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Question
Dance in India has a rich and vital tradition dating back to ancient times. Elaborate
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Solution
Approach: - Try to expand the statement in the introduction part.
- In the main body try to give examples and references of evidence related to dance of different times.
- Try to highlight the modern times in the conclusion part or else summarize your answer keeping the question in mind.
Dance in India has a rich and vital tradition dating back to ancient times. Excavations, inscriptions, chronicles, genealogies of kings and artists, literary sources, sculpture and painting of different periods provide extensive evidence on dance. Myths and legends also support the view that dance had a significant place in the religious and social life of the Indian people. However, it is not easy to trace the precise history and evolution of the various dances known as the 'art' or 'classical' forms popular today.
In literature, the first references come from the Vedas where dance and music have their roots. A more consistent history of dance can be reconstructed from the epics, the several Puranas and the rich body of dramatic and poetic literature known as the nataka and the kavya in Sanskrit. A related development was the evolution of classical Sanskrit drama which was an amalgam of the spoken word, gestures and mime, choreography, stylised movement and music. From the 12th century to the 19th century there were many regional forms called the musical play or sangeet- nataka. Contemporary classical dance forms are known to have evolved out of these musical plays.
Excavations have brought to light a bronze statuette from Mohenjodaro and a broken torso from Harappa (dating back to 2500- 1500 B.C.E.) These are suggestive of dance poses. The latter has been identified as the precursor of the Nataraja pose commonly identified with dancing Siva. The earliest treatise on dance available to us is Bharat Muni's Natyashastra, the source book of the art of drama, dance and music. As per the ancient treatises, dance is considered as having three aspects: natya, nritya and nritta.
Conclusion:
Nurtured for centuries, dance in India has evolved in different parts of the country its own distinct style taking on the culture of that particular region, each acquiring its own flavour. Consequently a number of major styles of 'art' dance are known to us today, like Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi and Sattriya. Then, there are regional variations, the dances of rural and tribal areas, which range from simple, joyous celebrations of the seasons, harvest or birth of a child to dances for the propitiation of demons or for invoking spirits. Today there is also a whole new body of modern experimental dance.
- Try to expand the statement in the introduction part.
- In the main body try to give examples and references of evidence related to dance of different times.
- Try to highlight the modern times in the conclusion part or else summarize your answer keeping the question in mind.
In literature, the first references come from the Vedas where dance and music have their roots. A more consistent history of dance can be reconstructed from the epics, the several Puranas and the rich body of dramatic and poetic literature known as the nataka and the kavya in Sanskrit. A related development was the evolution of classical Sanskrit drama which was an amalgam of the spoken word, gestures and mime, choreography, stylised movement and music. From the 12th century to the 19th century there were many regional forms called the musical play or sangeet- nataka. Contemporary classical dance forms are known to have evolved out of these musical plays.
Excavations have brought to light a bronze statuette from Mohenjodaro and a broken torso from Harappa (dating back to 2500- 1500 B.C.E.) These are suggestive of dance poses. The latter has been identified as the precursor of the Nataraja pose commonly identified with dancing Siva. The earliest treatise on dance available to us is Bharat Muni's Natyashastra, the source book of the art of drama, dance and music. As per the ancient treatises, dance is considered as having three aspects: natya, nritya and nritta.
Conclusion:
Nurtured for centuries, dance in India has evolved in different parts of the country its own distinct style taking on the culture of that particular region, each acquiring its own flavour. Consequently a number of major styles of 'art' dance are known to us today, like Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Manipuri, Odissi and Sattriya. Then, there are regional variations, the dances of rural and tribal areas, which range from simple, joyous celebrations of the seasons, harvest or birth of a child to dances for the propitiation of demons or for invoking spirits. Today there is also a whole new body of modern experimental dance.
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