Dance

"The lone survivor of this unbroken tradition is Kalamandalam Sathyabhama. She has been rightly described as the matriarch of Mohiniyattam for her epochal contributions that accorded the dance form a well-knit structure for the first time."

"By G.S. Paul In"

"The costume and jewellery of Mohiniyattam that we see today are immortal contributions of Kalamandalam."

"As further directed by the divine, in 1779 CE, Jai Singh introduced a dance form that later was to become one of the eight prominent classical dances of India—the Manipuri Raas Leela. In this dance form, the philosophy of the pre-existing Meitei beliefs forms the basis on which the Vaishnava and Bhagavata theories and philosophies are constructed around in an aesthetic and pleasing manner."

"The essential elements and the mode of dancing were drawn from Laiharaoba, while technical aspects such as head, body and neck movements, intricate footwork were drawn from the Thengou-rol (sword play), Khu-Sa-Rol (spear play) and Paphal-graphs (charts of graphic movement). Thus, broadly the choreography is a spectacular combination of Thang-Ta (martial arts of Manipur), Sarit-Sarat (unarmed Manipuri martial arts) and Mukna Kangjei (war exercises), all of which emanated from the pre-Hindu culture of the state."

"Manipuri dancing is charge with faith, the devotional fervor of bhakthi. To a Manipuri, one whole life is a dance offering. The Tandva style of men’s dancing may be swift and vigorous, the feminine Lasya an apotheosis of grace: fluid movements merging into one another with no clearly defined beginning or end, continuous as the rhythm of birth and death. One style is not more or less than the other, that’s not the point. The point is that no extraneous glance or gesture should be allowed to defile the sanctity of your offering. The ignorant call it an expressionless dance. Never! You aspire not to subtract emotion but to absorb it. The true dancer has reached a stage where the earthly audience has ceased to matter, and she is conscious of the deity in the temple of - another shrewd look – the gift of life itself."

"Being an art born out of the soil, Manipuri dance which achieves classicity through the ages, retains still the abstract, magical quality associated with the Lai Haraoba tradition."

"Manipuri dance is the collective name given to the dance and performance traditions that is the heritage of the Meitei people in Manipur. It has different elements in it. The classical tradition is the one associated with Rasleela, and Natpala. The folk/indigenous elements are those from Lai Haraoba."

"Manipuri dance is long recognized as a classical dance form in India – both administratively and socially. However, given the difficult geographic access to Manipur and Northeastern India in general the dance form has relative less publicity in large Indian cities."

"Manipuri dance has both similarities and differences with other Indian Dances. The movements of Manipuri dances are all found in the movement system described in the Bharata’s Natyashastra. Most importantly, the music system, especially the tala system in Manipuri dance is very similar to that used in the major music systems in India with a few regional variations."

"The history of Manipuri dance can be divided into two broad phases – the pre-Hindu and Hindu. The premiere festival of the Pre-Hindu tradition of Manipur, the word LaiHaraoba has been derived from “lai hoi lauba” which literally means shouting of the word “hoi” by the gods reflecting on the Meitei creation myth."

"As Vaishnavism came into the valley, the community accepted many of the themes and festivals that are celebrated through out India but in Manipur there was a special element added to it, dance and music. At this juncture the repertoire of classical Manipuri dance came into existence, Rasleela and Natpala began at this time."

"There are two major differences – the first is in the mood. Manipuri dance is very contained and controlled in its repertoire and there is no exaggeration of movements and facial expressions. Secondly, as the dance form is theatrical in origin the entire repertoire is sub-divided into two broad categories – tandava (masculine) and lasya (feminine) for the male and female characters. It is very difficult for dancers to master both techniques as they are very demanding in different ways."

"The premiere Hindu dance tradition of Manipur is contained in the Manipuri Rasleelas, which are night-long or day-long dance dramas about the life of Krishna that are held in the temple courtyards. These are ritual occasions and are largely performed by devotees, who may not be trained dancers. There are two kinds of Rasleelas –about childhood stories that enact episodes about Krishna’s childhood. These are largely performed by children. There are adult Rasleelas that are held at night, these are performed by adult women, again largely devotees who perform in a Rasleela as an act of devotion. Stories from Lord Krishna’s life are performed at different times of the year."

"The opening movements of Manipuri dance, chali... required synchronisation in movement of almost all the parts of the body — head, eye, neck, hands and legs. You keep discovering different facets of yourself as you learn more about dance."

