Question

Q. Consider the following pairs:

Dance	Features
1. Kathak	Accompanied with Dhrupad music
2. Kathakali	Ballad of the East
3. Odissi	Young boys dressed as females
4. Kuchipudi	Movements resemble the dancing flame

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 2, 3 and 4 only
• C. 1 and 4 only
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is A 1, 2 and 3 only

Explanation:

Only pair 4 is incorrectly matched. In Bharatnatyam, movements resemble the dancing flame.

• The word Kathak has been derived from the word Katha which means a story. Kathakars or storytellers are people who narrate stories largely based on episodes from epics, myths, and legends. It probably started as an oral tradition. Mime and gestures were perhaps added later on to make the recitation more effective. The Vaishnavite cult swept North India in the 15th century and the resultant bhakti movement contributed to a whole new range of lyrics and musical forms. Kathak is accompanied by Dhrupad music – Taranas, thumris, and ghazals introduced during the Mughal period.
• Kathakali, as a dance form popular today, is considered to be of comparatively recent origin. However, it is an art that has evolved from many social and religious theatrical forms which existed in the southern region in ancient times. Chakiarkoothu, Koodiyattam, Krishnattam, and Ramanattam are a few of the ritual performing arts of Kerala which have had a direct influence on Kathakali in its form and technique. Kathakali themes are epics and the Puranas and the reciters are known as the ‘ballad of the east.
• For centuries maharis were the chief repositories of Odissi dance. The maharis, who were originally temple dancers, came to be employed in royal courts which resulted in the degeneration of the art form. Around this time, a class of boys called Gotipuas were trained in the art, they danced in the temples and also for general entertainment. Many of today's gurus of this style belong to the Gotipua tradition. Gotipuas were young boys recruited and dressed as females who continued the Odissi dance form.
• Bharatnatyam Dance is considered to be over 2000 years old. Several texts beginning with Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra (200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.) provide information on this dance form. The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance. Bharatnatyam depicts Fire Dance – Manifestation of fire in the human body; most of the dance movements resemble the dancing flame.