By the Vedic era, there was a marked development of dance in India and it was written down. The Rig Veda of 1500 BCE has an account of dancers. "Kewsha wore glittering clothes like dancers," "men wore gold jewelry and performed scenes about war through dance," "young men and women danced together," and "there was even a specialized There was even a caste that specialized in dancing and singing to earn a living". It is clear that dance was already quite developed at that time.
By the 4th century BC, the great Indian grammarian Bhojpuri also mentioned the word "dance". In the Ramayana, one of the epics of India, there are even more references to dance. In the Ramayana, it is written that "dances and concerts were held day and night in Ashoka for the enjoyment of the king", and that "one dancer mesmerized Ropana with her beautiful dance".
But the monograph on the art of dance should be represented by Brahmaputra's Treatise on Dance, which is the earliest theoretical work on literature and art in ancient India, and is generally regarded as a product of the 2nd century A.D., but its contents should be earlier than the date of its composition, probably before A.D. The Treatise on Dance is a poetic work, which is written in the form of a poem. The Treatise on Dance is a poetic work which deals comprehensively with all aspects of theatrical work, from theory to practice, and is primarily intended to meet the needs of practical work and to serve as a manual for theatrical work. It deals with theater, performance, dance, analysis of the content and mood, physical performance procedures, poetic meter, language, classification and structure of drama, genre, style, make-up, acting, roles, and finally, more generally, music. Upon its appearance, this comprehensive summary had a great impact on subsequent literary theory. Although it was essentially a book focusing on actual performance work, it still touched on some important issues in theory, providing a good exposition of the various parts of the beautiful art in terms of music and dance theater. Later on, in his own book, Geroldt Ledernegger, Shanker Devereaux made a detailed study of dance, mentioning such things as types of dance. The book talks about the "Dandavo Dance" (a type of Shiva Dance), of which Lord Shiva is the originator, and of which Shiva passed on the knowledge to his students and to Brahmacharya. The Dandavo dance is a dance that signifies the end of the world, and when the world began to perish, at the request of the immortals Budhgiri and Voyakrabad, Shiva performed the dance of "Aand Dandavo", when he was accompanied by four-faced Brahma with high fives, Vishnu with drums, and Dumbaru and Narada with singing.
By the time of Kalidasa (5th century A.D.), Indian dance had again developed significantly. Garitraksha's writings are numerous, and his plays have brought ancient Indian dramaturgy to its peak. He was not only famous for his poetry, but also as a playwright, and his plays Shakuntala and Morovija and the King of the Fire Friends that have survived to the present day are well known. The lyrics of the plays are interspersed with prose and poetry, and there are dances as well as songs in the plays. The theory of music and dance is also well studied in the first and second acts of his Māravīja and the Fire-Friendly King. The close relationship between dance and performance is also mentioned in the writings of Kalidasa. These played an important role in guiding the later development of dance.
Like music, the art of dance was also a means of earning a living, and dancers have been fashionable in India since ancient times to dance in temples, and Kalyatapa once depicted the situation of dancers in some of the temples at that time. In Baina's "The Ruling King's Line", there is a reference to the dancing prostitutes who danced for his son's birthday. But according to the historical records, the social status of the dancers at that time was not high. Even at the time of Shraddha, professional entertainers in music and dance had been socially discriminated against, when the Brahmacharya Immortals were associated with a long story describing the indignities suffered by the actors, indicating their lowly status in society. But the arts of music and dance themselves were highly valued, and both were studied by men and women of all classes.
From a regional point of view, Indian dance can be divided into two categories, North Indian dance and South Indian dance. North Indian dances are mainly Kathak and Manipuri. The classical dances of South India are mainly Brahmaputra and Ghatakri.
In addition to the above classical dances, there are many folk dances throughout India. These folk dances have strong local characteristics and life atmosphere, popular with the masses, is an important part of India's splendid culture.
