4. Table of Contents
Class #1: Namaskar Page 2
Class #2: Telling a Story Page 4
Class #3: From 10 Fingers to Thousands of Gestures: Mudras Page 6
Class #4: Is There A Face For That? Page 9
Class #5: When Bollywood Meets Tradition Page 12
Class #6: Hair, Makeup, & Costume—Beautify Yourself Page 15
Class #7: Lights, Camera, Dance Page 20
4
5. Indian Dance is a broad category of dance that
incorporates many different styles and
characteristics. While it is one of the most
ancient forms of dance, it is still very much alive
today. Come and join me as I explore a dance
form so dear to me, one that has traditional
components with a modern flare.
5
6. Class #1: Namaskar
5…
6…
7…
8…
Right Hand, Right Foot
Left Hand, Left Foot
Bend at the knees, Touch the floor
Pay your respects & POSE
6
7. Dancing is an art of the god, Natraj—His gift to the
world. Before every dance, we give our respect to the
stage we dance on and to God, for gifting us with the
ability to dance. This is the time when we gather our
nerves, ask for protection, and muster up the courage
to do the best we can. As we engage in one of the
most ancient forms of dance, one with a history that
goes back centuries, we must be thankful for the
amazing gift of…
D A N C E!
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8. Class #2: Telling a Story
When we dance, we tell a story. Our movement
embodies the words of the songs we perform.
Through our facial expressions, hands, and body
language we are able to recite ancient history,
tell love stories, show our devotion to God, and
celebrate a special moment in our lives.
8
9. In dance, we use what we have. In dance, we
speak to the audience. In dance, we share
something with our audience that we love so
dearly. Every movement matters. Every beat
counts.
From head to toe, our body becomes the story;
the passion is in our eyes, and the dedication is
eminent in our bones. The audience feels the
emotions our bodies evoke and goes through an
adventure that is not only passionate but fun
and engaging as well.
9
10. Class #3: From 10 Fingers to Thousands of
Gestures: Mudras
What sets all forms of Indian dance apart from
other types of dance is the magical use of fingers
and hands. Formally, these gestures are called
Mudras. You can have mudras for dance and
yoga. The careful formations created by
individual fingers and hands depict the intricate
stories we wish to tell. While some mudras are
specific to objects and feelings, others may be
used for the enhancement of our movements.
10
11. It is important to choose the right hand
gestures for the message we wish to convey. As
we embark on these journeys with our audience,
we give them a taste of our personal style of
dance and our understanding of the story we
wish to tell them. With our hands, we cannot
only captivate the audience, but also share
something personal, without the use of words,
to those who may or may not know us.
11
12. Who would have
thought our
fingers and
hands would
have so much to
tell?
12
13. Class #4: Is There A Face For That?
Hand gestures play such an important role in
telling our dancing stories, but along with that,
our facial expressions are equally important.
Throughout our stories, we are experiencing a
myriad of emotions. If we are telling a story of the
epic wars of Mahabharata and Ramayana, we may
feel despair, fear, anger, and sadness. But each of
these emotions looks and feels different from one
another. Through our facial expressions, we are
able to connect our emotions and feelings to our
movement. Together these give the audience a
better understanding of what we are sharing with
them.
13
14. Having good facial expressions is very
important. We have to have full control of our
eyes, lips, foreheads, and cheeks. Using the
thirty major muscles in our faces, we can display
thousands of different emotions. By gaining
control of our muscles and learning ways to
make certain emotions evident, our stories are
more authentic.
14
15. How cool would
it be, if you
could tell a
story with your
face and no
words?
15
16. Class #5: When Bollywood Meets Tradition
When you watch a Bollywood (Indian) movie,
one of the first things you notice is that it is a
musical. The interplay between, song, dance,
and movie storylines is very characteristic of
Bollywood films. Many of these films are about
love, the story of two star-crossed lovers who
face a rough patch in the middle, but fall deeply
in love at the end. To express these events, the
actors in the movies will sing and dance a song.
The dances in these films are very unique
because they incorporate traditional and modern
elements of dance and music.
16
17. Kathak
Bharatnatyam
In the olden days, many actors and actresses
were trained dancers in either Bharatanatyam or
Kathak (two ancient forms of dance in India).
These dances not only incorporated traditional
elements of these individual dance styles, but
they also captured their essence. As time
progressed, fewer actors were trained dancers,
but their choreographers were well trained and
extremely talented. The dance form morphed
into a more modern take on the traditional
elements of classical Indian dance.
17
18. Today, many people have mastered the
traditional forms of dance, giving it a modern
flare that is flattering to the big screen and our
stages at home. This form has also gained
popularity as performances for special
celebrations and wedding parties and receptions.
