Dance, and Culture

Turkish Folk Dances

 

Folk dances have different characteristics based on region and location and are generally engaged in during weddings, journeys to the mountains in the summer, when sending sons off to military service and during religious and national holidays. The best known folk dances are:

 

Horon

 

This Black Sea dance is performed by men only, dressed in black with silver trimmings. The dancers link arms and quiver to the vibrations of the kemence, a primitive type of violin. For more info CLICK HERE

 

Kasik Oyunu

 

The Spoon Dance is performed from Konya to Silifke and consists of gaily dressed male and female dancers clicking out the dance rhythm with a pair of wooden spoons in each hand.

 

Kilic Kalkan

 

The Sword and Shield Dance of Bursa represents the Ottoman conquest of the city. It is performed by men only, dressed in early Ottoman battle dress, who dance to the sound of clashing swords and shields without music. 

 

 

Zeybek

 

In this Aegean dance, colorfully dressed male dancers, called "Efe", symbolize courage and heroism.

 

The Indian Dance

 

The legacy of dance in India is very old and rich. The statuette of the dancing girl, one of the most famous relics, dates back to 6000 B.C. Dance pervades poetry, sculpture, architecture, literature, music and theatre. One reason for its popularity in India is the worship of Lord Shiva, one of the Holy Trinities of the Hindu mythology. It is said that His cosmic dance encompasses the processes of creation, preservation and destruction- the ultimate principle on which Hinduism rests. One can see the dancing Shiva at the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram in South India. In addition to this, the themes chosen are mostly from mythology like the story of Ramayana and Krishna and Radha ’s relationship. The dances contain methodical training of different kinds of postures, the mudras or hand formations and different expressions of emotions or rasas. Movements coordinate with the appropriate emotions. The attire and ornaments are special for each type of classical dance. Dancers use the dancing bells or the ghungroo tied to their ankles; these bells give a pleasant sound that coincides with the syllables given on the percussion instrument (like Mridangam, tabla, pakhawaj, naal) for foot work by the dancer. The syllables are accompanied by the vocalists, and instruments such as violin, flute.

Anita Mishra

RPVV, Tyagraj Nagar

 

Classical Dances of India

 

 

Bharata Natyam

Name of the Dance 

·         Bharata Natyam 

Form and its Meaning 

·         Bhava (expression), Raga (musical mode), Tala (rhythm),  Natyam (dance) together  make BHARATA NATYAM

State of Origin 

·         Tamil Nadu

Famous Exponents 

·         Bala Saraswati,  Malavika Sarukkai,  Prema Vaidyanathan,  Mallika Sarabhai

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used 

·         Mridangam(drum), nagaswaram (long pipe horn made from a black wood), the flute, violin and veena (stringed instrument  and a pair of cymbals

Costume 

·         Dancers wear costumes made of silk saris with gold zari embroidery designs. The pleats in these costumes open beautifully when the dancer forms a particular posture especially half sitting and full sitting.

Dance Style 

·         Bharatanatyam is performed with the knees of the dancers bent. The dance emphasizes on the hand movements to convey different kinds of emotions to the spectator. The technique of Bharatnatyam consists of Ntya, Nritta and Nritya. Natya is the dramatic art which is the language of gestures, poses and mimes (Abhinaya). Nritta is the rhythmic and repetitive elements in the dance. The Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya. Abhinaya(mime)  is another important aspect of the dance form. It consists of expressions and the expression is never overdone.

 

            Odissi

Name of the Dance

·         Odissi

Form & its Meaning

·         Derives its name from Orissa  

State of Origin 

·         Orissa

Famous Exponents

·         Kelucharan Mahapatra, Madhavi Mudgal, Sonal Man Singh

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Pakhawaj, flute, Manjira (metal cymbals), Sitar and Tanpura

Costume

·         The dancer wears a nine-yard sari woven from silk, usually in bright shades of orange, red or green, a richly embroidered blouse, a frill around  the legs and a tassel worn around the waist. The dancer also wears a decorative headpiece which is shaped like flowers.

Dance Style

·         Odissi closely follows the tenets laid down by the Natya Shastra. Odissi dance style had been set on a very distinctive method of body manipulation. The Odissi dancers use their head, bust and torso in soft flowing movements to express specific moods and emotions. In no other clasical dance form , is seen such a close relationship between the art of dance and the sculpture. Especially the 'Tribhangi' which divides the body

 

Kuchipudi

 

Name of the Dance

·         Kuchipudi

Form and its Meaning

·         called after a village in Andhra Pradesh

State of Origin

·         Andhra Pradesh

Famous Exponents

·         Raja and Radha Reddy, Yamini Krishnamurthy, Swapna Sundari

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Mridangam, violin, and clarinet

Costume

·         There is not much of a difference between Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi costumes. The centre pleats that come in Bharatanatyam costumes are also used in Kuchipudi , the only difference is the ‘Katcham’ that comes at the back of a Kuchipudi costume.

Dance Style

·         Kuchipudi is a perfect amalgamation of "Nritta", "Nritya" and "Natya". The Nritta consists of a song; the Nritya or "Sabdams" includes the interpretation of the song through dance and Natya combines both into a complete dance drama having a storyline and characters. The Kuchipudi dance form uses a lot of fast rhythmic foot movements. Kuchipudi dance style is somewhere between the classical dance style of Odissi and that of Bharata Natyam. 

·         There are certain types of steps that are unique to Kuchipudi. Especially there is the Tarangam in which the dancer must dance upon a brass plate, placing the feet upon the raised edges. The dancer has to move the plate with proper balance.