[Edit Paragraph]Second, Indian dance categories
From the content and nature of the dance distinction, Indian dance can be divided into two categories of classical and folk. There are four classical dances, namely Manipuri, Brahmaputra, Ghatakri and Kathak. Indian dance can also be categorized into North Indian dance (Kathak) and South Indian dance (BharataNatyam). While Hindustani music is used for North Indian Dance, Carnatic music is used for South Indian Dance, and the two types of music have different rhythms and melodies and are performed differently. Jump Kathak, legs must be straight, the body curve always maintains the streamline, this dance is concerned with exaggerated facial expressions and rich hand movements, combined with gorgeous costumes and make-up, through the body language rather than music to sing to convey the meaning; and jump BharataNatyam, legs can be bent, the body amplitude is very large changes, more appreciative.
1. Manipuri dance
Manipuri dance is one of the four great classical dances of India, produced in the Manipur region, and thus named. Manipur has always been known as the "home of dance", dance is an important part of the life of the Manipuri people, but also a necessary virtue for women.
Manipuri Dance is a beautiful folk dance. According to folklore, in ancient times, Lord Shiva and the goddess of the snowy mountains created a dance and chose a stretch of valley suitable for such a dance, but it was low-lying and drowned in water. So Lord Shiva used his trident to split the mountain and drain the water, filling up the depression and opening up a place for the dance, a place that is today's Manipur. The first dance that Lord Shiva and the snowy mountain goddess danced in Manipur was called the Raiharoba dance. The Raiharoba dance is the original form of Manipuri dance, which is a dance to honor the village god and the dance is often attended by the entire village.
Manipuri dance is a general term for several kinds of dances, belonging to Manipuri dance are Bangar Jalanen dance (Quickstep dance), Gradar Jalanen dance (High-five dance) which is related to glorification of the God, Lakar dance (Partner dance) which expresses the childhood life of Krishna (God of the Black Sky), Tabar Gingabi dance (Moonlight dance) danced on the occasion of the festival of the water, and so on. The Manipuri dance, which is commonly referred to and is also known all over India, is the Ras Lila dance, which is full of lust. It is said that around 1700 years ago, a king named Jai Singh came out of Manipur region. Once, he saw the Ras Lila dance in his dream and heard the beautiful music and taught his daughter to learn this dance. From then on, it made this dance to be passed down to the present day.
The Ras Lila dance also includes the Vasende Ras dance (spring dance), the Gungu Ras dance (forest dance), the Maha Ras dance (big dance), the Nidaiye Ras dance, the Dewo Ras dance, and so on. All these dances are dances that show scenes of love and playfulness between Krishna and Gopi (a pastoral tribe) girls. The protagonists of the dance are Lata and Krishna.
Lata and the Gopi girls wear a circle skirt called a banig, without pleats, a muslin over the skirt, a sash around the waist, a short tight-fitting garment on the top, and a muslin scarf and cap on the head. Krishna wears yellow. The color of their costumes, with the dance atmosphere is very coordinated, so that the dance appears more graceful, beautiful and moving.
2. Brahmaputra dance
Brahmaputra dance is a traditional dance in Tamil Nadu, South India, one of the four great classical dances of India. Indian scholars believe that this dance has its origins in the Aryan culture of North India, but has been developed and perfected in South India. The development of the Brahmaputra dance in the south is closely related to the divine slaves in the temples of the south, and legend has it that the immortal Brahmaputra is the ancestor of this dance.
There are different stories about the origin of the Brahmaputra dance, but whichever story is told, it is related to Arjuna. One story says that when Arjuna was living in a foreign land, he taught this dance to Utra, a princess of the country of Modesiya (Virat). Later, the dance spread from Virat (today's Jaipur) to all of India; another story says that when Arjuna was in Malege Badenmore, the capital city of the country of Kālānga, he taught it to Jitrangada, the daughter of King Jitravahan (who was later married to Arjuna). So in South India, it is generally believed that Jitrangada later became a divine slave and that she did not go with Arjuna when he returned home. There is also a theory that the dance was developed from the famous Tamil Nadu folk dance, the Gulavinji. The Guravindji were an itinerant hill tribe who moved throughout the state and made their living by palm reading and dancing for sale, and the dance they danced was called the Guravindji dance. The Gulawngi dance is simpler than the Brahmaputra dance, but it is very popular.