"Manipuri dancing must be kept absolutely pure, you hear? No jerks, no wriggles. Not even the needles flutter of a single eyelash."

"Hand-gestures are an integral part of the form. The hand-gestures are prevalent in the older Maibi tradition as well, but they do not have any names. The later Rasleela tradition has Sanskrit names for the hand-gestures, in fact that is [the] way we were taught. Other Indian dance forms have very similar traditions of hand-gestures. Later on, in the 1970s during the peak of the political unrest Hidanmayum Thambal Sharma started a new tradition as he re-named the hand-gestures with Meitei names."

"I love people of Manipur and they also love … The Manipuri dance is famous throughout the world. Here women do much of the work including the outdoor work and men are relived to a great extent."

"Sattriya, a dance from the far eastern state of Assam in India,… emerges from a five hundred years old comprehensive theatre tradition nurtured in the Vaishnav Monasteries of Assam."

"Sattriya is revealed as a living, evolving tradition, rooted in the philosophy and vision of saint-preacher-reformer-artist-composer Sankaradeva (1499-1568). The history of the bhakti movement behind the rise of Sattriya, the socio-cultural-religious context."

"Built upon the foundation of bhakti, it has the same all-inclusive approach. Centred on Ankiya Nat and [w:Bhaona|Bhaona]] ( dramatic representation), many of its features can be traced back to Natya Sastra – the Odramaghada- padathi mentioned therein, refers to styles practised in eastern/north-eastern India, which include Odisha and Kamarupa (Assam). Several features of Sattriya find place in Abhinayadarpana, Sangitha Ratnakara, Kalikapurana and Sri Hastamuktavali."

"The most unique aspect of the arts that are nurtured at the sattras (literally meaning Holy areas) is that they are part of a living cultural tradition."

"like many of the other Classical Dance forms of India, [it] has been extracted from a larger body of theatrical practices that constitute the Ankiya Bhaona form."

"The Regional Arts’ Authority, the Assam Academy for the Arts, (Assam Sangeet Natak Akademi) described it as Sattriya, or belonging to the sattras. This is a more dynamic and organic term that takes cognizance of the contributions of later devotees, making spaces for the evolution of the form."

"The origin of thought and movement lie, in the case of Sattriya, you have to locate it in the deeply rooted, shared belief system of the ‘Bhakti Marg’."

"With the exception of the Ojapali (this is one of the pre-Vaishnav dance forms that the Vaishnav culture drew from) inspired segments, which predate the establishment of Sattras, the dance form of Sattriya is mostly culled out of the Ankiya Bhaona tradition that has a distinct vernacular vocabulary for theatrical communication and a sense of regional identity."

"This particular dance form is ‘non-texted’. Teaching and pedagogy has been through oral transmission, and memory has been the key-conserving factor."

"For centuries, when it remained a preserve of men, it followed a careful stance and kinetic demarcation between the sexes. This demarcation continues even today, enriching the grammar of the dance, although women have taken to the form and require no specific indication of gender roles."

"The dance style is sensitive to the world, the musical note and the rhythmic beat. It treats the body in halves, with the lower part interpreting rhythms while the upper part moves around the arc and diagonal chords, to the melody. It has an abhinaya, or expressional tradition, that uses the body the face the micro-features and hand gestures in addition to costume to interpret the song, poem or the emotion."

"The distinctive Sattriya abhinaya defies elitist leanings by depicting activities like fighting, eating, slaying, killing etc. which were frowned upon by the Sanskrit texts."

"The most important feature therefore of this dancer’s form is that its text is constantly evolving and gets ‘texted’ on the dancers body, and inspired by his immediate frame of reference. That is the reason why many of the hand gestures, central to Indian dance, have evolved from local traditions and bear vernacular names (Hairi Haath, Mishing Bihu Haath, Chhatradhari Haath, Roja Haath, Mujura Haath and Rati Haath). The same holds true of the gaits called Khoz, which go by names such as Balimahi (wagtail), Mukuti (egret) and Buguli (crane)."

"In the year 2000, this dance form was declared a ‘major dance tradition of India’ at par with all major dance traditions of India, which are loosely called the Classical dances of India."

"The identity of any dance is incomplete without the music that accompanies it. The unique raga tala pattern of Sattriya music, the two categories of Sattriya vocal (raga based and light ), variations of presentation for different occasions at different sattras, musical instruments, as also unique features such as Gayan Bayan who sing, dance and initiate a traditional Sattriya performance."

