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.