India's contemporary classical dances trace their origin far back in Indian history. Dance like any other aspect of Indian culture and tradition has developed over thousands of years. It is a very influential art form, for sculptures and pieces of literature from the past all depict some form of dance. Classical Indian dances today trace their roots to a book called the Natyasastra which forms the basis of all the performing arts today.
The first concrete evidence of dance in India can be traced back to the period of the Indus Valley Civilization, , where beautiful bronze sculptures of a dancing girl have been found. Other sculptures found at the Indus Valley Civilization sites indicate that dance was a well developed art. Moving into the Vedic age, we once again find evidence of the continuing tradition of dance with the Vedas speaking eloquently on the art form. Dance was respected as a profession as well as a social activity. Even the Gods have been shown to appreciate dance, with Lord Krishna known as the Supreme Dancer. Essentially one can divide the history of dance in India into two periods, the first one from the 2nd Century BC to the 9th Century BC and the second from the 10th Century BC to the 18th Century BC. During the first period, Sanskrit
was the premier language for arts and hence had an influence on dance as well. This resulted in the dances being more or less uniform throughout the country. This period followed the Natyasastra with very little deviation from the principles it set down, and hence during this period dance, drama and music were one. The second period is characterized by regional diversifications and experimentations with newer ideas. Regional languages which had come up played an important role in diversifying the dance traditions, as did the inclination to deviate from the principles of the Natyasastra . They however still followed the essential concepts of the Natyasastra . The classical dance forms of Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Orissi, Kathakali and Manipuri began developing during this period. Another notable literary work on dance that was written during this period is the Abhinaya Darpana . Indian dance almost died out during the British rule, but a tradition of over five thousand years could not be wiped out that easily, and by the early part of the 20th Century a revival of the dances took place, and today there are many excellent artistes for each dance. The articles and images in our dance section will give you a brief idea of what each dance is, but to fully appreciate and understand them you would have to watch a dance recital. Indian dancers perform in many parts of the world so check the guides for upcoming events in your area. You may also be able to get videos of past performances. Our sections on each dance includes information about some of the prominent artists of that dance form, which would be a good starting point to begin your quest with.
India's contemporary classical dances trace their origin far back in Indian history. Dance like any other aspect of Indian culture and tradition has developed over thousands of years. It is a very influential art form, for sculptures and pieces of literature from the past all depict some form of dance. Classical Indian dances today trace their roots to a book called the Natyasastra which forms the basis of all the performing arts today.
The first concrete evidence of dance in India can be traced back to the period of the Indus Valley Civilization, , where beautiful bronze sculptures of a dancing girl have been found. Other sculptures found at the Indus Valley Civilization sites indicate that dance was a well developed art. Moving into the Vedic age, we once again find evidence of the continuing tradition of dance with the Vedas speaking eloquently on the art form. Dance was respected as a profession as well as a social activity. Even the Gods have been shown to appreciate dance, with Lord Krishna known as the Supreme Dancer. Essentially one can divide the history of dance in India into two periods, the first one from the 2nd Century BC to the 9th Century BC and the second from the 10th Century BC to the 18th Century BC. During the first period, Sanskrit was the premier language for arts and hence had an influence on dance as well. This resulted in the dances being more or less uniform throughout the country. This period followed the Natyasastra with very little deviation from the principles it set down, and hence during this period dance, drama and music were one. The second period is characterized by regional diversifications and experimentations with newer ideas. Regional languages which had come up played an important role in diversifying the dance traditions, as did the inclination to deviate from the principles of the Natyasastra . They however still followed the essential concepts of the Natyasastra . The classical dance forms of Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Orissi, Kathakali and Manipuri began developing during this period. Another notable literary work on dance that was written during this period is the Abhinaya Darpana .
Indian dance almost died out during the British rule, but a tradition of over five thousand years could not be wiped out that easily, and by the early part of the 20th Century a revival of the dances took place, and today there are many excellent artistes for each dance. The articles and images in our dance section will give you a brief idea of what each dance is, but to fully appreciate and understand them you would have to watch a dance recital. Indian dancers perform in many parts of the world so check the guides for upcoming events in your area. You may also be able to get videos of past performances. Our sections on each dance includes information about some of the prominent artists of that dance form, which would be a good starting point to begin your quest with.
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