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Indian Dance and Music

India has a great heritage of classical dance and music. Using the body as a medium of communication, the expression of dance is perhaps the most intricate and developed, yet easily understood art form. Dance in India covers a wide range of dance and dance theatre forms, from the ancient classical or temple dance to folk and modern styles. Three best-known deities, Shiva, Kali and Krishna, are typically represented dancing. There are hundreds of Indian folk dances such as Bhangra, Garba and special dances observed in regional festivals.India offers a number of classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. The presentation of Indian dance styles in film, Bollywood, has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience.

Indian Dances :

Bharatanatyam - Kathak - Kathakali - Kuchipudi - Manipuri – Mohiniyattam - Odissi - Chhau

Indian Music :

Bauls - Bhangra - Bhavageete - Lavani - Qawwali - Rabindra Sangeet - Folk Music - Ghazal - Classical Music

Dance of India BHARATANATYAM is a classic dance form originating in Tamil Nadu, a state in Southern India and is also the National Dance of India. This dance form denotes various 19th and 20th century reconstructions of Cathir, the art of temple dancers. Cathir in turn, is derived from ancient dance forms. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical Carnatic music.

Kathak :

Is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from northern India. This dance form traces its origins to the the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or story tellers. It was quintessential theatre, using instrumental and vocal music along with stylized gestures, to enliven the stories. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti movement.

Kathakali :

Is a highly stylised classical Indian dance-drama noted for its attractive make-up of characters, their elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion.

Kuchipudi :

Is a Classical Indian dance form from Andhra Pradesh, a state of South India. Kuchipudi is the name of a small village in the Divi Taluq of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and with resident Brahmins practising this traditional dance form, it acquired the present name.

Manipuri :

Dance is one of the major Indian classical dance forms. It originates from Manipur, a state in north-eastern India on the border with Myanmar (also known as Burma). In Manipur, surrounded by mountains and geographically isolated at the meeting point of the orient and mainland India, the form developed its own specific aesthetics, values, conventions and ethics.

Mohiniyattam :

Is a traditional South Indian dance from Kerala, one of the eight Indian classical dance forms. It is a very graceful dance meant to be performed as a solo recital by women. The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words "Mohini" meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and "aattam" meaning graceful and sensuous body movements.

Odissi :

Is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as Odra-Magadhi. First century BCE bas-reliefs in the hills of Udaygiri (near Bhubaneshwar) testify to its antiquity. It was suppressed under the British raj but has been reconstructed since India gained independence.

Chhau :

Is a genre of tribal martial dance, which is popular in the Indian states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa. Its origin is attributed to Mayurbhanj, an erstwhile princly state of Orissa.There are three subgenres of the dance, based on its places of origin and development.

Music of India :

Bauls :

The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bangla folk music. The scholar saint Sri Anirvan loved Baul music, and in fact described himself as a simple Baul. Other folk music forms include Gombhira, Bhatiali and Bhawaiya. Folk music in Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, a one-stringed instrument. Other instruments include the dotara, dhol, flute, and tabla. The region also has an active heritage in North Indian classical music.

Bhangra :

Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region to celebrate Vaisakhi the festival of the Sikhs. As many Bhangra lyrics reflect the long and often tumultuous history of the Punjab, knowledge of Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music.

Bhavageete :

Bhavageete (literally "emotion(al) song") is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. Some notable Bhavageete performers include Gantasala, P. Kalinga Rao, Mysore Ananthaswamy, C. Aswath, Shimoga Subbanna, Archana Udupa, and Raju Ananthaswamy.

Lavani :

Lavani comes from the word Lavanya which means beauty. This is one of the most popular forms of dance and music that is practiced all over Maharashtra. It has in fact become a necessary part of the Maharashtrian folk dance performances.

Qawwali :

Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on the principles of classical music. It is performed with one or two or many lead singers, several chorus singers, harmonium, tabla, and dholak.QAWWALI : Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on the principles of classical music. It is performed with one or two or many lead singers, several chorus singers, harmonium, tabla, and dholak.

Rabindra Sangeet :

Rabindranath Tagore was a towering figure in Indian music. Writing in Bengali, he created a library of over 2,000 songs now known by Bengalis as 'rabindra sangeet' whose form is primarily influenced by Hindustani classical, sub-classicals, Karnatic, western, bauls, bhatiyali and different folk songs of India. Many singers in West Bengal, and Bangladesh base their entire careers on the singing of Tagore musical masterpieces. The national anthem of India and national song of Bangladesh are Rabindra Sangeets.

Folk Music :

The true rhythm of India lies in its folk music - the music of the masses. The extreme cultural diversity creates endless varieties of folk styles. Every event of life has a unique folk song associated with it - then be it festivals, advent of the new season, birth of a child, or day-to-day affairs like teasing one's loved one, admiring nature, etc.

Ghazal :

It's a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century pre-Islamic Arabic verse.

Classical Music :

The two main traditions of classical music which have been Carnatic music, found predominantly in the peninsular regions and Hindustani music, found in the northern and central parts. While both traditions claim Vedic origin, history indicates that the two traditions diverged from a common musical root since c. 13th century.

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