Indian folk dance

Indians have a long tradition of dancing. There is also a legend about the origin of dance.

Originally, dancing could only be enjoyed by gods and did not exist in the human world. One day, Indra, the god of thunder, was asking the fairy Urworthy to dance. Although she was dancing, her heart was silently churning with love for Jia Yin De (who was of course also an immortal in the sky), and she couldn't help but make a secret glance at Jia Yin De. This was a serious act, as she violated the laws of heaven and was punished. To be reborn in this world. Jainde was also demoted due to his involvement. He was driven into the world and turned into a bamboo. But God finally gave them a chance. If they meet on earth, they can return to heaven. And Urworthy brought dance to the world. At a festival, people gave Urworthy a bamboo to thank her for bringing dance, and this bamboo was transformed by Jaind. Then the punishment ended and the two returned to heaven. And the dance has spread in the world since then.

Legends are just legends after all. In fact, as early as the Vedic period 4,000 years ago, there are records about dance in the classic "Rig Veda" and in the Indian epic "Ramayana". There are even more records of dance. The "Dance Treatise" written by Bharata Muni in Sanskrit more than 2,000 years ago is probably the earliest treatise on dance in the world.

Indian dance has evolved to the present and has as many as 180 forms. Many dancers in the world spend a lifetime just learning one of them.

Indian dance can be roughly divided into classical dance and folk dance. Most of these dances have strong religious overtones. During the performance, a statue of Shiva, the dancing god, is placed in front of the stage.

"His upper right hand holds a damo and drum, symbolizing creation, and some say it symbolizes various sounds; his lower right hand symbolizes God's protection and blessing; his left hand holds a burning flame, It symbolizes that he can destroy everything he created (some people say it symbolizes the destruction of error and the spread of truth); the lower left hand hangs down like an elephant's trunk to the picked up foot, symbolizing freedom from all silk; the right foot steps on it. A devil (named Moyakala) symbolizes the victory of good over evil; the raised left foot symbolizes transcendence and upward movement. The decoration around the dance symbolizes the nature that embraces people. This image of the king of dance can be said. It vividly reveals the purpose of Indian dance.”

There are six major schools of Indian classical dance: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Kathakali. Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Odissi.

Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance from Tamil Nadu in southern India. It originated from the Vedic period and is the most popular, oldest and most influential dance in India. The largest dance and also the essence of Indian classical dance. At first this dance was performed in temples. At that time, there were some girls called "Dai Wu Daxi" (maids of the gods) who were sent to temples from childhood. Their only mission in their lives was to dance for the gods. Later, this dance gradually spread outside the temple.

“Bharatanatyam pursues the integration of human spirit and cosmic spirit. It is a pure dance, a spiritual dance, and a soul dance. In the dance, it is usually shown as a dialogue between male and female protagonists, and the heroine represents the human spirit. The hero represents the cosmic spirit. This relationship is often expressed in the simplest way - the heroine's desire to reunite with her loved one."

This dance form is based on the Karnataka system. It is based on music and pays attention to the harmony and unity of tone, rhythm and expression. Usually one actor (female) dances solo, and there are five people on the side of the stage to assist in the performance. This six-piece orchestra is often led by a religious master who plays cymbals. The dancers serve as the center of the orchestra and are responsible for the comprehensive performance, the percussion is provided by the drummer playing the mridan drum, and the melody of the song is accompanied by the flute, violin or Indian lyre.

(The violin was added nearly 200 years ago)

Five-person orchestra

The dancers are gorgeous in dress, graceful in posture, wearing semicircular garlands, sparkling earrings and nose ornaments, and are dazzling. , the actor's hands, eyes, body, feet and steps work closely together, and the facial expressions of joy, anger, sorrow and joy change rapidly.

