Dance terms

Natya, nritta and nritya

The Natya Shastra tradition separates three kinds of performance.

• Nritta: pure dance; rhythmic movements of the body, hands and feet that create beauty but do not tell a story or express a meaning. Example: jatiswaram in Bharatanatyam, or tatkar and tukdas in Kathak.
• Nritya: expressive dance; movement combined with abhinaya (facial expression and gestures) to convey the meaning of a song and evoke bhava and rasa. Example: padam in Bharatanatyam.
• Natya: drama; the complete art that combines story, speech, dance, music and acting, as in a play or dance-drama like Kathakali.

Tandava and lasya

• Tandava: the vigorous, forceful style associated with Lord Shiva; strong, energetic movements.
• Lasya: the soft, graceful style associated with Goddess Parvati; delicate and lyrical movements.

Most forms combine both. Mohiniyattam is a clear example of lasya; Kathakali has strong tandava qualities.

Lokdharmi and natyadharmi

The Natya Shastra describes two modes of presentation.

• Lokdharmi: realistic presentation, close to natural behaviour in daily life, without stylised gestures.
• Natyadharmi: stylised, theatrical presentation that follows conventions of the stage, such as hand gestures for objects, symbolic movements or a character speaking an aside.

Classical dance is largely natyadharmi, while folk performance and modern realistic drama lean towards lokdharmi.

Key points

• Nritta = pure rhythm; nritya = expression; natya = drama.
• Tandava = vigorous (Shiva); lasya = graceful (Parvati).
• Lokdharmi = realistic; natyadharmi = stylised.
• These terms come from the Natya Shastra tradition.

Common mistakes

• Using nritta and nritya as if they mean the same; only nritya carries meaning through abhinaya.
• Thinking tandava is only for men and lasya only for women; they are styles, used by any dancer.