Dance in India:
from Evolution to Innovation
-Twisha Anand
History of dance
The dancing girl of Mohenjodaro
Devdasis in 1920
History of Indian classical dances
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Bharatnatyam (Dasi Attam)
Kuchipudi (Brahmin story telling)
Kathakali (half-Aryan and half-Dravidian)
Kathak (‘katha’ meaning story)
Manipuri (Gandharvas and the Goddess of Dawn)
Odissi (temples and religion)
Innovations and modern dance forms
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Indian fusion dance - “Now, with a broader acceptance of and
respect for cultural diversity, many dance artists of differing backgrounds
work in collaboration, exploring the expressive potential of each other's
dance traditions.” (Mrinalini Sarabhai)
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Contemporary dance - combination of modern and post
modern dance. “Contemporary dancing reflects the issues involved in our
century. New movements in dance can also make it contemporary in its
pattern. Contemporary dance should be inspired rather than acquired.
Movements that are meaningful are important. It must be a need within
yourself to express new forms that cannot be done with classical techniques.”
(Mrinalini Sarabhai)
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Beyond dance -
Factors encouraging innovation in dance forms
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Governance and Laws
Social systems and hierarchies
Culture
Needs
Awareness and training
Exclusivity
Religion
Audience and support
Conferences and meets
Other performance elements
Barriers to innovations in dance forms
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Government and patrons
Lack of awareness
Risk averseness
Ego and mindset
The history of dance
Methodology of teaching dance “The teaching method in India is basically a 'see-and-do' method, which involves
students watching older students and imitating them. This means that students
never get to do something in a new way.”
(Vimala Sharma)
“The dance will continue growing into new dimensions
of beauty in form and truth in expression. And the
dancer will continue to give more and more expressions
to the sentiments of love. And the heroines of the
classical dance will continue to be the nayikas of
today.”