here In there is a brief description of INDIAN Dance forms like Kathak , bharatnatyam , kuchipudi , orrisi and their history and evolution.

1. Kathak Dance
The word Kathak has been derived from the word Katha which means a story. Kathakars or
story-tellers, are people who narrate stories largely based on episodes from the 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. Thus evolved a simple form of expressional dance,
providing the origins of what later developed into Kathak as we see it today.
The Vaishnavite cult which swept North India in the 15th century. and the resultant bhakti
movement contributed to a whole new range of lyrics and musical forms. The Radha-Krishna
theme proved immensely popular alongwith the works of Mirabai, Surdas, Nandadas and
Krishnadas.
The emergence of Raslila , mainly in the Braj region (Mathura in Western U.P.) was an
important development. It combined in itself music, dance and the narrative. Dance in Raslila,
however, was mainly an extension of the basic mime and gestures of the Kathakars or story-
tellers which blended easily with the existing traditional dance.
With the coming of the Mughals, this dance form received a new impetus. A transition from the
temple courtyard to the palace durbar took place which necessitated changes in presentation. In
both Hindu and Muslim courts, Kathak became highly stylised and came to be regarded as a
sophisticated form of entertainment. Under the Muslims there was a greater stress
on nritya and bhavagiving the dance graceful, expressive and sensuous dimensions.
Today, Kathak has emerged as a distinct dance form. Being the only classical dance of India
having links with Muslim culture, it represents a unique synthesis of Hindu and Muslim genius
in art. Further, Kathak is the only form of classical dance wedded to Hindustani or the North
Indian music. Both of them have had a parallel growth, each feeding and sustaining the other.
Bharatnatyam Dance
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. There is also a
great deal of visual evidence of this dance form in paintings and stone and metal sculptures of
ancient times. On the gopurams of the Chidambaram temple, one can see a series of
Bharatnatyam poses, frozen in stone as it were, by the sculptor. In many other temples, the
charis and karanas of the dance are represented in sculpture and one can make a study of the
dance form.
Bharatnatyam dance is known to be ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a single
performance. In the early 19th century, the famous Tanjore Quartette, under the patronage of
Raja Serfoji are said to have been responsible for the repertoire of Bharatnatyam dance as we see

2. it today.
The style was kept alive by the devadasis, who were young girls 'gifted' by their parents to the
temples and who were married to the gods. The devadasisperformed music and dance as
offerings to the deities, in the temple courtyards. Some of the renowned performers and gurus of
the early part of the century belong to the devadasi families, a well-known name is Bala
Saraswati.
As a solo dance, Bharatnatyam leans heavily on the abhinaya or mime aspect of dance - the
nritya, where the dancer expresses the sahitya through movement and mime. Shabdam follows
the jatiswaram in a Bharatnatyam dance performance. The accompanying song is generally in
adoration of the Supreme Being.
After the shabdam, the dancer performs the varnam. The varnam which is the most important
composition of the Bharatnatyam repertoire, encompasses both nritta and nritya and epitomises
the essence of this classical dance form. The dancer here performs complicated well graded
rhythmic patterns in two speeds showing the control over rhythm, and then goes on to depict in a
variety of ways, through abhinaya the lines of the sahitya. This portrays the dancer's excellence
in abhinaya and also reflects the endless creativity of the choreographer.
The varnam is by far one of the most beautiful compositions in Indian dance.
Odissi Dance form
For centuries maharis were the chief repositories of this 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.
Odissi is a highly stylised dance and to some extent is based on the classical Natya Shastra and
the Abhinaya Darpana. In fact, it has derived a great deal from
Odisha, on the eastern sea coast, is the home of Odissi, one of the many forms of Indian classical dance. Sensuous and
lyrical, Odissi is a dance of love and passion touching on the divine and the human, the sublime and the mundane.
The Natya Shastra mentions many regional varieties, such as the south-eastern style known as the Odhra
Magadha which can be identified as the earliest precursor of present day Odissi.
Archaeological evidence of thisdance formdatingbackto the 2nd centuryB.C. isfoundinthe caves of Udayagiri and
Khandagiri nearBhubaneshwar.Later,innumerableexamplesof the Buddhistsculptures,the tantricimagesof dancingYoginis,
the Nataraja,and othercelestial musiciansanddancersof earlyShaivite templesbeartestimonytoacontinuingtraditionof
dance from the 2nd centuryB.C.E to the 10th centuryC.E.These influencesfoundsynthesisinanunique philosophy -
the dharmaor faithof Jagannath.WithHinduismtakingrootsinOdishabyabout the 7th centuryA.D.,many imposingtemples
were erected.The magnificentSunTempleatKonarak,builtinthe 13th century,withits Natyamandap or Hall of dance,
marks the culminationof the templebuildingactivityinOdisha.Thesedance movements,frozeninstone,continuetoinspire
Odissi dancerseventoday.

