History of Indian dance

The essentials

Dance in India has a very long history. A small bronze figure of a girl from Mohenjo-daro, often called the "dancing girl", suggests that dance was known in the Harappan period. In the classical period, the Natyashastra, attributed to the sage Bharata (usually placed between about the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE), gave a full theory of drama, dance and music. It describes rasa (the aesthetic experience of the audience) and bhava (emotional states), hand gestures (hastas or mudras), body movements and stage practice. The Tamil epic Silappadikaram describes the dancer Madhavi and her training.

In the middle period, dance flourished in temples and royal courts. Texts such as the Abhinayadarpana of Nandikeshvara (on gestures and expression) and the Sangitaratnakara of Sharngadeva (13th century, on music and dance) were composed. Temple sculptures, such as those at Chidambaram showing dance poses (karanas), record movements. In the modern period, many forms declined under colonial rule and were revived in the 20th century by artists and institutions; for example, Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra, and the poet Vallathol founded Kerala Kalamandalam.

Key points

• Nritta: pure, rhythmic dance without story; nritya: dance with expression and meaning; natya: drama.
• Tandava: vigorous dance; lasya: graceful dance.
• Abhinaya (communication) has four kinds: angika (body), vachika (speech/song), aharya (costume, make-up, props), sattvika (inner emotion).
• Hastas: asamyuta (single hand) and samyuta (both hands).

Exam tips

• Match text and author: Natyashastra – Bharata; Abhinayadarpana – Nandikeshvara; Sangitaratnakara – Sharngadeva.

Common mistakes

• Confusing nritta with nritya.
• Thinking aharya abhinaya refers to facial expression; it refers to costume and make-up.