Bharat Natyam (25P) developed in South in its present form about two hundred years ago. While its poses are reminiscent of sculpture of the 10th century A.D. onwards, the thematic and musical content was given to it by musicians of the Tanjore courts of the 18th-19th centuries. It is essentially a solo dance and has close affinities with the traditional dance-drama form called Bhagvata Mela. It is characterized by straight lines, diagonals, triangles which are basic motifs for executing movements, as also patterns of floor choreography.
Orissi (50P) is a close parallel of Bharat Natyam. It is develooped from the musical play (sangita-nataka) and the dance of gymansiums known as the akharas. Sculpture evidence relating to the dance goes back to 2nd century B.C. From th 12th century onwards there are inscriptions, manuscripts and other records which speak of the prevalence of Orissi dance styles of ritual dances of temples and entertainment of the village squares.
Kathak (75P) from North India is the urban sophisticated style full of virtuosity and intricate craftsmanship. Commonly identified with he court traditions of the later Nawabs of Northern India, it is really an amalgam of several folk traditions, the traditional dance-drama forms prevalent in the temples of Mathura and Brindavan known as the Krishna and radha lilas and the sophistication of court tradition.
Kathakali (Re1.00) from Kerala is classical dance drama. It is quite different from any of the forms described above. Unlike the others, it is dramatic rather than narative in character. Diferent roles are taken by diferent characters; the dances are all men or were so, till recent. It takes epic mythological themes as its content and portrays them through an eleborate dramatic spectacle which is characterised by an otherworldly quality, a supernatural grandeur, a stylised over-size costume to give the impression of enlaring human proportins and a mask like make-up on the face which is governed by a complex symbolism of colour, line and design.
Kuchipudi (Rs1.50) closely related to Bharat Natyam is the dance style which is prevelent in Andhra Pradesh. It is called Kuchipudi, after the name of the village, or Bhama L\Kalapam (the story of Bhama, a consort of Krishna). In this style there is a thin line of demarcation between dance-drama traditions of Bhama Kalapam and the foot contacts and the general pattern of treating the human form is very close to Bharat Natyam, the style is freer and to that extent less austere than Bharat Natyam.
Manupuri (Rs2.00) is a lyrical dance from the eastern region of India. Though many forms of ritual, magical, community and religious dance were known to Manipur before the advent of Vaishnava faith in the 18th century, the dance today known as Manipuri and specially its Rasa evolved as a result of the interaction of the VAishnava cult and he several higly developed forms of ritual and religious dances which were prevalent in the area from times immemorable.
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