"The practitioners of the arts [are] as being arranged in the alignment of a tree. The deep roots are the body of the sattras and the monks therein, who have preserved the art form over five centuries. The trunk is the monks who have renounced sattra life in their mature phase, after training authentically at the sattras and are now available without any religious duties and restrictions, for the promotion of the arts. The branches are many, and these are the urban, educated, often English speaking, articulate modern women who have taken to the dance in the last four decades. They have become the new voice for the form, even if their association with the wellspring, the institution of the sattras is merely formal."

"Prejudice against impersonating women and the fear of ridicule are considered to have contributed to the decline in interest of male performers. Perceived lack of feasibility and limited employment opportunities through dance are other reasons. I have a dance school and only three in a class of 200 students are male"

"Like all dances of classical nature, the Odissi is also accompanied by singing in which people specialize and the compositions of Jayadeva and other poets are utilized for the purpose. In fact, the Oriya style of singing and the rendering of the poet’s songs is somewhat distinct and this has given birth to a style of some ragas and musical performance which are unique and special to Orissa."

"Odissi dance has gained acceptance as a classical form while the Centre is expected to accord similar status to Odia soon. Odissi music too has been claiming such a tag since long."

"By the dew drop of Celestine dawn though saw a dream Like a shining star of the Milky Way, I rest on the stream Thy circular flow is constant rhythm of my fight Your ancient stone is timeless flora of thy sight Fortunate to behold the lord of the world so near You never know when and how you are his dear Divinity all over from sand lowest to peak highest Faith in the tinkling bells never moved slightest As essence of his kingdom’s innermost purity Blessed to worship the brightest in darkest sanctuary."

"To show love, [you are taught] to flicker the eyes and this flickering is executed differently depending on the character"

"There are two types of expression: the loka dharma and the natya dharma. Loka dharma is very natural, similar to the behavior of daily life, nitya dharma is an idealized behavior that is used in dance....one were a realistic behavior and the other stylized, saying that Indian art has always favoured idealism on stage."

"The current form of Odissi is the product of a 20th century revival."

"With the decline of Odissi dance and the culture of Orissa this saying emerged ‘People who have little shame sing, people with no shame play musical instruments, and those who are totally shameless, dance"

"It was practiced in the most important shrines of the region, like that of Puri, as part of the ritual ceremonies since the year 1000, although it is believed that it existed from as far back as 200 BC."

"Odissi traces its origins to the ritual dances performed in the temples of ancient northern India. Today the name Odissi refers to the dance style of the state of Orissa in eastern India."

"We have nine major sentiments…. The nine universally known emotions are sringara (love), vira (heroism), karuna (pathos), adbhuta (wonder), raudra (anger), hasya (humour), bhyanaka (fear), bibhatsa (disgust) and shanta (peace)."

"The Natya Shastra, an ancient text on dance and drama, written by Bharata Muni has mentioned four styles of classical dance prevalent in different parts of India; they are Avanti, Daksinatya, Panchali, and Audra Magadhi. Audra here refers to Odisha. Another text Abhinay Chandrika, stated that there were schools of dancing in India; one amongst them was Audra belonging to Odisha."

"Odissi and sacred arts in general can be compared with the great rivers like the Ganges. They have flown for ages absorbing and discarding in the process. There is invincible power in this great tradition to flow into the future through every threat, very much like the rivers do. However, like nature, even art forms need conscious effort from mankind to survive. It is important that these old traditions speak to the new generations and the latter relates to them instead of thinking of them as boring or uncool."

"When one speaks of the culture of Orissa the mention of Orissi dance becomes a natural thing to do. And when one speaks of the Odissi dance, a mention of the great Sanskrit poet Jayadeva, who wrote the Gita Govinda becomes a must."

"It is a classical dance, danced mostly by women...It originated in the temples where the composers, singers, and the dancers came together. It centered on the celestial love of Krishna and Radha. At one time it was performed by the Devadasis dedicated to the temples but now it has spread out to the homes and cultural institutions. But the purity is maintained and the essentials are always kept in view."

"The Odissi dance of Odisha (Orissa) is one of the six acknowledged classical dance forms of India. Like all other Indian classical dances, it also has its initiation in religion and philosophy with an origin in the temples of Odisha (Orissa). The rhythm, Bhangis and Mudras used in Odissi dance have a distinct style of its own. The dance is performed mainly with the theme of Infinite love of Lord Krishna and Radha."