient classical tradition. Today the acknowledged classical styles are: Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali of Kerala, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh,

Each of these styles has a strong regional connection and none can claim to be representative of the entire Indian subcontinent.

The oldest of all the classical dance forms in India, Bharatnatyam is also known as the fifth Veda. In the ancient times, it used to be performed by the Devadasis in the temples of Tamilnadu as 'dasiattam'.

The postures of the Bharata Natyam dance of India have served as an inspiration for the ancient sculptures in Hindu temples. The postures of the celestial dancers depicted in the scriptures were given the name of Bharatanatyam Mudras on earth.

The spirit of Bhakti has been deeply ingrained in Bharata Natyam and it mainly features mythological stories.

If we wish to trace the origin of the Indian Classical Dance, the trail would lead us to the Mysore style of Bharatnatyam which is considered one of the ancient and popular dance forms.

This dance form is widely prevalent in Karnataka. The other of the mainstream classical dance in Karnataka comprise of the Kuchipudi and the Kathak.

One of the classical folk art forms of Karnataka is the Yakshagana, an Indian variation of the opera.Yakshagana is a form of dance drama that is widely performed in the coastal areas of Karnataka.This art form has its roots in Karnataka and dates back to about four centuries. In Yakshagana, more attention is paid to the distinctive make-up that is essentially loud and to the footwork.

South India Classical Dance - Yakshagana is a homogenous amalgam of dance, songs, music, erudite dialogues and bright costumes.The beginning of the performance in the twilight hours is heralded by the beating of the drums.The common themes for the performances are lifted from the Hindu epics and the puranas.There is a narrator who narrates the story in a musical way. He is accompanied by the musicians playing on the traditional instruments.

South India Classical Dance, The actors are responsible for portraying the story through their actions.Yakshagana means celestial music and the dance drama performance is carried out in the night usually at a time when the winter crop has been harvested.

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