KATHAKALI

Kathakali is a beautiful amalgam of DRAVIDIAN and ARYAN elements.As we all know Aryans arrived in Kerala during the commencement of the C.E. As history says where ever they settled they fought and imposed their supremacy over the indigenous people and pushed them to the lower strata.But fortunately the merge was not so bad in Kerala , and there seems to have been a more peaceful blending of these two diverse races. As far as Kathakali is concerned the outer appearance is that of Dravidian culture - the make up and costumes , the dance patterns , percussion instruments etc. The themes and sources of stories , the manner of artistic expression of emotions and the theory of Rasa (aesthetic sentiment) are adopted from Aryan culture. For example the name itself KATHA-Aryan , KALI-Dravidian.

MANIPURI

HISTORY : Maharaja Gambhir Singh (1825-1834 C.E) composed two parengs of the tandava type , the Goshtha Bhangi Pareng and the Goshtha Vrindavan Pareng. Maharaja Chandra Kirti Singh (1849-1886 C.E) composed at least 64 pung choloms (DRUM DANCES) and two parengs of the Lasya type , the Vrindaban Bhangi Pareng and Khrumba Bhangi Pareng.The composition of the Nitya Ras is also attributed to him.I happened to witness Manuri dance repertoire recently . The Pung choloms or DRUM DANCES are indeed a marvel to witness.The trained drummers dance to the beat in a very harmonious way and a lot of rigorous practise is required for the same to accomplish such a feat.If RASA LILA is slow and enchanting to watch the latter leaves us dumbstruck!

KATHAK

Bana Bhatta's HARSHACHARITA throws light on the existence of KATHAKAS who wandered village sabhas and temple courtyards telling stories {KATHAS} tastefully handpicked from mythology and adding colour to it with actions and expressions. By the 13th century a definite style had emerged. It was during the 15th and 16th century at the time of BHAKTI MOVEMENT, Rasalila had tremendous impact on KATHAK.During this period stories of RADHA -KRISHNA ,Srikrishan's exploits in the holy land of VRINDAVAN ,tales of KRISHNA LEELA {Krishan's childhood} all became very popular and the dance which was more spiritual started to acquire folk elements too.Following mythology and ancient scriptures we get to know that this dance took the form of "KATHKALAKSHEPAM" and "HARIKATHA" in Southern India and came to be known as "KATHAK" in the North.

ODISSI

HISTORY :Odissi dancers are found depicted in the hills of Udayagiri {near Bhubaneshwar} dating back to the 1st century B.C. Thus ODISSI being the oldest dance form there was a move to classify it as a separate classical system. As the traditional Odissi singers and musicians were very much influenced by the Hindustani concepts , they found it difficult to present the music in its original form.Had they succeeded in having ODISSI music declared to be a separate system , then it would be hard to justify calling it classical .It would have failed to achieve any level of ethnic transcendence that its enjoying today and would essentially be reduced to the level of "traditional" art form.

KUCHIPUDI

KUCHIPUDI : As we are aware , Siddhendra yogi the great saint of 14th century by incorporating the principles of Natyasasthra to the existing form of Yakshagana dance dramas had given it a new form.The outcome was a beautiful , elegant and distinct "KUCHIPUDI".The amalgamation of both folk and classical forms has been done with such dexterity that KUCHIPUDI has secured a special place amidst the other shining stars of the classical arena.KUCHIPUDI is not a mere dance form , but a combination of dance gestures , speech and song , hence a dancer has to be well versed in dancing , acting music etc.When they incorporate THARANGAM , the technique of balancing pot on head or use coloured powder on the feet to mark out a design on the floor , the dance takes one to a totally different world ! It was around 1930's the maestro Vedanta Lakshmi Narayana Sastry created ripples in the world of dance by introducing women dancers to Kuchipudi.Today KUCHIPUDI has metamorphosised to include both solo and group performances by both men and women.

