Like music, dance in India has traditionally been a form of worship of the gods, and all dance forms were structured around the nine emotions or rasa, namely, happiness, sorrow, anger, compassion, disgust, wonder, fear, courage and serenity. The main classical dance forms are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri and Kathakali. Indian folk dances include Chhau, Dandiya Raas, Garba and Bhangra.
It is believed that Indian classical dance was defined by sage Bharata Muni in the Natya Shastra (Treatise of Dance), written in Sanskrit sometime between 200 bc and 200 ad. Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest and most popular of the classical dances. It traces its origins to the Devadasi tradition prevalent in southern India in medieval times. Under the Devadasi tradition, women were dedicated to temples and danced for the deities. Bharatanatyam is primarily a solo dance and involves elaborate gestures and postures performed to Carnatic music. It has three main elements: nritta, the rhythmic movements of the body, feet and hands; natya, mime using facial gestures; and nritya, a combination of the two.
Each region and village has its own folk dances performed during festivals and on special occasions such as weddings and the birth of a child. The dances are performed to seek blessings from gods, or to express joy and the spirit of celebration. Each dance has a distinct colourful costume, which is often worn with elaborate jewellery. Most of the dances are easy to perform and do not require extensive training, unlike the classical dances. Both men and women usually take part in folk dances, though the traditional form of Bhangra is performed primarily by men. Bhangra is a vigorous dance performed during the harvest festival of Baisakhi in Punjab state. The dancers are accompanied by a drummer who usually stands at the centre of the group.
Dandiya And Garba
Energetic dances that originated in the western state of Gujarat, both Dandiya and Garba are performed in honour of the goddess Amba. The Garba is a fertility dance in which women carry oil lamps in pots on their heads and move around in a circle, balancing the pots. They snap their fingers and clap their hands to produce a fast beat. The dance was traditionally performed at night, but in its modern version, it is performed at any time.
In the Dandiya, the dancers carry colourful sticks which they use either solo or in partnership with other dancers. Here too, the dancers move in a circle and every time they move their sticks, the tiny bells on the sticks make a tinkling sound which adds to the pleasure of the dance.