Hindu philosophy assumes that the Universe is brought into existence through the manifestation of the dance. In Hindu tradition the Supreme Dancer is called Nataraja. The Hindu scriptures show that every god applies he/her own dance style. Lasya and Tandava are considered the major aspects of dance. 23 celestial beings named ‘Apsarases’ are dancing to favor the gods. They express the fundamental truths through the the magic of their movements (Sharma, 2007).
The distinguishing feature of Hindu dancing tradition is that the dance in the Hinduism has been always applied as an indispensable constituent of a sacred temple ritual. In such a way, in Eastern and South India female priestesses called ‘devadasi’ worshiped various aspects of the Divine through gestures and mimics. Natyashastra is considerd the most elaborate and the most ancient scripture symbolizing every aspect of this sacred art (Gupta, 2005).
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Historically, the temple dance has evolved into the South Indian Classical Dance which preserves various rituals of Hinduism. Classical Indian dancers are often referred to as the ‘incarnations of apsaras’. Indian classical dance is a unified term that comprises various art forms rooted in Natya as well as sacred Hindu musical and theatre styles which date back to 400 BC the living times of Bharata Muni and Natya Shastra (Sharma, 2007).
“Natya Shastra” by Bharata Muni is the earliest treatise in the Sanskrit classic devoted to the artistic performance. This ancient source provides the essentials of the Hindu dance tradition and theatrical performance as well as the core techniques of dramatic play. Hindu artistic performances are entirely related to religion. Fact is, the first Hindu theatres were temples which artists used to please the deities. Later, during the Moghul era and British colonization, the Hindu dancing tradition expanded into the royal courts and was associated with entertainment since then. The Hindu Epics and Puranas still inspire various modern Indian dances as they are based on spiritual themes (Gupta, 2005). The Hindu dancing tradition consists of two main directions, namely folk dance and classical dance. Each trend is featured by the distinctive styles.
The core folk dance styles in Hindu involve Garba, which is a Gujarati clap-dance applying circular movements. The dance is traditionally performed by females during Navaratri. Dandiya Rasa dance uses wooden sticks to focus on the rhythm. The dance is now performed by both men and women during Navaratri. The following Hindu male dance is called Bhangra, which is rather colorful and energetic harvest dance originated from Punjab. Finally, Giddha is a graceful dance from Punjab performed by females (Sharma, 2007).
With regard to classical dance styles in Hindu tradition, Kathak is regarded as the major dancing style from the North part of India which relates stories and employs intricate footwork. The main Southern dance is called Bharata Natyam which is a graceful based on hand gestures and facial expressions. Finally, Kathakali is considered a powerful discipline of dance-drama originating from the South which is elaborate and applies vivid facial masks (Gupta, 2005).
- Gupta, S. (2005). Dances of India, Har-Anand Publications.
- Sharma, M. (2007). Musical heritage of India, APH Publishing.
