Indians have a long tradition of dance, and there is a legend about the origin of dance.
It turns out that only God likes dancing, but not on earth. One day, Indra invited the fairy Urworthy to dance. Although she was jumping, her love for Jia Yinde was silently churning (of course, she was also a fairy in the sky), and she involuntarily glanced at Jia Yinde. It was a great deal. She broke the dogma and was sent to the world to support her life. Jia Yinde was also demoted for implicating others. Driven to the world and turned into a bamboo. But the gods finally gave them a chance. If they meet on earth, they can go back to heaven. Urworthy brought dance to the world. On a festival, people gave Urwosi a bamboo to thank her for dancing. This bamboo was changed by Jainism. So the punishment ended and the two returned to heaven. Dance has spread among people since then.
Legends are legends after all. In fact, as early as 4,000 years ago during the Vedic period, there were records about dance in the classic Rigveda, and even more records about dance in the Indian epic Ramayana. Dance Theory, written in Sanskrit more than 2,000 years ago, is probably the earliest dance work in the world.
Up to now, Indian dance has evolved into 180 forms. Many dancers in the world only learn one of them all their lives.
Indian dance can be roughly divided into classical dance and folk dance. Most of these dances are religious. During the performance, the statue of Shiva should be placed in front of the stage.
"His right hand holds instruments and drums, symbolizing creation. Some people say that it symbolizes various voices; The right hand symbolizes God's protection and blessing; His left hand holds up the burning flame, symbolizing that he can destroy everything he has created (some people say it symbolizes the destruction of fallacies and the spread of truth); The foot picked up vertically by the left hand like a tree trunk symbolizes liberation from all silk journeys; Stepping on a demon (named Moyakala) with his right foot symbolizes the triumph of good over evil; Raise your left foot, symbolizing transcendence and rising upward. The decorations around the dance symbolize people's embrace of nature. The images of these dance kings can be said to have vividly inspired the purpose of Indian dance. "
There are six schools of Indian classical dance: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Odissi.
Balata Natiyan (balata Natiyan)
Balata dance is a classical dance in Tamil Nadu in southern India, which originated in the Vedic period. It is the most popular, oldest and most influential dance in India, and it is also the essence of Indian classical dance. At first, this dance was performed in a temple. At that time, there were some young girls called "Dancing Darcy" (God's Maid), who were sent to temples at an early age, and their only mission for the rest of their lives was to dance for God. Later, this dance gradually spread outside the temple.
"The bharata dance pursues the integration of human spirit and universal spirit, which is a pure dance, a spiritual dance and a soul dance. In dance, it is usually expressed as a dialogue between the hero and heroine, with the heroine representing the human spirit and the hero representing the universal spirit. This relationship is usually expressed in the simplest way-the heroine is eager to reunite with the person she loves. "
This dance form is based on Karnataka music, emphasizing the harmony and unity of tone, beat and expression. Usually an actor (female) dances solo, and five people perform on the stage. This six-member orchestra is usually conducted by a religious master who plays cymbals. Dancers, as the center of the orchestra, are responsible for comprehensive performances, percussion is the responsibility of drummers who play Miridan drums, and the melody of songs is accompanied by flute, violin or Indian lyre. The violin has been added for nearly 200 years. )
Five-member orchestra
Dancers wear gorgeous dresses, graceful postures, semicircular garlands, flashing earrings and nose ornaments, and shine brilliantly. Actors' hands, eyes, body, feet and steps are closely coordinated, and the emotions of facial expressions change rapidly.
Borneo dancer
"This kind of dance generally has six bars. The first part is called Alarip, which is the dance part of praying to God at the beginning of the whole dance. As soon as the actor appeared, his fingers stretched out and bent into the shape of lotus petals. The whole hand looked like a blooming lotus. This is called "Aribag Demu" posture, which symbolizes the dedication of sacred lotus flowers to God. When the actor walks onto the stage, he greets the audience with his hands folded, then moves his neck, raises the sun, reaches out and turns his feet ... It makes people feel as if God is angry.