3. the Abhinaya Darpana Prakasha by Jadunatha Sinha, theAbhinaya Chandrika by Rajmani
Patra, and the Abhinaya Chandrika by Maheshwara Mahapatra.
As in other parts of India, creative literature inspired the Odissi dancer also and provided the
themes for dance. This is especially true of the 12th century Gita Govinda by Jayadeva. It is a
profound example of thenayaka-nayika bhava and surpasses other poems in its poetic and
stylistic content. The devotion of the poet for Krishna permeates through the work.
The dancer is adorned in elaborate Odiya silver jewellery and a special hair-do. The sari, usually
stitched nowadays, is unique to the style.
In each performance, even a modern Odissi dancer still reaffirms the faith of
the devadasis ormaharis where they sought liberation or moksha through the medium of dance.
Kuchipudi Dance Form
Kuchipudi ) is one of the ten major Indian classical dances.[2] It originated in a village of
Krishna district in modern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.[3]
Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance art, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of
Natya Shastra.[3][4][5] It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and
spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India.[6] Evidence of Kuchipudi's existence in
an older version are found in copper inscriptions of the 10th century, and by the 15th century in
texts such as the Machupalli Kaifat.[7][8] Kuchipudi tradition believes that Tirtha Narayana Yati –
a sanyassin of Advaita Vedanta persuasion,[9] and his disciple an orphan named Siddhendra Yogi
founded and systematized the modern version of Kuchipudi in the 17th century.[10][11][12]
Kuchipudi largely developed as a Hindu god Krishna-oriented Vaishnavism tradition,[13] and it is
most closely related to Bhagavata Mela performance art found in Tamil Nadu.[7]
The Kuchipudi performance usually begins with an invocation. Then, each costumed actor is
introduced, their role stated, and who then performs a short dance prelim to music (dharavu).
Next, the performance presents pure dance (nritta).[14] This is followed with expressive part of
the performance (nritya), where rhythmic gestures as a sign language mime the play.[14][15]
Vocalists and musicians accompany the artist, with the song recited in Telugu language, and the
tala and raga set to (Carnatic music).[16] The typical musical instruments in Kuchipudi are
mridangam, cymbals, veena, flute and the tambura.[17]
The popularity of Kuchipudi has grown within India, and its performances held worldwide.[18][19]
Kathakali Dance:
‘Kathakali’, an important genre in the Indian classical dance form, is associated with storytelling
form of this art. It is the dance drama from the south Indian state of Kerala. Similar to other
Indian classical dance arts, the story in ‘Kathakali’ is also communicated to audience through
excellent footwork and impressive gestures of face and hands complimented with music and
vocal performance. However it can be distinguished from the others through the intricate and

4. vivid make-up, unique face masks and costumes worn by dancers as also from their style and
movements that reflect the age-old martial arts and athletic conventions prevalent in Kerala and
surrounding regions. Traditionally performed by male dancers, it developed in courts and
theatres of Hindu regions contrary to other Indian classical dances which predominantly
developed in Hindu temples and monastic schools. Although not clearly traceable, this classical
dance form is considered to have originated from temple and folk arts that trace back to 1st
millennium CE or before.
History & Evolution
Author Phillip Zarrilli mentions that the basic components and distinct features of this form of
classical dance can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit Hindu text called ‘Natya Shastra’, a text on
the performing arts written by the sage Bharata Muni, an Indian theatrologist and musicologist.
Although the full version of the text is conjectured to be completed between 200 BCE to 200 CE,
such time span also hover around 500 BCE to 500 CE. Various chapters of this text consist of
thousands of verses. Dance is categorised in two specific forms in ‘Natya Shastra’ - ‘nrita’ and
nritya’. While the former is pure dance that concentrates on hand movements and gestures, the
latter is solo expressive dance that showcases brilliance of expressions. Natalia Lidova, a
Russian scholar mentions that the text throws light upon different theories of Indian classical
dances that includes theories of Tandava dance, standing postures, basic steps, bhava, rasa,
methods of acting and gestures. Traditionally the name of this dance form was deduced by
joining two words, ‘Katha’ and ‘Kali’ where ‘Katha’ in Sanskrit means a traditional tale or story
and ‘Kali’ derived from ‘Kala’ refers to art and performance.
Views and opinions regarding the roots of ‘Kathakali’ vary due to its somewhat ambiguous
background. While Jones and Ryan mention that this genre of performing art dates back to over
500 years, according to Mahinder Singh its roots are way more ancient dating back to around
1500 years. Zarrilli states that the 16th and 17th centuries witnessed development of Kathakali as
a unique form of classical dance in the coastal belt of southern India which have Malayalam
speaking populace.
Repertoire
Kathakali is typically structured around ‘Attakatha’ meaning the story of attam or dance.
‘Attakatha’ are plays that were historically derived from Hindu epics like ‘Bhagavata Purans’,
‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’ which were written in certain format that allows one to
determine the dialogue portions that is the Pada part and the action portions that is the Shloka
part of the performance. The latter is the poetic metre written in third person elucidating the
action portions through choreography. A dramatic representation of an ancient play is presented
in a Kathakali performance which includes actor-dancers, vocalists and musicians. This age-old
performance art traditionally starts at dusk and performed through dawn with breaks and
interludes and sometimes for several nights starting at dusk.