Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

DANCE

DANCE

Tandava dance with energetic movements, and had it taught to Bharata, by Tandu, while Parvathi taught the Lasya, the gentler and graceful variety to Usha, the daughter of Bana.. Usha, in her turn, taught the art to the Gopis of Dwaraka, which later spread to Saurashtra and other parts of the country. Thus, the tradition of the art of dance was established in the country.

DANCE IN INDIA Dancing has been from the time of primitive man, a “supreme expression alike of religion and of love”, as, guided by music and rhythm, man expresses his emotions in movement and gestures. One can see it in the exuberance and spontaneity of the colourful dances of the tribals and rural folk all over the country.

According to our legends, the gods were the first dancers who per- formed the dances of creation, pres- ervation and destruction. It was a form of expressing man’s elemental joy, which later became a part of wor- ship and finally developed into a cul- tivated art. Dance has been practised as an art for at least three thousand years. The excavations of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa have references to it. Copious references to it can also be found in our ancient texts on dramaturgy, music and aesthetics as it was considered a part of “ Natya ”

The art of dance has been . inspired by the religious be- liefs of the people in the two most popular deities, Shiva and Krishna. The devotees of Shiva visualise the cosmic theory of the universe in the dance of Shiva or Natraja : "He is the cosmic dancer whose physical manifesta- tion is this universe, whose speech • is the world of lan- guage, whose stage-setting consists of the Moon and stars, and whose expression of emotion is pure bliss."

(acting) and “ Sangeetha ” (music). Dance was treated as an es- sential part of drama. The ancient Hindu dramas called “ rupakas ” (visual represen- tation) were produced with dances, songs and costumes as the chief medium. In the Vishnu Purana (200 A.D) it is said that the actors danced a play Natakam Nanruth. All this shows that dance existed as a form of art long before the period of Bharata’s.

So, Shiva dance to create peace in the universe, by destroying evil and ignorance. The famous Nataraja statue portrays this idea where Shiva dances with his right foot stamping the demon of ignorance, and in his hands are placed the drum and flame symbolising harmony and enlightenment. The devotees of Krishna, who seek the path of immortal love for their salvation, visualise the universe in the dance of Krishna. Their favourite theme is the Raas Lila of Krishna with the gopis, in which the yearning of the gopis to join the divine dancer Natwar Krishna represents the longing of the jivatma (human soul) to join

Natya Shastra, the earliest known treatise on dramaturgy. According to Natya Shastra “Nritya ” must form part of all celebrations and must be performed before every under- taking, as it is calculated to make the occa- sion auspicious.

the Paramathma (universal spirit). The dance accompanied with flute represents the blissful harmony in the universe.

ORIGIN "To worship God through dance is to fulfill all desires and to that one, is unfolded the path of salvation .............. It is performed for the welfare of the people and the one who ceaselessly strives for per- fection has victory over the three worlds," says an ancient text called the Vishnudharmottara. The origin of dance in India has been attributed to divine beings. The glorious snowy heights of the Himalayas, for instance, have been immortalised as the Home of Shiva — the various seasons which are regarded as the expressions and moods of the Lord have been celebrated with songs and dances. Tradition ascribes the origin of dance to Brahma, who in compli- ance with the request of the gods created the fifth Veda, the Natya Veda, taking speech, song, abhinaya and rasa, from the four Vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva respectively. This fifth Veda was imparted to Bharata by Brahma, to produce the first play, Amrit manthana which depicts the victory of the gods over the Asuras. It is said that Shiva saw the drama and introduced the

TREATISES AND TEXTS ON DANCE Historians believe that Natya Shastra is the contributive work of several scholars over a period of time. Classical dance forms are based on the tenets laid down in the Natya Shastra and it continues to be the source for the theory of every classical style of dance in India today. Apart from Natya Shastra, there are other treatises like Bhara- tarnav and Abhinaya Darpan. The Natya Shastra of Bharata is dated around the second century A.D. The Abhinaya Darpan by Nandikeshwara is dated around A.D. 1000. Other ancient treatises on dance are Nrttaratnavali Sangeet Damodaram, Sangit Darpan, Sangit Makarand, Sangit Ratnakar and Sangita Saramruta, to mention a few.