Eternal India Encyclopedia

DANCE IN INDIA

Dancing has been from the time of primitive man, a “supreme

expression alike of religion and of love”, as, guided by music and

rhythm, man expresses his emotions in movement and gestures.

One can see it in the exuberance and spontaneity of the colourful

dances of the tribals and rural folk all over the country.

According to our legends, the

gods were the first dancers who per-

formed the dances of creation, pres-

ervation and destruction. It was a

form of expressing man’s elemental

joy, which later became a part of wor-

ship and finally developed into a cul-

tivated art. Dance has been practised

as an art for at least three thousand

years.

The excavations of Mohenjo

Daro and Harappa have references to

it. Copious references to it can also

be found in our ancient texts on

dramaturgy, music and aesthetics as

it was considered a part of “

Natya

”

(acting) and “

Sangeetha

” (music). Dance was treated as an es-

sential part of drama. The ancient Hindu

dramas called “

rupakas

” (visual represen-

tation) were produced with dances, songs

and costumes as the chief medium. In the

Vishnu Purana (200 A.D) it is said that the

actors danced a play

Natakam Nanruth.

All

this shows that dance existed as a form of

art long before the period of Bharata’s.

Natya Shastra,

the earliest known treatise

on dramaturgy. According to

Natya Shastra

“Nritya

” must form part of all celebrations

and must be performed before every under-

taking, as it is calculated to make the occa-

sion auspicious.

ORIGIN

"To worship God through dance is to fulfill all desires and to that

one, is unfolded the path of salvation .............. It is performed for the

welfare of the people and the one who ceaselessly strives for per-

fection has victory over the three worlds," says an ancient text

called the

Vishnudharmottara.

The origin of dance in India has been attributed to divine beings.

The glorious snowy heights of the Himalayas, for instance, have

been immortalised as the Home of Shiva — the various seasons

which are regarded as the expressions and moods of the Lord have

been celebrated with songs and dances.

Tradition ascribes the origin of dance to Brahma, who in compli-

ance with the request of the gods created the fifth Veda, the Natya

Veda, taking speech, song,

abhinaya

and

rasa,

from the four

Vedas:

Rig, Sama, Yajur

and

Atharva

respectively. This fifth Veda

was imparted to Bharata by Brahma, to produce the first play,

Amrit manthana

which depicts the victory of the gods over the

Asuras. It is said that Shiva saw the drama and introduced the

Tandava

dance with energetic movements, and had it taught to

Bharata, by Tandu, while Parvathi taught the

Lasya,

the gentler and

graceful variety to Usha, the daughter of Bana.. Usha, in her turn,

taught the art to the Gopis of Dwaraka, which later spread to

Saurashtra and other parts of the country. Thus, the tradition of the

art of dance was established

in the country.

The art of dance has been .

inspired by the religious be-

liefs of the people in the two