Mime is a characteristic of Brahmaputra, which expresses rich thoughts and feelings, such as war, love, hatred and so on, through the movements of various parts of the body. It requires props, and wearing various masks to express different stories is also a feature of this dance. The Brahmaputra dance is generally accompanied by Gernatak music. Once the Alleppo is played, the actor puts his feet together and stretches his hands above his head, and then with the sound of the instrument coming from behind the curtain to direct the actor's movements, the actor freely expresses various ideas with the movements and expressions of his neck, mouth, eyes, hands and other parts of his body.
3. Gethakri Dance
Gethakri is the most famous dance of Kerala and one of the four classical dances of India. The Kathakali is actually a storytelling and unique dance of glorification of God. The great poet Valladore called the Ghatakri dance "the queen of the arts". It combines storytelling, poetry, music, dance, performance and painting. The skillful combination of storytelling, poetry, music, dance, performance and painting is one of the major features of the Ghatakri dance.
The Ghatakri dance is usually performed at night during temple festivals and all the roles in the play are played by men. The performance is mime but accompanied by percussion instruments. The storyline of the dance is expressed in the form of recited poems. The verses are all in Sanskritized Malayalam and are recited by a man behind the curtain. The postures and gestures of the actor's body have some symbolic meaning. The content of the verses is expressed through the quickness and slowness of the beating of the feet, the various movements of the two hands and the ten fingers and the different movements and expressions of the eyes, nose and lips. The actors only perform and do not speak. Excellent G?ktakori dancers are very proficient in the movements of all parts of the body and performance skills, they can express various thoughts and feelings with just their eyes, and use the speed of eye rotation to express the circle, the Arabic numeral "8", etc. They perform swans, snakes and monkeys. They can perform the movements of swans, snakes, monkeys and other animals in a very realistic way. They can even use half of their face to perform hatred and anger, and the other half to perform happiness and joy.
Facial make-up plays an important part in the Ghatakri dance. This kind of make-up is a special art of painting and the made-up face helps to express the various ideological contents of the dance. They use rice flour boiled into a thick paste, painted on the face, depending on the role, and then coated with five colors such as green, red and yellow, the front face of the character and then coated with light green and white; the reverse face of the face of the character coated with a few layers of pink and white, red around the nose, black around the eyes, wearing a red moustache; the female role of a layer of white on the base of yellow and reddish, coated with a layer of white.
The Kirti Kri dance, is generally taken from the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, but it is now also used as a means of political propaganda.
The art of Kathakori dance is not easily appreciated by the general public, but in Kerala, everyone can appreciate its artistic beauty, and Kathakori dance is performed in all cities and villages.
4. Kathak Dance
Kathak Dance is produced in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is the famous dance of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and is one of the four classical dances of India.
Ketak was originally a caste that specialized in dance and made a living by selling their art, and the dance they danced was called Ketak dance. Ketak dance was originally a kind of court erotic dance, in the feudal imperial era, dedicated to the princes and nobles after dinner for fun. Now it has become a dance for everyone.
Kathak dance can be performed by both men and women. The content is mainly the expression of Krishna and Lata's love story. Ketak dance actor's feet are tied with many small brass bells, actors with the change of the drums and issued different sounds, sometimes resonant and powerful, complex sound flow; sometimes fine and pleasant, and melodious. With the drums and music with all parts of the body movements and facial expressions, showing a variety of feelings, so some people say it is performing a variety of physical dance. At present, this kind of intertwining mostly appear on the screen and in the ballroom.
