India is a diverse country, where this diversity can easily be made out in every region after a certain miles. Likewise dances of India are varied according to the cultures, state and religions etc. The origin of the dances in India is more than 5000 years old. A dancing girl figure of 2nd century BC, found in the ruins of Mohanjodaro depicts the fact. Also the main three Hindu deities of Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna and Maa Kali illustrarte dancing. These dance forms are considered as an integral part of Indian life.
Dance Forms of India:
Dance is basically a physical and visual presentation, that includes a lot of facial expressions, postures, gestures and poise etc. Dance forms of India vary from ancient temple dances to classical, folk and modern styles. Classical dance is a milestone amongst all dance forms of India.
Indian Classical Dance: India classical dances date back to 400 BC, that refer to the period of Natya Shastra of Bharat Muni. Natya Shastra is considered to be the supreme source of inculcating the benchmarks of dances. It is also supposed to be the fifth Veda (as there are four Indian Vedas). Indian classical dances now have expanded their roots in western countries also.
The most globally popular classical Indian dances are Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odisi (Orrisa), Mohini Attam (Kerala) and Kathalkali (Kerala), Kutiyattam (Kerala). Bharatnatyam is one of the most important dancing form of India. It is also considered as national dance of India. The postures of this dance form are very much inspired by the sculptures of ancient Chidambaram temple.
Folk Dances of India: As India is country of several states and regions, and so each region combines different culture, that can be depicted in its various art forms. Each region of India has its own folk dance and music style, which is performed on festivals, celebrations and every special occasions like marriage, planting, harvesting, religious holidays etc. It is not necessary, that these folk dancces must be performed by professional dancers only, rather many of them are also performed by ordinary people.
There are more than hundreds of Indian folk dances, among them some of the most important are Bhangra (Punjab) Bihu (Assam), Garba (Gujrat), Chah Baganar Jamur Nach (Assam), Changu (Orrisa and Andhra Pradesh), Giddha (Punjab), Ghoomar (Rajasthan), Kavadi (Tamil Nadu), Karagam (Tamil Nadu), Kushan (West Bengal), Yaksha Gana (Karnataka), Dandiya (Gujrat), Lavani (Maharashtra) etc.