BHARATA NATYAM

ESSENTIAL IDEAS :Bharatanatyam is considered to be FIRE-DANCE , the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body.
ELEMENT OF WATER _ Odissi.
Element of Air _Mohiniyattam.
Element of Earth _ Kuchipudi.
Element of Sky _Kathakali.
Bharatanatyam is called a fire dance as the mystic movement of the dancer , resemble the movement of a dancing flame. This art form has two aspects , LASYA , the embodiment of feminine movements and THANDAVA or ANANDA THANDAVA (Dance of SHIVA - one among the trinities) , the embodiment of masculine movements , which is identical to the yin and yang in Chinese culture.

KATHAKALI

ORIGIN :Let us take a peep into the origin of this tastefully colourful art form. As we know the word "KATHAKALI" literally means "STORY-PLAY". And it does narrate a story elaborately , mainly from our epics Mahabharata and Ramayana.If we look into the history , there are no authentic records about the same, a popular belief is that once Kottarakkara Thampuran , the Raja of Kottarakkarahappened to view "KRISHNATTAM" and found it quite appealing. This art was being performed those days under the patronage of ZAMORINS' the rulers of Calicut (Kozhikode -Kerala).When the Thampuran requested for the loan of a troupe of performers ,it was blindly rejected by the latter due to political rivalry.In lieu , the Thampuran created another art form called"RAMANATTAM" which later on developed into "AATTAKATHA" which later on came to be known as KATHAKALI. The multicoloured face mask and the rich flowing costumes can be attributed to the strong rivalry between the two rulers to make the artform undoubtedly spectacular.Krishanttam was writeen in Sanskrit and Rmanattam in Malayalam and Kathakali is written in Manipravalam a combination of both.

MOHINIYATTAM

Dancing style :As we have already read the dancing style is unique , and enchanting. Characteristic body movements , marked by the graceful sway of the torso ..and the rise and fall of the body with emphasis on the torso...gives one the feel of the swaying coconut trees of Kerala.The glances, postures ,and gait employed are so subtle and graceful that they convey the infinite suggestiveness of radiant love.It portrays feminine love in myriad forms :carnal,devotional and maternal with accent more on lasya and bhava.

MANIPURI

Special aspects of Manipuri dance :The dancers do not wear ankle bells to accentuate the beats tapped out by the feet , in contrast with other Indian dance forms , and the dancer's feet never strike the ground hard. Movements of the body and feet , and the facial expressions in Manipuri dance are subtle and aim at devotion and grace. The Manipuri dancers dazzle the audience with their colourful costumes, gossamer veils , mirrored skirts and ornaments which create a dream like effect.Intensely devotional in mood Manipuri dances are a part of daly life for the natives.

KATHAK

HISTORY : A conventional Kathak repertoire usually follows a progression in tempo from slow to fast , ending with a dramatic climax.Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (abhinaya) are the two main features of any classical dance .The kathak dancers frequently performed Nritya on lighter classical music such as dadra , kajri , tappa as well as thumri.This was mainly performed by Tawaifs' in the courts.Such performances in the royal courtsinvolved more of what is known as Nakhra (mischievous playfulness) . With the advent of British raj this was misjudged. The free interchange of ideas beween the court and tawaif dancers thus led to the downfall of kathak during that age.

ODISSI

HISTORY : Getting back to the history of ODISSI , let's analyse the emergence of GOTIPUAS....during the 6th C.E.GOTIPUAS were young boys dressed as girls and were tutored by MAHARIES.The vaishnava cult during these days did not approve of dancing by women.During this period vaishnava poets composed innumerable lyrics in Oriya dedicated to Radha and Krishna.Gotipuas danced to these compositions. They stepped out of the precincts of the temples. Nartaki dance took place in the royal courts , where it was much cultivated before the British period.Devadasies were misused and came under strong attack , and Odissi dance too lost its sheen and glaze in the temples , and became unfashionable at courts.Only the remnants of GOTIPUA SCHOOL remained and the reconstruction of the style required a lot of effort.

