Dance is an ancient and celebrated cultural tradition in India. The roots can be traced from the Sanskrit text – ‘Natya Shastra’. The first compilation of Natya Shastra is dated between 200BCE and 200CE.
Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk that emerged from traditions, epics and mythology. Different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, imbibed in local history and traditions. Be it Kathak, the graceful dance of north India; Manipuri with its subdued eloquence, practiced in eastern/north-eastern India; Bharatanatyam, oldest Classical dance form of South India (believed to be around 2000 years old); Dazzling Dandiya, the traditional folk dance form of Gujarat & Rajasthan in Western India or Tarpa dance of the indigenous tribe of Warli, the dancer(s) enacts a story through gestures to evoke a rasa (emotion) among the audience by invoking a particular bhava (gesture or facial expression)..
Did you know, Peacock, the national bird of India, have inspired moves in many of these dance forms...
