SATTRIYA

 

                               SATTRIYA

Sattriya (Assamese: সত্ৰীয়া), or Sattriya Nritya, is a major Indian classical dance. It is a dance-drama performance art with origins in the Krishna-centered Vaishnavism monasteries of Assam, and attributed to the 15th century Bhakti movement scholar and saint Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev.

Satrriya is also known as Sattriya Nritya was formed in the Satra monasteries as a contribution to the Bhakti movement of neo-Vaishnavite led by Srimanta Sankardev during the 15th century in Assam. Therefore Sattriya has its origin from Krishna focused Vaishnavism in Assam as introduced by the famous scholar, reformer and Vaishnaya saint Srimanta Sankardev. Sattriya classical dance is more than five hundred years older.

The Sattriya dance form was introduced in the 15th century A.D by the great Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam, Mahapurusha Sankaradeva as a powerful medium for propagation of the Vaishnava faith. The dance form evolved and expanded as a distinctive style of dance later on. This neo-Vaishnava treasure of Assamese dance and drama has been, for centuries, nurtured and preserved with great commitment by the Sattras i.e. Vaishnava maths or monasteries. Because of its religious character and association with the Sattras, this dance style has been aptly named Sattriya.

ODISSI

                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                            ODISSI

Odissi is traditionally a dance-drama genre of performance art, where the artist(s) and musicians play out a story, a spiritual message or devotional poem from the Hindu texts, using symbolic costumes, body movement, abhinaya (expressions) and mudras (gestures and sign language) set out in ancient Sanskrit literature

    

                                   

Odissi is a classical India dance form and it originates from the state of Odisha. It is a sensuous and lyrical dance form. Considered a dance of love, it touches on the human and the divine aspects of life. It also touches on the subtleties of life, as well as the mundane.

 

The procedures of development are worked around the two essential stances of the Chowk and the Tribhanga. The chowk is a position emulating a square – an exceptionally manly position with the heaviness of the body similarly adjusted. The tribhanga is an extremely feminine position where the body is diverted at the neck, middle and the knees.

 

KATHAKALI

Kathakali (Malayalam: കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up, costumes and face masks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear.

‘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 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. 

KUCHIPUDI

                                                                  KUCHIPUDI

Kuchipudi is indigenous to the state of Andhra Pradesh and differs from the other five classical styles by the inclusion of singing. Kuchipudi originated in the 17th century with the creation by Sidhyendra Yogi of the dance-drama Bhama Kalapam, a story of Satyabhāma, the charming but jealous wife of the god Krishna.

Kuchipudi (/kuːtʃiˈpuːdi/)( Telugu: te:కూచిపూడి నృత్యం) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances.It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with it’s roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India. 

The traditional Kuchipudi was performed by all males troupe. A dancer in a male role would be in Agnivastra, also known as Bagalbandi, wear a dhoti (a single pleated piece of cloth hanging down from the waist).A dancer in a female role would wear a Sari with light makeup.

                                BHARATA NATYAM

 Bharatanatyam is a dance of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It traces its origins back to the Natyashastra, an ancient treatise on theatre written by the mythic priest Bharata. Originally a temple dance for women, bharatanatyam often is used to express Hindu religious stories and devotions.

Bharatanatyam (Tamil: பரதநாட்டியம்) is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. The dance form is also briefly mentioned in Kannada text Manasollasa written by Someshwara III. It has flourished in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, collectively Hinduism.

Bharatanatyam contains different types of banis. Bani, or 'tradition', is a term used to describe the dance technique and style specific to a guru or school. These are named according to the village of the guru (with the exception of some banis^{[citation needed]}. Bharatanatyam style is noted for its fixed upper torso, bent legs and knees flexed (Aramandi) combined with spectacular footwork, and a sophisticated vocabulary of sign language based on gestures of hands, eyes, and face muscles. The dance is accompanied by music and a singer, and typically the dancer's guru is present as the Nattuvanar, director, and conductor of the performance and art. The performance repertoire of Bharatanatyam, like other classical dances, includes nrita (pure dance), nritya (solo expressive dance) and natya (group dramatic dance).