India in addition to classical dance, there are many famous folk dance around. India's folk dances have a long history and are recorded in the classical literature, the Yajurveda, and the two major epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some are religious, some are seasonal, etc., not only colorful, but also unique, popular among the masses, so some folk dances can be handed down from generation to generation. The following are some of the folk dances that have been passed down from generation to generation.
The Pangora dance is a kind of harvest dance performed by Punjabis during the harvest season. The dancers are young or old, anyone can participate. As long as there is an open space, a group of people get together, beat the drum, you can dance. At first, they dance in a circle, and newcomers can join in at any time without interrupting the continuity of the dance. The drummer stands in the center of the field and the dancers circle around him. The drummer beats the drum for a while, and then raises the drumsticks upwards. When the dancers see the raised drumsticks, they accelerate their pace, jumping faster and faster and shaking their whole body with the rapidity of the dance, and with one foot on the ground, they raise their hands and keep jumping and circling around. At the climax of the dance, they high-fived with both hands, and from time to time issued "Balai! Balai!" or "Ho! Ho" shouts. Shouting exceptionally powerful and majestic, dance joyful and lively, jumping people are often happy and forgetful, look at the people also tend to dance. After the climax, it changed to a slow dance, with one foot slowly jumping to the pleasant music. At this time, one of them suddenly puts his hand over his left ear and sings a song, and everyone immediately dances as wildly as they did at the beginning. This is repeated several times, fast and slow, and the dancing time can be up to several hours. Skilled Pangora dancers can even make very complex acrobatic movements, such as the torso close to the ground, spine back or a dancer standing on his shoulders, he is bending his knees and kneeling to dance. Since there are no strict rules in Pangora, it gives the impression of being fresh, natural and energetic. The movements of this dance unmistakably reflect the manhood of the Punjabis.
There are several types of Pangora dances, the main ones of which are Rudy, Thumor, Tanganyi, etc., with slight differences from each other. This kind of dance is highly skillful, with many changes in formation and no sense of artifice. Accompanied by music and tambourine, melodious, harmonious, and natural touching.
The dancer's costume is a fashionable turban wrapped around the head, the lower body around a beautiful pants, the upper body wearing a silk broadcloth, dyed with blue or crimson color, brilliant. Feet tied with foot bells, dancers foot movements skillfully, accompanied by music, tambourine and foot bells rhythmic ringing, vividly demonstrated the hard-working, courageous people of India's love of life; that pleasant tune and dexterity, beautiful dance, as well as the rich expression of the people of India overcoming the natural, the determination to obtain a good harvest and the spirit of optimism.
Ghata is the oldest dance of Punjab. "Ghata" means high-five. Once upon a time Ghata was danced to please the gods. Today it is also danced during celebrations such as marriages of people.
Ghata is a very simple dance, yet it is a beautiful dance. The dance is usually performed on a moonlit night, with the dancers first forming a circle and then gradually widening it to the beat of a rapid drum. At this point, three or four people come to the center of the circle and begin to dance. They dance and sing, and play a leading role. The song they sing is called Tabai or Bard, and each time they sing the last line, the others clap their hands while repeating the song once, and so on until the end.
Ghata is generally a dance for women, men can also dance, but separately from the women and in a separate circle. Only when celebrating a marriage can men and women **** dance.
The Tyumol, or Wild Dance, is a dance performed by men. Though not as famous as the Pongola dance, it is also prevalent in the vast rural areas of Punjab. This is because it is a dance associated with agricultural festivals. This dance can be danced at any time. It is similar to the Ghata dance in that it is danced in a circle, and to the accompaniment of drums, sometimes the men, each holding a short stick, beat rhythmically on each other and dance in a circle. Dance Qiumoer dance people, head to tie a kind of tassel with a gorgeous turban, wearing a white round-necked shirt, draped in a variety of colors, cloth sheet, cloth sheet tied to the left side of the waist, brightly colored broad-brimmed undercoat has been caged to the feet, feet wearing soft shoes. Autumn Moor dance is very beautiful and moving, a jump is three or four hours.
