Dance in India

In India, the dance has a religious origin. In Hindu mythology, the dance is a sacred act, an activity that is older than the earth itself to the will according to Shiva, who have God of creation and destruction, the world destroyed and recreated with his dance ( Nataraja ). There are eight classical dance forms: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam ( Mogulhui ), Odissi and Sattriya.

Classical dance forms

Bharatanatyam

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In India, there are many regional dances, of which the Bharatanatyam, the classical Indian dance, is the best known. This solo dance form comes from Tamil Nadu and is now popular throughout the country. Previously she was banned because of some existing proximity to temple prostitution. In Bharatanatyam is not sought such as in ballet "up" in order to achieve the effect of absolute ease, but specifically the earth-related, almost hard -looking movement preferred. However, there are also very dynamic and fast turns, but they are also always erdbezogen. To this dance dance well and expressive, you need a years long, hard training, which is very physically demanding. The dance is hard to learn, because nearly every muscle twitch has a meaning of its own (there are up to nine movements of the eyes and eyebrows).

Kathak

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Kathak is a dance style that is particularly common in North India, in the Punjab and in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He has developed since the 13th century, most of the songs were from the life of Vishnu and Krishna. As a result of the Muslim rule of the Mughals, however themes and music of Kathak changed fundamentally since this art form has now been presented especially at courts, where local artists met with Persian and Arab musicians. It now besides the religious and secular themes were taken up.

Kathakali

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Kathakali is predominantly located in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Kathakali is considered to be one of the oldest dance forms. It is a spectacular mix of drama, dance, music and ritual. Characters with vivid painted faces and elaborate costumes to tell stories from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. Kathakali is traditionally danced only by men, even the female roles.

Kuchipudi

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The Kuchipudi dance drama is not related to the Bharatnatyam, but is an art form that has evolved from the dance drama tradition of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It includes virtuoso tricks, so, for example, dancing on a brass tray while balancing a bowl of water on the head. Kuchipudi told mostly from the life of Krishna and Vishnu. Until the 1970s all the roles of the dance drama of men were taken. Women were first recorded in 1967 by Master Vempati Chinna Satyam Kuchipudi at his academy for the study of dance, where he developed an independent solo dance form, together with other masters.

Manipuri

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Manipuri originates from Manipur, a state in northeastern India on the border with Burma. In Manipur, surrounded by mountains and geographically at the crossroads of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, to a form developed with its own specific aesthetics, values, conventions and ethics. The cult of Radha and Krishna in the ras lila and the dance form pung cholom are of central importance. Dancers wear small bells on their ankles to accentuate the dance rhythm. Unlike other classical Indian dance forms, the feet are not pitched hard to the ground. Movements of the body and feet and facial expressions in Manipuri are subtle and delicate, which in turn resemble the Burmese style.

Mohiniyattam

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Like the Kathakali comes the solo dance form Mohiniyattam from Kerala. However, this is danced by women, and tells the story of the incarnation of Vishnu as " Mohini ", the divine seductress. The theme of female love is illustrated by flowing movements and vestments. How many styles of dance Mohiniyattam was almost finished in the early 20th century into oblivion.

Odissi

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Odissi is originally a temple dance that was danced by the Mahari in the temples Odishas. Later this form of dance performance from the temples to the rulers yards and then "on the streets " among the people, where it was originally performed by men dressed as women arrived. Odissi is characterized by flowing movements, statuesque poses, aesthetic beauty and grace.

Sattriya

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Sattriya Sattriya Nritya or developed in the 15th century in Assam, in northeastern India. In the second half of the 19th century it was known outside the temple and spread. Sattriya was originally danced only by men.

Chhau

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Chhau is a resultant of the art of war folk dance tradition, which has evolved into classical forms. There are four regional styles in eastern India. Seraikella Chhau is maintained in the small town Seraikella in the state of Jharkhand, Purulia Chhau in neighboring Purulia district in West Bengal and Mayurbhanj Chhau of Orissa in the northeast. Less well known is the tribal dance Chhau Midnapur in West Bengal. Up to Mayurbhanj Chhau all styles are mask dances.

Yakshagana

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Yakshagana is a listed with heavily made-up performers dance theater on the south coast and the angrenzenten mountains of Karnataka, which is musically accompanied by singing and the two drums Chande and Maddale. Its roots lie mainly in narrative style Tala Maddale and Bhuta - ghost cult. Traditional performances take place during the dry season rather than in the open field and take all night.

Bollywood dance

In addition to the centuries-old traditional dance forms and modern dance style of Bollywood Movies (Bollywood dance) in India is very popular. It was created by the Indian film industry and is danced to modern Indian music (film). However, the movements of this dance are more like the oriental dance the Arab world than the classical Indian dances.