1. Dance Towards Divinity
By Aakanksha Mishra

2. Tirumular’s divine words
“We bow to him the benevolent one whose limbs are the world,
Whose song and poetry are the essence of all language, whose
costume is the moon and the stars;
The dancing foot, the sound of tinkling bells, the songs that are
sung and the various steps;
The forms assumed by our master as he dances, discover these in
your own heart;
So shall your bonds be broken.”

3. God’s own dance
• Indian classical dances are the dances of the mind and the
soul which are deeply rooted in traditions.
• They still follow the orders laid down by the sage Bharat Muni
in his treatise ‘The Natyashahtra’ centuries ago.
• These dances evince the splendid and versatile facets of our
tradition.

4. The two aspects
• Every Indian classical dance has two aspects.
• First, ‘Nritta’ which is the rhythmic bodily movements
creating patterns in space and time with no specific objective
of projecting any emotions. The intricate footwork and the
Hasta Mudras (hand gestures) are a sensual treat that gratify
our eyes.
• The second is ‘Abhinaya’- the art of expression. Mime and
action and other histrionics conjure up an enchanting world
where the emotions and sentiments conveyed by the dancer
is amplified. The ‘Rasa’ (mood or flavour) evokes ‘Ananda’
(bliss) and this experience of bliss must be spiritual.

5. Dance vs Glamour
• There is much to say about Indian classical dances – its
lucidity, its countenance etc yet most of our dancers today
forget why they are dancing and for what purpose.
• Cut throat competition for performing, glamour,
commercialism, fame and all other rubbish has crept into our
dancers who have distanced themselves from the divine
purpose of dance.
• There are some ‘professionals’ who have been on stage
numerous times, have had international audiences, are
highly proficient and well versed with rehearsed pieces , have
a fancy resume, a shimmery scrapbook , very good costumes
and a powerful list of contacts.
• As a personage they have nothing to say to the world,
nothing to contribute to society.

6. God, the only audience
• The ‘Devadasis’ in the past had only one aim- the intent to
dance before the Almighty; they had no audience but him.
• The ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ (teacher – student
relationship) is virtually extinct nowadays.
• What we have today are globetrotting performers having
little time for their students.
• It may be interesting to note that many of our maestros- the
likes of Pandit Birju Maharaj or Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
were unbeknown to the world till lately, when we discovered
them and made them legendary. They danced with no
motive other than to connect with the Supreme.

7. The sole purpose of dancing
• The dance that we see today is mostly dramatized, an
extension of showmanship.
• There is a huge hiatus between the creativity of compositions
today and the originality of those from the past. In fact we
have demoted the traditions that our ancestors left for us.
• The dancer today is dancing merely up to the level of physical
dexterity and entertainment, the divine scintilla is sorely
lacking.
• The new crop of students who are still willing to take forward
our beauteous dance forms must be tutored about the higher
designs and potency of our arts.
• They have to be shown by example that this art form can
revolutionize the life of an individual making him stronger
and real.

8. • Perhaps, now it is time for us to introspect and ask ourselves
what is the purpose of our dances. Here is the answer-
• Dance is barely a fount of amusement.
• It serves to achieve a state of paramount bliss.
• The objective of all art is to realize the eternal verities of
being.
• The aim of art is to experience manumission from earthly ties
through pulchritude and delectation.
• All this finally ends with the realization that ‘God is the
divinity within oneself’.

9. • Read more on Youth Ki Awaaz at http://bit.ly/VeXlRz

10. • Read more on Youth Ki Awaaz at http://bit.ly/VeXlRz