Dance is a celebration of emotions, and do not miss a chance to celebrate each day. For becoming a good dancer, the dancer has to stay fit and stay healthy that the performance of the performer will be up to the mark. The striking examples are Hema Malini and Vyjayanthimala, both had dominated Bollywood and hail from South India. Keep dancing to keep yourself fit all the time and make your presence felt on the stage as an able and efficient dancer. Dancing has become part and parcel of in the Indian Cinema. The lady actors all came through a dancing background. Jayalalithaa was a leading actress in South Indian films from 1961 to 1980 and she was considered both prolific and versatile, performing in different roles and essaying a wide variety of characters. She was also known for her dancing skills and at one time was referred to as the ‘Queen of Tamil Cinema.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi currently confers classical status on eight Indian classical dance styles: Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (North India), Kathakali (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odissi (Odisha), Manipuri (Manipur), Mohiniyattam (Kerala), and Sattriya (Assam). Bharatanatyam, is a major genre of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. Traditionally, Bharatanatyam has been a solo dance that was performed exclusively by women, and it expressed the feelings in action in a dance form. Group dances are now developed to depict the story of Radha-Krishna and other historical and mythological saga in the dance script.
Bharatnatyam is a distinctive traditional form of Indian classical dance originating from the culturally rich state of Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, Kuchipudi is a traditional Indian classical dance form originating in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Bharatnatyam is a unique dance form that stands for the diverse reconstructions of the ancient art of Cathir which were revived in the 19th and 20th century. Odissi, also referred to as Orissi in older literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.
Kuchipudi is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It is originated in a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Yamini ‘Poornatilaka’ Krishnamurthy, better known as Yamini Krishnamurthy is a renowned Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer. Both Mohiniyattam and Kathakali assumed greater importance in Kerala. Yakshajana is a theatre form that is most common along the coast as well as in the Malenadur region of Karnataka. The art form of dance is taken to other countries.
The performers have also started to incorporate modern materials in the get-ups so as to lighten the weight of the traditional costumes. Modern fabrics are worn instead of traditional material and thermocol is used in place of wood when making ornaments.
(This is the first part of the Diary, the latter part will continue tomorrow.)
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