KUCHIPUDI

SIDDHENDRA YOGI is remembered as the author of the famous play " BHAMAKALAPAM", about the playful fights between Lord Krishna and his consorts Satyabhama and Rukmini.He developed the most famous part of the Kuchipudi Dacne repertoire ..The Sathyabhama cycle.

Siddhendra Yogi incorporated the principles of Natyashastra (Bible of all Indian classical Dances) into the existing format of the Yakshagana folk dance dramas and gave it a new form.The outcome was a beautiful , distinct and elegant dance form called KUCHIPUDI..! The amalgamation of folk and classical forms has been done with much dexterity.One of the distinctive feature of KUCHIPUDI is the more relaxed flexed knee position , compared to the other classical dance styles of the southern India.The present style has undergone a lot of metamorphosis during the following centuries under the rulership of various kings....

BHARATA NATYAM

THILLANA :Thillana is the concluding or the penultimate piece of a Bharatanatyam repertoire.

It is a fast and vibrant piece of dance form which is a pure delight to eyes and mind. Its a truly visual delight with its flowing music. It contains four segments.

First segment :Single line jathi sung in a preset tune.

Second segment :Two line jathis sung in a preset tune.

Third segment :Sahithyam (content).

Fourth segment :Two or three lines of jathis set to tune.

Between every segment , the opening line (first segment) is always sung. Nritta sequences set in style of korvais are performed.

Happiness , joy and ecstasy are the feelings that are in forefront while performing a THILLANA. The sahithyam is usually in praise of the LORD...none other than NARAYANA...

The last couplet usually ends with a prayer for the overall welfare..!!!

BHARATA NATYAM

PADAM: Varnam is followed by PADAM.Its aim is to exhibit a dancer's depth in the interpretation of abhinaya , and his maturity in dance.Padam bestows aesthetic pleasure to the beholder with good exposition of melodic structure of raga , finely blended with verbal structure of lyrics. Its a feast to both ears and eyes.The story line hovers on Lord Krishna often , or Kings to please whom lyrics have been composed.Padams are usually set in VILAMBITA LAYA{ slow tempo}.

BHARATA NATYAM

Varnam:A varnam is the centre piece in the Bharatanatyam repertoire.A varnam is relatively long piece , ranging from 30 minutes to one hour. It is usually set to Ata or Aadi taala.Though the lyrics are simple , it usually has long syllables and swara phrases of various lenghts which bring out the essential features of the raaga.In Carnatic music there are two types of varnams. They are Taana varnam and Pada varnam.Taana varnams are usually sung as vocal exercises in a particular raaga , whereas Padavarnams are usually sung for Bharatanatyam .

BHARATA NATYAM

Shabdam:It is with "Shabdam" that a dancer first introduces "Abhinaya" in the repertoire.The abhinaya usually composed in simple sahithyam is separated by simple korvais.Generally a synopsis is given in the first line which is followed by a description in the following repetitions.After each stanza only very simple footsteps follow.The number of stanzas vary fron 2-4 or 5.The stories are usually about one deity or theme usually composed in ragamalika and misrachapu(thakita thakadhimi).The movements are leisurely and abhinaya is unfolded in a controlled manner.

BHARATA NATYAM

Jathiswaram :An item of traditonal Bharathanatyam repertoire, which is usually performed after Alarippu. As the name suggests it is a combination of one Jathi and a few Swarams....hence called JATHISWARAM.It is styled as a collection of five or six rhythmic sequences. The first one is performed to a Jathi ,while the other pieces are performed to Swara patterns. Each rhythmic sequence is separated by an interlude that consists of short steps finishing with elegant postures. There are quite a few Jathiswarams available , the ones in Vasantha raga and Kalyani raga being the most popular. Jathiswaram is devoid of any abhinaya .Even the mudras are used as ornamental .There is no specific meaning. But the music is enthralling.