In addition, the Kakar dance, Rudui dance, etc., are prevalent women's dance.
Bhojpuri, a famous folk dance drama of Gujarat, is a very special form of dance with music, dance and theater performances, similar to cabaret. The roles are all played by men and the audience is all male.
Performing Bhojpuri is an ancestral profession of the Guru Jig, Nayag and Dilagarh communities, who form troupes to travel around the countryside and villages. Especially in the Nine Nights Festival, must perform Piwai dance, in order to meet the Piwai Goddess mother (that is, difficult to close the mother), which is the origin of the name of the dance theater.
This dance drama does not have a stage and is performed in an open square or in the courtyard of a temple. However, a statue of the goddess is placed in the courtyard or square and an oil lamp is lit in front of the statue during the performance. The performance often lasts from the first night to the early morning of the next day. Each powai is divided into several parts, each called a swanga, and each swanga has one or two characters that perform a particular mythological story, historical figure, or social figure. The dances are often interspersed with satirical jokes to achieve some kind of banter, which is very funny and popular.
Gharba is a god-fearing dance and is the most popular folk dance of Gujarat-State. It has two forms, namely, the 'gharba' and the 'gerbi'. The gerba is danced by women and the gerbi is danced by men.
When women dance the Gelba, they put a lighted pot or a crop seedling in the center of the dance floor, and then form a circle, with a hole in their heads to light the pot, in the accompanying singing, dancing to their heart's content, to express their prayers to Mother Earth. This dance is unique in that the pots with holes in their heads emit flashing lights with the swinging of their bodies, which are as beautiful as diamonds, and the shadows from the lights are especially beautiful. Nine Nights Festival, women especially like to dance Geerba. Beautiful girls with lighted clay pots on their heads dance in groups to each house, inviting everyone to come and join in the dance. During the nine consecutive days of the festival, there is dancing and singing everywhere. Apart from festivals of a godly nature, such as on Krishna's Nativity and the Birth of Rama, this dance can also be performed on a number of other festivals. On festivals like Spring Festival, Girl's Day, Widow's Day, etc., the gharba is also danced.
The gerbi dance is a dance performed by men on the festival of the Nine Nights in honor of the Mother Goddess of Difficulty. The dance is generally not danced at other times. The layout of the dance floor and the dance method, the same as the women's dance of the gerba, except that when the men dance, the head is not on top of the clay pots. Those who dance the gerbi dance have a bare upper body or wear a kurta with lace and a pair of Rajasthani pants underneath.
Ras dance, another famous folk dance of Gujarat, has a long history. It is a mixed gender dance and has three forms, namely, Dende Rasg (stick dance), Dal Rasg (high-five dance), and Raheed Rasg (show dance). The Dende Rasg (stick dance) is particularly popular in North India. This dance can be seen everywhere on the occasion of the Autumn Moon Festival and is also danced on other festivals. Once upon a time, the Rasghee Dance was only a performance of the life story of the Black God of Heaven, and only songs related to the Black God of Heaven were sung, but today the lyrics of the songs have changed, and other songs can be sung as well. Dance Las dance, dress up no certain rules, generally women wear wide tops and skirts, men wear long shirts or skinny pants, sometimes there is a performer dressed up as the appearance of the black god of heaven.
[Edit Paragraph]Three, Indian dance characteristics of the overview
For the Indians, dance is not only art, more religious implications. Indian dance originates from the unparalleled devotion to God clean and selfless love, dancers by their own fingers, arms, eyes, five senses, the body to express and interpret everything in the universe. Therefore, some Indian dance is only performed in the temple to God, Indian dance is also therefore a layer of mystery.
Basic movements: Indian dance is fast-paced, a four-minute dance has about 50 movements. Including hand gestures, eyes, inner thoughts, facial expressions, such a variety of postures can represent the human feelings and desires, and can even represent the natural scenery of the world, mountains and water, and natural phenomena such as day and night.