Bharatanatyam Dancer

"This dance generally has six sections. The first section is called Alarip, which is a dance section that prays to God at the beginning of the whole dance. The actor When he comes out, his fingers are stretched out and bent into the shape of lotus petals, and his whole hand is like a blooming lotus. This is called the "Albadem" posture, which symbolizes dedicating the holy lotus to God. The actor walks to the stage and first bows to the actor. The audience put their hands together in greeting, then moved their necks, raised their hands, stretched out their hands, and stretched their feet... It made people feel as if God injected life into the dancing statue and resurrected it in the following five sections. Kangmu (pace and tone), Shadam (narration), Varnam (narrative), Badram (expression) and Tiram (end)

Bharatanatyam dance has accompaniment. , for the same lyrics, the actors have to do it differently according to the plot. For example, they sing: "Oh! Krishna, come on, don’t let me waste my life.” At this time, the actress can tilt her head in annoyance and say: “Okay, if you don’t come, just wait and see!” "You can also perform holding a bowl of milk or sweets to coax Krishna as a child. You can also beg for Krishna's mercy like a devout believer. You can also act as Krishna's lover Radha Nayang longing. His arrival. If the audience is familiar with ancient literature, it will be easy to understand the meaning of the dance." ("The Mystery of Indian Culture" Yang Xuexiang)

Kathak

Kathak dance originated in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The name of this dance comes from the ancient Indian folk storyteller (called "Kathak"). At first, Kathak was just oral. Later, in order to increase the rendering power, movements and music were combined, and Kathak dance was born. What is unique is that the dance kings respected by the dancers of this sect are not Shiva, but Krishna and Radha. This kind of dance should have only been spread among the people at first, but during the Womol Dynasty, it gradually entered the court and incorporated some characteristics of Persian dance.

This dance is also known as the "foot bell dance". As the name suggests, many small copper bells are tied to the feet. How many? Usually 50 to 200.

Kathak dance is probably one of the most difficult traditional Indian dances to practice. Many artists who dance Kathak dance need to receive professional training from the age of 7. Don't underestimate these bells. The first quality a good dancer must have is to be able to master these bells skillfully. A top-notch Kathak dancer can use precise foot control to make only one or two of the 200 bells ring!

The characteristic of Kathak dance is its strong rhythm, which is easily reminiscent of Spanish dance. In fact, the Gypsies of India brought Kathak dance to Europe, so Spanish dance may also contain elements of North Indian dance. Kathak dance is passionate and the dancers are always smiling. Throughout the dance, the dancers have to follow the beat of the drums, sometimes faster and sometimes slower. Fast, like a sudden rainstorm; slow, like a willow blowing in the wind. "In terms of technique, Kathak dance is flat, always following a vertical line, without pauses or turns. ... Straight steps, gliding movements, rapid rotations, changing speeds and rhythms constitute the The beauty and dexterity of Kathak dance

Like other dances, the dancer first prays to the god or the most important sponsor in the audience, and then slowly reveals the beauty of his eyebrows, eyes, neck and shoulders. Movements, and then show rhythmic movements. In group dances of three, six, nine, and twelve people, the single-leg spinning movement often means the finale. The pure dance part is often followed by a short, repetitive music. The explanatory passages are accompanied by the occasional bouncing bean-like dialogues by the main dancer, which are humorous and make people laugh. These revues are usually performed in pure dance passages based on lyric poems that are familiar to urban and rural residents. Given the freedom to improvise, a healthy competition between him and the drummer was normal.

In burlesque, a dancer's ability to improvise on verse is often a test of his skill. ”

Kathakali

Kathakali originated in Kerala. At first, only men could perform it, but later it slowly began to allow female performers to participate. .

This dance has obvious characteristics. Before performing, each actor's face must be heavily painted (a bit like Peking Opera). The makeup materials are mainly rice paste, green leaves, oil smoke, paint and white. Paper. The makeup is very, very delicate. Why do you say "very, very"? Because the makeup of Kathakali dance can be up to 15 centimeters thick, which is the thickest among all ethnic dances in the world. (Guinness Records).

The facial makeup and clothing of Kathakali dance are also very interesting. The upper body is colorful, but the lower body is always white cloth.

"Legend has it that a scholar thought hard about the actors' costumes for several days and couldn't figure it out. Later, when he came to the beach, he suddenly saw many people wearing various costumes emerging from the sea, which made him suddenly enlightened. But what he saw was only the upper body. What to wear on the lower body? In the end, he decided to use white waves as the lower body, so the actors all wore white cloth. "

Usually people wearing different clothes represent people with different personalities. For example, green represents brave and holy character, while white beard represents piety.