Inject a dance statue and bring it back to life. The next five paragraphs are Jatis Vakham (speech speed and tone), Shadam (narration), Varnam (narration), Badme (performance) and Tilam (ending).
There is a backup singer in Dance of balata, and the same lyrics should be treated differently according to the plot. For example, sing: "Oh! Krishna, come on, don't let me waste my life. " At this time, the actress either shrugged angrily and said, "well, you won't come, just wait and see!" " You can also perform a bowl with milk or candy in your hand to coax Krsna as a child, you can also beg for Krsna's pity like a devout believer, and you can be Krsna's lover Radayan who is eager for his arrival. If the audience is familiar with ancient literature, they can easily understand the meaning of dance. "("The Mystery of Indian Culture "by Yang Xuexiang)
Katak dance (Kasak)
Katak dance originated in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The name of this dance comes from the ancient Indian folk storyteller (named "Kartak"). At first, Kartak only dictated, but later, in order to increase the power of rendering, they combined action with music, and katak dance was born. Uniquely, dancers of this genre respect Krishna and Rada, not Shiva. At first, this kind of dance should only be circulated among the people, but in the humorous dynasty, it gradually entered the court and blended some characteristics of Persian dance.
This dance is also called "Foot Bell Dance". As the name implies, there are many small copper bells tied to your feet. How many/much? Usually 50 to 200.
Katak dance is probably one of the most difficult traditional Indian dances to practice. Many artists who dance katak must receive professional training from the age of seven. Don't underestimate these bronze bells. The first essential quality of a good dancer is to master these bells skillfully. A first-class Kartak dancer can make only one or two of the 200 bronze bells make a sound through precise footwork control!
Katak dance is characterized by a strong sense of rhythm, which is easily reminiscent of Spanish dance. In fact, it was Indian gypsies who brought katak to Europe, so Spanish dance may also contain elements of northern Indian dance. Katak dance is full of passion, and dancers always smile. During the whole dance, dancers should follow the rhythm of drums, fast or slow. Fast, like a sudden rainstorm; Slow as a willow blowing in the wind. "Technically, katak dance is flat, always along a vertical line, without pause or turn. The beauty and dexterity of ........................ katak dance are composed of straight step, sliding action, fast rotation, changing speed and rhythm.
Like other dances, dancers first pray to the gods or the most important host in the audience. Then slowly show the graceful movements of eyebrows, eyes, neck and shoulders, and then show the rhythmic movements. In the group dance of three, six, nine and twelve people, the rotation of one leg often means the finale. The pure dance part is usually a short explanation paragraph accompanied by repeated music. Doo narration occasionally inserted by the main dancer is humorous and makes people laugh. These burlesque dramas are usually based on lyric poems that are familiar to urban and rural residents. A dancer has the freedom to improvise in pure dance passages, and it is normal for him to have healthy competition with drummers. In burlesque, the dancer's ability to improvise according to the poem can often test his level. "
Katakali dance (Katakali)
Katakali dance originated in Kerala. At first, only men were allowed to perform, and then slowly began to allow female performers to participate.
This kind of dance has obvious characteristics. Every actor has to wear heavy makeup on his face before performing (a bit like Beijing Opera). Cosmetic materials are mainly rice paste, green leaves, oil fume, pigment and white paper. The makeup is very, very delicate. Why do you say "very very"? Because it usually takes 4 hours to make up once! The makeup thickness of Katakali dance can reach 15cm, which is the thickest makeup of all national dances in the world (Guinness Book of Records).
The facial makeup and costumes of Katakali dance are also very interesting. The upper body is colorful, but the lower body is all white cloth. There is an allusion here.
"Legend has it that a scholar struggled for several days for the actor's clothes and couldn't figure it out. Later, when he came to the seaside, he suddenly saw a lot of people wearing all kinds of clothes in the sea, and suddenly he was suddenly enlightened. But he only saw the upper body. What's he wearing inside? Finally, I decided to use the white wave face as the lower body, so the actors are surrounded by white cloth. "
Usually people wearing different clothes represent people with different personalities. For example, green represents brave and sacred personality, and white beard represents piety.