It is a crowd pleaser and a very captivating form
of dance—everyone feels as though they are a
part of it from start to finish.
18
19. Class #6: Hair, Makeup, & Costume—Beautify
Yourself
You have your dance ready, but what do you
wear? India comes with an amazing fashion
history. The fashion industry never seems to
take a break, which is every dancer’s dream. For
this type of dance, you have many different
costume options. You can wear a chaniya choli,
a sari, or a salwar kameez. Some are easier to
dance in than others, but all are extremely
beautiful. Your options within these general
types are endless. Any tailor in India can make
you exactly what you envision.
19
20. A chaniya choli is a three-piece outfit that
allows for great flexibility in movement. It
contains a blouse, a skirt, and a long scarf. In
wearing this outfit, you are to secure all three
parts so that your movement is free and fluid.
20
21. A sari is nine yards of beautiful fabric that can
be wrapped around the body in a number of
different ways. It is also a three-piece outfit with
a blouse, nine yards of fabric, and a liner skirt.
With a sari, your movement is a little more
restricted because of the way you wrap the
fabric around your body.
21
22. A salwar kameez is a three-piece outfit that is
the easiest to wear. It contains pants, a top, and
a scarf. The pants come in many different styles:
skinny legged, wide legged, even legging style.
It is kind of like buying a pair of jeans, with so
many different styles to choose from.
22
23. Your make up is intended to define your facial
features. You will usually see very dramatic
makeup depending on the performance. Heavy
eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, and lipstick are a
must. On our hands and feet, you may see some
dancers wear mendhi. Mendhi is also known as
henna. It draws attention to the hands and feet,
highlighting these body parts to give the
mudras and body language more definition.
Your hair is generally pulled back in a ponytail
or bun to draw more attention to your facial
features. The more the audience can see your
face, the better understanding they have of your
dancing story.
23
24. Class #7: Lights, Camera, Dance
Learning these elements is very important. It is
quite difficult to do all these things individually.
It takes even more dedication to put them
together. Our dances have a beginning, middle,
and end. When we start our dances with our
namaskar, we set the tone for the remainder.
We tell the audience that we are ready and that
we are prepared to take them on an adventure.
When the music plays, the story comes to life.
The lights and stage become our best friends
and as we use the music to guide our movement,
the audience is captivated.
24
25. It is extremely nerve wracking when you get
onto the stage. Your heart is racing and
remembering to smile is so difficult because you
are so nervous. But you just have to make it
through the first beat. You brush it off the
second you pay your respects and then you just
let the music enter your soul; dance from the
heart and you strut your stuff. Fall in love with
dance so everyone can experience your love for
an art form so beautiful and ancient. Just
remember, when you finish…
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27. Glossary
1. Natraj: The God of dance
2. Mudras: Hand gestures used in dance and yoga
3. Mahabharata: The epic war that determined who would rule
all of India. The side of good was guide by Lord Krishna.
4. Ramayana: The epic war between good and evil where Lord
Ram was the leader of the side of good.
5. Bollywood: The largest movie and music industry in the world.
6. Bharatanaytam: A form of classical Indian dance that
originated from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
7. Kathak: A form of classical Indian dance that originated from
the North India state of Uttar Pradesh.
8. Chaniya Choli: A three-piece outfit traditionally worn in India.
It consists of a blouse, a skirt, and a long scarf.
9. Sari: A tradition garment worn by women that consists of
nine yards of fabric. It consists of fabric, a blouse, and a skirt.
10. Salwar Kameez: A three-piece pant outfit that is
traditionally worn my females. It consists of a top, pants, and a
scarf.
11. Mendhi: Also known as henna. This is a paste made of
eucalypts leaves that can be used as a temporary tattoo for the
hands and feet.
Acknowledgement: All of the imagines found in this book are from Google Images
27
28. Want to watch a classical Indian dance?
Visit:
https://sites.google.com/site/dancingstories/
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29. About the Author
I’m Nisha Dullabh, a
student at the University
Of Georgia—a proud
Georgia Bulldawg at that.
Since I was a little girl, I
have loved to dance. I
would follow my cousin
around, copying her cheers
and dances she practiced
around the house.
Eventually I began to
engage in classical Indian
dance on my own. I never
took any formal dance
classes, but learned from
the many Internet
resources I could find and
the people around me. I
started teaching dance at
the age of twelve and
found a new appreciation
for this beautiful art form.
Through this book, I hope to introduce an ancient art form
that is not only beautiful to watch, but also tells
wonderful stories in a unique way. Enjoy!
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