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Classical Indian

There are 7 classical dance styles of India. Each are spiritual in nature, and originate from the Natya Shastra (ca.3000 B.C.) which is the Treatise based on the essences of the 4 Great Vedas; the Atharva Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda and Rig Veda. These dances are still very popular in each metropolis of India and in the relevant region of India in which they have been danced for centuries. There are several dance schools for each type of dance style, both in India and abroad. The dance styles covered here are - Bharata Natyam (from Tamil Nadu) - Kathak (from Uttar Pradesh and Jaipur) - Kathakali (from Kerala) - Kuchipudi (from Andhra Pradesh) - Manipuri (from Manipur) - Mohiniattam (from Kerala) - Odissi (from Orissa)

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Bharata Natyam

Links to the pages that elaborate on the Bharata Natyam technique, history, practices, offer valuable multimedia materials, and other resources.

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Dancers

Listings of individual dancers and dance companies. The currently non-performing gurus should be listed in "Education".

Note that this is not a place to list the dancers who received very little training in the classical Indian dance and try to blend it with the modern dance. These "innovations" should be listed in the modern dance category. No Bollywood, please.

Special note to the south Indian classical dancers:

A real danceuse (patra), according to Abhinayadarpanam (one of the two most autoritative texts on Bharatanatyam), must possess the following qualities. She has to be (1) young, (2) slender, (3) beautiful, (4) with large eyes, (5) with round breasts, (6) self-confident, (7) witty, (8) pleasing, (9) well-aware of when to dance and when to stop (able to follow the flow of songs and music, and to dance in tact (thalam)) (10) with splendid costumes and (11) of a happy disposition.

The danseuse must be beautiful, for according to Sangitaratnakara the true dance relates to a beautiful body, and any dance other than this is caricature (VII.1246).

You can easily find out if a particular dancer is authentic or not by reading about the criteria of a real dancer (patra) in the Natya shastra (XXVII.97-98).

The ten disqualifying criteria according to Abhinayadarpanam: (1) women with white specks in the apple of their eye, or (2) women who have scanty hair, or (3) have thick lips, or (4) pendant breasts, or (5) who are either very fat or (6) very thin, or are either (7) very tall or (8) very short, or (9) hunch-backed, or (10)voiceless.

Bharata Natyam

Dancers

Education

Odissi

Organizations