● Before starting the dance, keep your legs bent and put your hands together to perform the opening salute.
● Hands are stretched out and feet take a step forward. Begin to change hand positions to the music.
● A "dong-dong" rhythm begins in the music, and the footwork begins to change.
● Keep smiling.
● Dance faster and faster with lots of hand movements.
Clothing: In India, generally only married women wear sarees up to 6 meters long, but the exception is the dancers, even very young girls can be dressed in this way. Sometimes dancers also wear PUNJABI: pants + knee-length coat + long scarf. There are many styles of pants, some wide, some tight. The scarf can be worn around the neck, or tied around the waist when dancing, to add a sense of line. punjabi has become fashionable, and last year it was all the rage in Japan.
Accessory: The long, pointed ornament affixed to the forehead is called a bindi, which is traditionally very large and studded with diamonds and gemstones. But nowadays, a simpler style is popular. Girls usually wear it for weddings or dances. A circle of loose diamonds above the eyebrows can also be called a BINDI for good luck.
Red Dot: A red dot on the brow. When dancing, small diamonds can also be used instead of the traditional red dots in order to add brightness. If dancing to show Muslim themes, only small diamonds can be used, as the red dot is a Hindu symbol. When not dancing, only married women are usually allowed to light the red dot.
Bangles: In Indian dance, hand gestures are very important dance language, so dancers care about bangles. They are worn in large numbers, up to 20.
Anklets: Indian dance has many stomping movements, to have a crunchy sound, but also a sharp rhythm, so the foot halter is very important. It is said that there are dancers who have been trained to be able to move only one small muscle on the foot, making only one foot bell ring.
Hand Posture: An important element of Indian dance is the hand posture. There are about 100 different hand postures, each of which has a specific meaning, some representing beauty, some peace, some anger, and some even ugliness. Indians believe that hand gestures are symbols of communication between man and God, and different gods like different hand gestures.
Smile: During the dance, the dancer's heartfelt smile is consistent throughout, expressing a joyful and peaceful state of mind.
Head movement: the head moves rhythmically to the left and right.
Waist movement: the swing of the waist makes the body graceful.
Foot movement: toe, heel, stomp. Indian dance foot movements are also very expressive.
Eyes: Dancing with your eyes is the essence of Indian dance.
● Indian dance sign language is unpredictable. For example, the finger face posture to express the beauty of the lotus flower hand posture is commonly used to perform to God to see the hand posture. Hand gestures are not only performed to dazzle the viewer, a variety of hand gestures also reflects the active thinking of the performer, is a real brain exercise, can be said to be "handy."
● The jumping posture represents the Indian bird "PIKAKE". When you jump, keep your eyes on your hands. This jumping pose not only looks good, but also practises balance and improves bone density, especially the strength of the hips and pelvis.
● Unlike other dances, Indian dance requires dancers to be in a semi-squatting position. This position is good for thighs and hip lines!
●Want to have a great look in your eyes? Learn from Indian dance! Keep your head still and turn your eyes in all directions, remembering to keep them wide open as you do so.
● Heel stand toes. Indian dance foot movements will give you beautiful calves and ankles.
● During the dance, the shoulders should often be kept in an end-flat position, and the head-turning movement will help take care of your cervical spine.
● When dancing Indian dance, your back must be kept straight. This explains why Indian beauties have the sexiest backs in the world.
[Edit Paragraph]Fourth, the development of Indian dance
In fact, the development of Indian dance can not be separated from the Bollywood, Bollywood is the birthplace of Indian films, it is said that the annual output is more than the United States of America's Hollywood. But China hasn't translated it in recently, so people can only watch it online.
The famous dance educator, Shanshan Jin, commented that if you want to be a star in India, acting is not the first thing you need to do, dancing is the first thing you need to do. The movies produced by Bollywood are all song and dance movies, which have very many dance sequences. If you want to experience Indian dance, the easiest way is to watch Indian movies.