 

 

Kathak

 

 

Name of the Dance

·         Kathak 

Form and its Meaning

·         ‘Kathakar ’ or Storyteller

Origin

·         North India

Famous Exponents

·         Uma Sharma, Shovana Narayan, Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Tabla

Costume

·         The dancer wears a flared ankle length dress (long skirt) over a tight trousers, a blouse, a veil and a cap The ornaments consist of gold and silver for head, neck, arms, hands fingers, waist and feet  and small ankle bells.

Dance Style

Kathak dances are performed straight-legged under the weight of more than 100 ankle bells and the ankle bells worn by the dancers are skillfully controlled. In Kathak dance the emphasis is more on footwork as against hand formations. Kathak dance can be performed by both men and women. Kathak is characterized by rhythmic footwork, spectacular spins, and the dramatic representation of themes from Persian and Urdu poetry alongside those of Hindu mythology.

 

 

5.        Mohini Attam

Name of the Dance

·         Mohini Attam

Form and its Meaning

·         Means dance of the attractive maiden

State of Origin

·         Kerala

Famous Exponents

·         Bharati Shivaji, Kanak Rele, Shanta Rao

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Mridangam

Costume

·         The costume is mostly white or cream white in color stitched out of a sari. The border of the sari is in golden color

Dance Style

·         Mohiniattam is a solo female dance. The dancer  sways rhythmically from side to side with smooth and unbroken flow of the body movement. The Mohiniattam dance focuses mainly on feminine moods and emotions. Usually, the theme of Mohiniattam dance is "sringara" or love. The subject of love is depicted through abhinaya, subtle gestures, rhythmic footwork and lilting music. The legend of Vishnu as "Mohini", (the enchantress) forms the core of Mohiniattam dance. 

 

 

6.       Kathakali

Name of the Dance

·         Kathakali

Form and  its Meaning

·         Story-play/Dance drama

State of Origin

·         Kerala

Famous Exponents

·         Kalamandalam Murali, Kalamandalam Gopi, Guru Raghavan Nair

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Chenda, Maddala (drums)

Costume

·         The dancers are usually men, who wear voluminous and bulky skirts, elaborate masks and headdresses with vivid painted faces. The colour of the paint depicts the characters they portray.

Dance Style

·         Kathakali ranks high among the Indian dance forms, since it is a dramatic performance in which, the actors do not speak or sing, but interpret their emotions through natural and impressive gestures and mudras, graceful and rhythmic movements and pleasing choreography. It is a male art and the dancing is mostly of the masculine type. This also lends Kathakali its universal appeal. Another distinct feature of Kathakali is its elaborate costume and make-up. The themes of the Kathakali are religious in nature.  They typically deal with the ancient scriptures - Mahabarat, the Ramayana and the Puranas.  

 

 

7.      Manipuri

Name of the Dance

·         Manipuri

Form and its Meaning

·         Derives its name from the brilliant valley of Manipur (the jewelled city)

State of Origin

·         Manipur

Famous Exponents

·         Singhajit Singh and Charu Siya Mathur

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Pung (the Manipuri drum),  flute, conch shells and a trumpet-like horn, stringed instruments and metallic instruments like the cymbals (known as kartal)

Costume

·         The costumes are very picturesque. The headdress consists of a tight-fitting conical cap of black velvet or other material, trimmed with a border of synthetic pearls, under a thin white veil. The blouse is a tight fitting garment usually made of velvet and below it lie the twirling flounces of a sequined wide bordered skirt that catches the eye.  

Dance Style

·         The Manipuri dance is one of the purest, softest and mildest dances. The movements of the body, feet and facial expressions in the dance are delicate and show complete devotion to God. The most striking part of the dance is its colorful decoration, lightness of dancing foot, delicacy of abhinaya (drama), lilting music and poetic charm.

 

8.     Sattriya Nritya

 

Name of the Dance

·         Sattriya

Form and its Meaning

·         Originally performed in ‘Sattras’ (monasteries). Hence the name.

State of Origin

·         Assam

Famous Exponents

·         Maniram Dutta Muktiyar Barbayan. Shri Raseswar Saikia Barbayan, Shri Ghanakanta, Sanatan Hazarika

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used

·         Khols (drums), taals (cymbals), flute, violin and harmonium

Costume

·         The dresses are usually made of pat, a type of silk produced in Assam, woven with intricate local motifs. The ornaments, too, are based on traditional Assamese designs.

Dance Style

·         The core of Sattriya Nritya is usually mythological stories. Traditionally, Sattriya was performed only by male monks in monasteries as a part of their daily rituals or during festivals. Today, Sattriya is also performed on stage by men and women who are not members of the monasteries on themes not merely mythological. This dance encompasses the principles mentioned in Natyashastra -  aspects of nritta (pure dance), nrtya (expressive dance), and natya (abhinaya).

 

 

Chhau

 

Name of the Dance                           -    Chhau

Form & its Meaning                        -    Derived from the word ‘Chayya’ in Sanskrit meaning mask dance. Another  

                                                      school of thought is that the word ‘Chhau’ has been derived from the word

                                                                 ‘Chhauni’, meaning camp of the soldiers since this dance is martial in

                                                                 nature.

Origin                                                -    East India

Famous Exponents                           -    Mohan Mahapatra, Kelucharan Mahapatra, Pankaj Charan Das, Hare

                                                                 Krishna

Beats/Percussion/Instrument used  -   Dhol, Nagara or Dhumsa (kettle drum), Jhanj (brass cymbals), flute, conch

                                                                 shells, Turi and Bheri (Long bamboo pipes)

 

Anita Mishra

RPVV, Tyagraj Nagar