CULTURE

INDIAN AND CULTURE

                        

 

 

                   The sculptures of yore are silent evidences of the antiquity of the Indian classical dances traditional sacred text show the close association of religion with dance. Indian dance, like other Indian arts, has always been conscious of the relationship between the human being and God. 

                The divine concept of the cosmos and the philosophy of Indian thought pervade and form a backdrop to the dance techniques. Dance was a ritual form of worship in temples. The much denigrated devadasis in the temples, in their rituals of worship, kept alive the art form, till a cultural revival brought the dances out of the temples into the theatres of the present. The principles of Indian classical dance style derive from the Natyashastra ( 2nd century AD) by Bharatamuni. Natya includes dance, music and drama. Bharatamuni traces the origin of the art form to Brahma. It was Brahma who, on perceiving the growing desire, greed, jealousy, anger, and misery in the world, went into meditation and created a fifth Veda, viz., the Natyaveda, representing the essence of the existent four Vedas like words from the Rigveda, music from the Samaveda, gestures from the Yajurveda and emotions from the Atharvaveda. There is also a legend that Brahma himself wrote the Natyaveda, which has over 36,000 verses. 

              Dance in India evolved in different parts of the country on its own distinct style taking on culture of that particular region each acquiring its own flavor. Consequently a number of majour styles of art dance are known to us today are seven types like Bharatanatyam (ka&Tn), Kathakkali (kr),Khathak(up),Kuchpudi(Ap),Manipuri(Manipur),Odissi(orissa)& Sattriya (Assam). The folk music and dances of agricultural communities celebrate the rhythms of daily life, the turn of the seasons, the highlights of the agricultural calendar, religious festivals and important events that punctuate the flow of life, such as births and marriages. Giddha, Ghoomar (Rj), Garba& Bhavai(Gj), Dandiya Ras & Tmasha(Mh), Lavani , Nautanki (Rj,UP&Bh) Jatra(Wb), the spectacular Yakshagana of Karnataka and Theyyam of Kerala, all of which narrate legends of local heroes, kings and deities. Martial art forms throughout the country have been stylized to quasi dance forms, notable among which are the martial dances of the Northeastern hill tribes, the Lazim dances of Maharashtra, the Kalaripayattu of Kerala, and the highly stylized masked Chhau dances of Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar.        

           The dance’s spiritual characteristic is a significant presence in the Indian community and offers an insightful balance to a culture that is often been blended with the Western ways of dance. Indian women often have a contemplative time adhering to the globalization of dance as a whole when they consider the classic Indian dance, yet the ties are too deep to leave.
Dance as a Means of Cultural Connection 

               To the Indian women, dancing connects them both to the roots of their culture in spite of the assimilation process that takes place once they leave their homes. Despite the cultural differences being different once the Indian women leave their proverbial boundaries, adaptations can be created; but for the most part the women consistently hold true to the artistic expression that is understood through the classic Indian dance. The phenomenon is one of melodic emotion and familiarity rather than anything being assimilated into their new culture. The women may mention the cultural differences as dance has evolved globally; yet hold true to the idea of transcendence that classic Indian dance offers and provides. Notwithstanding the insistence of Indian women to keep within the roots of what they were brought up in regarding dance, the acculturation process is often very strong causing the Indian women to adapt the dance to the cultural distinctions that do not necessarily represent the culture of their world. The acculturation process has created the birth of the modern Indian dance movement which is diametrically different than the classic Indian dance. The differences in classical versus modern Indian dance are guided by the means of body communication. "Modern dance is a movement of the human form for its own sake, primary and not dependent upon the poetry line. Dance is created first and then the music is composed. Movement evolves and is not guided by any point or articulation of the body. There is hardly any vocal accompaniment in the compositions. It is instrumental music which either heightens the effect of the dance or is subordinate to the movement" ("Contemporary Classical and Modern Indian Dance").           

             “These changes reveal sophisticated strategies at work. Popular culture and its dance forms may have contributed to the traditional forms of dance and caused a change in the shift of what is exhibited by the women that practice it. The acculturation process has had a significant influence on the dance genre and thus the discourse on traditional rhythmic form that [this] particular dance uses. Control over aesthetic values is at the center of the debate that [Indian women] often have as to the authenticity of what modern dance depicts" versus the classical Indian dance. The difference between contemporary and classical Indian dance is in the movements that are performed in them. Many contemporary dance classes and performances have incorporated traits of traditional Indian diasporic complexities. The changes are subtle in appearance but the backdrop of the universal aspects and the essential nature has remained the same. This makes for an easy assimilation into the current dynamics of the visual arts form.
The world of dance in today's atmosphere has evolved with an ever changing increasing understanding of nature of the state of India and the identity of dance itself. While transcendence has become a central focal point of classical Indian dance and remains to be the case, the traditional context of dance has continued to undergo constant interrogation, reorganization as there has been an increasing need to discuss the traditional fruits of the art form compared to the modernistic outlook that the rasas have taken on. Many Indian women maintain to discuss and ruminate about traditional, classical Indian dance as it continues to transcend borders and expand through the acculturation process.