SATTRIYA

Sattriya is a classical dance form of Assam which was included among the principal classical dances of India in the year 2000 by Sahitya Nataka Akademi.

Sattriya, or Sattriya Nritya, is one among eight principal classical Indian dance traditions. Whereas some of the other traditions have been revived in the recent past, Sattriya has remained a living tradition since its creation by the Assamese Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva, in 15th century Assam.[1]Sankardeva created Sattriya Nritya as an accompaniment to the Ankiya Naat (a form of Assamese one-act plays devised by him), which were usually performed in the sattras, as Assam's monasteries are called. As the tradition developed and grew within the sattras, the dance form came to be called Sattriya Nritya.[2] Today, although Sattriya Nritya has emerged from within the confines of the sattras to a much wider recognition, the sattras continue to use the dance form for ritualistic and other purposes for which it was originally created circa 500 years ago.

MOHINIYATTAM

The distinctive style of MOHINIYATTAM is the complete absence of heavy stamping and rhythmical tension . The stamping of the feet is a very substantial element in most of the other dance forms except MANIPURI.In Mohiniyattam the footwork is gentle , soft and sliding. The movements are never abrupt , they are dignified easy and natural , but the vertical line of the body is never disrupted.Graceful gentle bobbing movements are very special of MOHINIYATTAM. We can say that this dance form has some resemblence to Bharatanatyam , but it is quite distinct in its execution of movements , usage of hand gestures and its stark simple costume.

KATHAKALI

Kathakali is a harmonious combination of 5 forms of fine art. 1.Literature {Sahithyam} 2.Music {Sangeetham} 3.Painting {Chitram} 4.Acting {Natyam} 5.Dance {Nritham} The role of each of these artforms is very vital in the making of Kathakali , the king of performing arts , particularly theatre. As we have seen in almost all the prior mentioned dance forms it is LASYA { the graceful feminine expression } that is the predominant style , but in Kathakali it is THANDAVA {masculine expression of vigour } that is the predominant style.Hence the movements are often explosive .Delicate movements are rare.Kathakali follows the language of Mudras as described in HASTHALAKSHANADEEPIKA.

MODERN JAZZ

Any modern dance takes styles from various forms of other dances. It is very difficult to categorise them strictly , based on certain techniques like Indian classical dances.In the 18th century Jazz dance was often referred to as Tap dance , because tap dancing set to Jazz music was one of the predominant dances of the era.The dance styles originated from the African American vernacular dance. In the 1950's a new genre of Jazz dance - modern Jazz dance emerged with roots in Caribbean traditional dance ,which has a very smooth style. Tap dance branched off to follow its own separate evolutionary path.

MANIPURI

As mentioned hitherto , it was the Bhakti cult which brought about a drastic change , and Krishna Bhakti led to Rasalilas. Maharaja BHAGYACHANDRA {who ruled between 1759-1798 AD} codified the style , and composed three of the five types of Rasalilas. They can be named as Maharas ; the Basantaras ; and Kunjaras.This was performed at the Sri Sri Govindaji Temple in Imphal , and also Achouba Bhangi Pareng dance . He designed an elaborate costume known as " KUMIL ".The "GOVINDA SANGEET LILA VILASA" ,an important text detailing the fundamentals of the dance , is also attributed to him.

KATHAK

Kathak was primarily associated with an institution known as "TAWAIF". This was very popular during the 16th century which was patronized by the Mughal rulers.This is a much misunderstood institution of female entertainers , very much like the "Geisha" tradition of Japan.It was a profession which demanded the highest standards of training , intelligence and most important civility.It is said that it was common for royalty to send their children to the TAWAIFS for instruction in etiquette.Young girls were taken at a tender age and trained in both performing arts{kathak and hindustani classical music} as well as literature{ghazal and thumri} to a very high standard.Once they had matured and possessed a sufficient command over dancing and singing , they became TAWAIF. As the saying goes , young Nawabs were sent to TAWAIF to learn "Tameez" and "Tehzeeb" , which includes the ability to differentiate and appreciate good music and literature and also the art of Ghazal writing.

ODISSI

As we all know GITAGOVINDAM is a lyrical treatise in which Poet Saint Jaidev has shown his mastery in music and dance along with his dauntless devotion to VISHNU.He has portrayed the science of LOVE at a totally different plane.It lends itself to be adapted to the different musical versions and dance performance.Because of its religious fervour , it was adapted by temple dancers.Originating in Orissa it has travelled to Bengal , Gujarat ,South India and even Nepal.Raga and Tala came to be assigned to these lyrics and are used for different occasions to be sung or danced.