Vageesh Express

July 2006 Edition

Samarpan

Samarpanam: Dances in detail

In the previous article we took a quick look into the traditional art form of Bharatanatyam. In the next series of articles, we will continue our foray into the world of dance to get a glimpse of the various other dance forms that are a part of the Indian subcontinent. This article will focus on the dance forms of Kathakali and Mohiniattam – the traditional dance forms of Kerala, and Kucchipudi – the dance form of Andhra Pradesh.

Kathakali

Kathakali literally means story-play and is an elaborate dance depicting the victory of truth over falsehood. A striking feature of Kathakali is the use of elaborate make-up and colourful costumes. This is to emphasize that the characters are from another world. Their make-up is also easily recognizable to the eye as satvik or godlike, rajasik or heroic, and tamasik or demonic.

Mohiniattam

This dance form like Bharatanatyam also belongs to the Devadasi dance heritage. The word ‘mohini’ literally means the ‘maiden who steals the hearts of men’. It is believed that Lord Vishnu took the guise of a ‘Mohini’ to enthrall the asuras during the churning of the ocean as well as the slaying of Bhasmasura. Hence, the Vaishnava devotees gave the name ‘Mohiniattam’ to this dance form. Mohiniattam is a solo dance, its movements are graceful and the costumes are attractive but subdued and elegant.

Kucchipudi

This dance form is comparable to the Bhagvata Mela of Tamilnadu with the emphasis being on animation. Each principal character in this dance is introduced on the stage with a brief composition of dance and song. Each composition is specially designed for the character to help reveal his or her identity and show the performers’ skill in the art.

The most popular item is the pot dance, where the dancer keeps a pot of water on her head and places her feet on the rim of a plate. She dances on the brass plate without spilling a drop of water on the ground displaying her balance and grace.

References: http://dances.indobase.com/

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