Kathakali dance" Emphasize the movement of the eyes and the expression is very rich. "(It is really not easy to make a "rich" expression under 15 cm thick makeup). Another feature is that the dance has a strong narrative and has the characteristics of a dance drama. It is usually performed more It is an excerpt from the two epics - "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana"

"Before the performance of Kathakali dance, the drum is usually beaten, and people in the nearby woods can hear it. Afterwards, they lit torches and walked through the rice fields and coconut groves, following the sound. This kind of dance does not require a stage, just a small space surrounded by banana stick leaves in the open space. The audience sat on the ground and watched it all night long. When the morning glow turns the coconut treetops red, people return happily. " ("The Mystery of Indian Culture" by Yang Xuexiang)

Manipuri Dance (Manipuri)

"Manipuri dance originated in the Manipur area, hence its name. Manipur has always been known as the "Land of Dance". Dance is an important part of the life of Manipur people and an essential virtue for women.

Manipuri dance developed from folk dance. According to folklore, in ancient times, Lord Shiva and the Parvati Goddess created a dance and chose a valley area suitable for this dance, but it was low-lying and submerged in water. So Lord Shiva used his three prongs to drain water from the mountain, filled up the depression, and opened up a place for dancing. This place is today's Manipur. The first dance performed by Lord Shiva and Parvati in Manipur was called Raiharoba dance. Raiharoba dance is the original form of Manipuri dance. It is a dance performed to honor the village god. When dancing, the whole village often participates. Manipuri dance is a general term for several types of dances. The Manipuri dances include Banga Jalan dance (quick step dance), Gradhar Jalan dance (high-five dance), performance krishna and other related dances. The Rakar dance (partner dance) of Na (God Krishna)’s childhood, the Tabar Jingabi dance (moonlight dance) danced during the Songkran Festival, etc. What people usually call Manipuri dance, which is also famous all over India, refers to the erotic Rath Leela dance. It is said that about 1,700 years ago, a king named Jai Singh emerged in the Manipur region. Once, he saw the Las Lila dance in his dream and heard the beautiful music, so he taught his daughter how to dance. Since then, this dance has been passed down to this day.

Ras Leela dance also includes Vasund Ras dance (spring dance), Gungu Ras dance (forest dance), Maha Ras dance (big dance), Nepali dance Dieye Ras dance, Devo Ras dance, etc. All these dances are dances that express the love and play between Krishna and the girls of the Gobi tribe (a kind of pastoral tribe). The dance features Lata and Krishna.

Lata and Gobi girls wear a circle skirt called banig without pleats. The skirt is covered with tulle, a belt is tied around the waist, and a tight-fitting jacket is worn on the upper body. Short coat, gauze scarf and hat. Krishna wears yellow clothes. The colors of their costumes are in perfect harmony with the dance atmosphere, making the dance more graceful, graceful and moving. "(The above paragraph is excerpted from "The Mystery of Indian Culture" by Yang Xuexiang) The main feature of this dance is gentle and continuous movements. The dance often takes love and interesting things in life as the theme. The actor's arm movements are soft and slender, and the torso movements are naturally relaxed. The female dancer is like The stamens of blooming flowers are as beautiful as the stamens in them.

Manipur has another group of religious ritual dances: the most important of which are the Maiba and Maibi dances performed by male and female priests in front of the village gods. Often ends in shock

The above dances (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri) sometimes It is directly called the "Four Classical Dances of India". Therefore, there are also four schools of Indian classical dance. It can be seen that these four types of dance are the most distinctive among Indian folk dances and are also the essence of Indian folk dance.

Kuchipudi dance (Kuchipudi)

Kuchipudi dance originated in Andhra Pradesh and its history can be traced back to the 3rd century BC

Originally, it was performed in temples by male and female actors.

The dance movements of Kuchipudi are highly stylized and the rhythm is cheerful. Like the dance, the plot is mostly based on mythological stories, such as the story of Shiva dividing the water of the Ganges in order to resurrect the dead.

At first, both men and women could participate in the performance, but later people. It was gradually believed that certain roles in dance were not suitable for actresses. Kuchipudi dance was once dominated by male actors. During the British colonial period, this ancient and beautiful dance was suppressed and no one cared about it until India. It was revitalized after independence.

Nowadays, learning Kuchipudi dance has become a new fashion in India, and girls love it more, because being able to sing and dance will always make it easier for them to find them.