Dancers of Sutra Foundation in Ganjam, Istana Budaya 2015. — Picture courtesy of Malay Mail
As a multicultural country that is home to those of Indian descent along with many other ethnicities, Deepavali will officially be celebrated on November 14th. The celebration also known as Diwali is unanimous with lighting small oil lamps called diyas, spectacular displays of light and firecrackers and mouth-watering sweets!
As the date for the festival of lights draws closer, let’s take some time to learn how Indian classical dance is related to Deepavali.
Basic understanding of the Indian classical dance
Indian classical dance is not only a way to express oneself, it also involves tradition and represents the Indian culture.
There are eight kinds of Indian traditional dance which include the Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Manipuri and Sattriya. In order to perform them professionally, they all require certain elements to be mastered.
According to Geethika Sree, principal dancer and teacher for the Sutra Dance Theater, Indian classical dance is rich in culture and has different factors associated with Hindu gods and goddesses.
Sutra Foundation Principal Dancer and Teacher Geethika Sree. — Picture courtesy of Malay Mail
Geethika says all Indian art forms are similarly expressive and the differences lie in the techniques, styles and languages. For example, Bharatanatyam uses mostly Tamil, Telugu or Sanskrit whereas Odissi uses the Odia language.
Main factors involved in Indian classical dance
There are three main factors that are involved in Indian classical dance and they are Nritta, Nritya and Natya.
Nritta
Nritta is the 'pure dance', showing solely the technique and beats minus the expressive aspect.
Picture courtesy of pragnaofficial.com
Nritya
Nritya is the expressive dance where the storytelling emphasizes on the facial expressions (Abhinaya) to bring out the emotions (Rasa).
Picture courtesy of pragnaofficial.com
Natya
Natya is the combination of pure and expressive dance and the expressions are usually adopted from ancient Indian mythologies.
Picture courtesy of pragnaofficial.com
These dances typically take the narratives from epics like the Ramayana or the Mahabharata or stories of Hindu deities like Ganesha, Shiva or Parvati and translate them into a classical dance performance.
Why is Indian classical dance important?
As Deepavali is drawing closer, Geethika emphasizes the significance of classical dances.
Not only can the younger generation learn about the stories of Indian myths, they can also understand the important values imbibed within the dance. For example, when children or teenagers sign up for Indian classical dance lessons, they can learn stories about the Ramayana and Mahabharata, they are taught to be disciplined and learn values like the Guru-Shisya Parampara, the relationship between student and teacher.
There are no specific dances made for Deepavali but Geethika mentioned that a large scope of dances are associated with the festival of lights.
As the celebration is basically about bringing light to the world and features many variations of Hindu deities defeating demons, usually the dance for Deepavali depict the deities killing the demons and bringing light to the world. At the end of the day, the main message that Indian classical dance will bring out during Deepavali is about good triumphing over evil.
Indian classical dance is just one part of the Indian culture and there are a lot more aspects to learn about. As Malaysians, it is best for us to take the time and learn about each other’s culture as it will help us understand each other better as one big family.
Sources: Malay Mail, the culturetrip.com
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