Texts and folk dances

Natya Shastra, Abhinaya Darpan, Abhinaya Chandrika, Hasta Lakshana Deepika and major folk dances.

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Important texts

  • Natya Shastra: the oldest Indian treatise on drama, dance and music, attributed to Bharata Muni. It is called the "fifth Veda" (Natyaveda). According to tradition, Brahma took recitation (pathya) from the Rigveda, song from the Samaveda, abhinaya from the Yajurveda and rasa from the Atharvaveda. It deals with theatre buildings, abhinaya, rasa and bhava, music, instruments and much more.
  • Abhinaya Darpan: a compact text by Nandikeshvara on abhinaya, especially hand gestures (hastas) divided into single-hand (asamyukta) and combined-hand (samyukta) gestures. It is the main reference for Bharatanatyam.
  • Abhinaya Chandrika: a text by Maheshwar Mahapatra of Odisha, describing the technique of Odissi.
  • Hasta Lakshana Deepika: the text of hand gestures followed in Kathakali; it describes 24 basic mudras.

Major folk dances

  • Bhangra and Giddha: Punjab (Giddha is danced by women).
  • Garba and Dandiya Raas: Gujarat, especially during Navratri.
  • Ghoomar and Kalbelia: Rajasthan.
  • Lavani: Maharashtra, with the dholki.
  • Bihu: Assam, linked with the spring festival.
  • Chhau: Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal; martial movements, masks in the Purulia and Seraikela styles.
  • Yakshagana: Karnataka, a dance-drama with elaborate costumes.
  • Theyyam: Kerala, ritual worship dance.
  • Rauf: Kashmir.
  • Cheraw (bamboo dance): Mizoram.

Key points

  • Natya Shastra: Bharata; Abhinaya Darpan: Nandikeshvara.
  • Abhinaya Chandrika: Odissi; Hasta Lakshana Deepika: Kathakali.
  • Natya Shastra drew rasa from the Atharvaveda and abhinaya from the Yajurveda.
  • Learn at least one folk dance per major state.

Common mistakes

  • Linking Abhinaya Chandrika with Bharatanatyam; it is the Odissi text.
  • Placing Lavani in Gujarat or Garba in Maharashtra.

Practice questions

Who is the author of the Abhinaya Darpan?Easy
Which text is the main authority for the hand gestures used in Kathakali?Medium
According to the tradition recorded in the Natya Shastra, from which Veda was rasa taken?Hard
Lavani, a fast and lively folk performance with the dholki, belongs to which state?Easy
A masked folk dance with martial movements is practised in Purulia and Seraikela styles. It is:Medium
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