Music and Dance Styles from the Indian Subcontinent

Indian Music and Dance

There are many types of dance in India, from those which are deeply religious in content to those which are danced on more trivial happy occasions. Classical dances of India are usually always spiritual in content, although this is often true also of Folk dances.

Classical Indian Dances

Some of the major Indian classical dances are :

Kathakali from the Indian State of Kerala. Kathakali literally means story-play and is an elaborate dance depicting the victory of truth over falsehood. A Striking feature of Kathakali is the use of elaborate make-up and colorful costumes. This is to emphasize that the characters are super-beings from another world, and their make-up is easily recognize-able to the trained eye as godlike or heroic or demonic.
Bharata Natyam from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Bharata Natyam dance has been handed down through the centuries by dance teachers and the temple dancers, called devadasis. In the sacred environment of the temple these families developed and propagated their heritage. The training traditionally took around seven years under the direction of scholars and persons of great learning.
Kuchipudi from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The dance drama that still exists today and can most closely be associated with the Sanskrit theatrical tradition is Kuchipudi. The actors sing and dance, and the style is a blend of folk and classical. Arguably this is why this technique has greater freedom and fluidity than other dance styles.
Odissi from the Indian state of Orissa: Odissi is based on the popular devotion to Lord Krishna and the verses of the Sanskrit play Geet Govinda are used to depict the love and devotion to God. The Odissi dancers use their head, bust and torso in soft flowing movements to express specific moods and emotions.
The form is curvaceous, concentrating on the tribhang or the division of the body into three parts, head, bust and torso; the mudras and the expressions are similar to those of Bharatnatyam. Odissi performances are replete with lores of the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, Lord Krishna. It is a soft, lyrical classical dance which depicts the ambience of Orissa and the philosophy of its most popular deity, Lord Jagannath, whose temple is in Puri. On the temple walls of Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Konark the dance sculptures of Odissi are clearly visible.

Modern Indian Dances

Modern Indian Dances are based on film songs from Bollywood and Bhangra styles amongst a host of other influences and blends of Old Indian Classical with modern beats and tunes. The Indian Film Industry (adorningly called Bollywood ) churns out more musicals and dance numbers than any other entertainment industry worldwide. It has evolved with time, changing the pace of music and dance with the times to keep up with its populist image that is lapped up by the masses not only in India but across the globe due to the multitudes of expatriate Indians living in different parts of the world. It has also made its mark in the International Arena by having Films like Lagaan (Tax) nominated for best film in Oscars and Actresses like Aishwarya Rai making headlines in Cannes Film Festival and Western Media. Indian Directors like Shekhar Kapur have made their presence felt after directing prestigious and acclaimed projects like Elizabeth and biography of Nelson Mandela.