Katakali dance "emphasizes the circulation of the eyes and has a very rich expression." It is not easy to make a "rich" expression under the makeup of 15cm. Another feature is that dance is very narrative and has the characteristics of dance drama. Usually, it is more excerpted from two epics-Mahabharata and Ramayana.
"Before performing katakali dance, drums are usually played first. When people in the nearby Woods heard this, they lit torches, walked through rice fields and coconut groves, and followed the sound. This dance doesn't need a stage, just a small place surrounded by banana leaves in the open space. The audience sat on the floor and stayed up all night. When the morning glow reflects the treetops of coconut trees, people enjoy themselves. " (The Mystery of Indian Culture, Yang Xuexiang)
Manipur (Manipuri)
"Manipur dance originated in Manipur district, hence its name. Manipur has always been called "the hometown of dance". Dance is an important part of Manipur people's life and a necessary virtue for women.
Manipur dance is developed from folk dance. According to folklore, in ancient times, Shiva and the goddess of snow mountain created a dance and chose a valley suitable for this dance, but it was low-lying and submerged in the water. So Shiva drained the water from the mountain with a fork, filled the depression and opened up a dancing place, which is Manipur today. The first dance of Shiva and Snow Mountain Goddess in Manipur was called Raiharoba. Raiharoba dance is the original form of Manipur dance, and it is a kind of dance to pay tribute to the village gods. When dancing, the whole village often takes part. Manipur dance is the general name of several dances, among which Bango praises the gods. Jia Lanen Dance (quickstep), Gradal? Jalane Dance (high-five dance), Lakar Dance (partner dance) which shows Krishna's childhood, Tabad during the Water-splashing Festival? Kimby dance (moonlight dance) and so on. What people usually say is also the famous Manipur dance in India, which refers to the erotic Lars? As far as lira dancing is concerned. It is said that about 1700 years ago, Manipur had a king named Jasinger. Once, he saw Lars in his dream? After hearing the wonderful music, Lila Dance taught her daughter this dance. Since then, this dance has spread to this day.
Lars? Does Lila dance include Wasende? Lasse Dance (spring dance), Gugu? Lasse dance, Maha? Lasse dance, Nidie? Lasse, Divo? Lasse, etc. All these dances show the scenes of love and frolicking between Krishna and Goby girl (a kind of shepherd). The main roles in the dance are Lata and Krishna.
Lata and Gaby girls are wearing a round skirt called Baniger, which has no pleats. The skirt is covered with tulle, with a belt around the waist, a tight coat, a scarf and a hat. Krishna is dressed in yellow. The colors of their costumes are in harmony with the dance atmosphere, which makes the dance more beautiful. (The above paragraph is taken from Yang Xuexiang's The Mystery of Indian Culture. ) The main feature of this dance is its gentle and continuous movements. The theme of dance is often love and interesting things in life. The actors' arms are soft and slender, their trunks are naturally relaxed, and the female dancers are as beautiful as the stamens in a blooming flower.
Manipur's ritual dance is another school: the most important is the Maiba and Maibi dances performed by rural male and female priests before God. These dances often end in shock.
The above dances (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali and Manipuri) are sometimes directly referred to as "the four classical dances in India". Therefore, there are four schools of Indian classical dance. It can be seen that these four types of dances are the most distinctive and the essence of Indian national dances.
Kuchipudi (Kuchipudi)
Kuchiputi dance originated in Andhra Pradesh, and its history can be traced back to the 3rd century BC.
At first, it was performed by actors and actresses in the temple as a ceremony to worship God. Later, it spread.
The dance movements of Kuchidipu dance are highly stylized and the rhythm is cheerful. Like most Indian dances, the plot is mostly based on fairy tales. For example, Shiva divided the Ganges in order to revive the dead.
At first, both men and women could participate in the performance of Kuchiputi dance, but later people gradually thought that some roles in the dance were not suitable for actresses, and Kuchiputi dance was once dominated by actors. During the British colonial rule, this ancient and beautiful dance was suppressed and ignored, and it was not until India became independent that it revived.
Nowadays, learning Kuchidipu dance has become a new fashion in India, and girls can't put it down, because being good at singing and dancing always makes it easier for them to find the right man.