Classical Dances of India - Grade 4 - General Knowledge

Classical Dances of India

Grade 4 - General Knowledge

A form of classical Indian dance, bharatanatyam is a physical expression that centers on displaying the divine or spiritual aspects through the body. In Sanskrit, bharatanatyam means "Indian dance" and is believed to have divine origin. It is considered the most ancient form of classical Indian dance, as well as one of the most popular.

Bharatanatyam is a form of Natya yoga (a sacred and meditative dance yoga) and is believed by some to have similar health benefits as yoga.

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Bharatnayam
Tamil Nadu

Sattriya is a form of Indian classical dance that has its origins in the northeastern state of Assam. The name of the dance comes from sattras, which are the Vaishnava monasteries where the performances and rehearsals were primarily held until Sattriya received official status in 2000.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi -- India's academy of dance, music and drama -- confers classical status on dance performance art that is encompassed by the term, shastriya nritya (science of dance). In addition to Sattriya, the following styles have classical status: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam.

​Sattriya
Assam

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Odissi, also known as Orissi, is an ancient traditional Indian dance, originating more than 2,000 years ago. In Hinduism, it is believed that this dance was invented by the god, Shiva, the supreme yogi, who taught it to a dancer named Manirambha.

Initially, it was danced in yogic temples as a ritual and the practice of this dance is very similar to yoga and meditation. Some even consider it to be a form of yoga because both help to connect the physical body with spiritual energy. Both practices calm and focus the mind while strengthening the body. Odissi dance involves flowing movements of the hands, eyes and torso together with rhytmic movements of the feet. It uses mudras, or hand gestures, expressing a particular act, and includes moments of stillness in particular poses that originate from asanas

Oddisi

Odisha

​Kathakali is an evolved dance form popular in the South Indian state of Kerala. This Indian classical dance involves storytelling activities through fascinating footwork and expressive gestures of face and hands accompanied by music and vocal performance.

​Kathakali

Kerala

Mohiniyattam is one of the two classical dance forms that originated in Kerala, the other one being Kathakali. Mohiniyattam gets its name from the word ‘Mohini’, the

Mohiniyattam

Kerala

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Kuchipudi is a classical Indian dance known for its dramatic nature and distinctive for its use of speech and singing. It is named after the village, Kuchelapuram, in the Krishna district in South India. According to legend, the dance was founded by an orphan called Siddhendra Yogi.

A typical Kuchipudi dance combines music, dancing and acting to present a scene from a Hindu scripture, myth or legend. It includes worship rituals and invocations of the gods and goddesses, devotion being the key element in the choreography of the dance. The purpose of Kuchipudi is to emphasize bhakti, which is the worship and devotion toward the Hindu gods, and to connect devotees and deities through dance.

Kuchipudi

Andhra Pradesh

Kathak, a north Indian classic dance, is one of the most popular dance forms of India. Kathak is derived from the word katha, which means "story telling." Kathakas are those who perform Kathak dance. Kathak is considered a language which conveys religious myths and tales from the epics such as the "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata."

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Kathak

Uttar Pradesh

Let's do some questions!

Multiple Choice

Which state is "Bharatnayam" from?

• Odisha

• Kerala

• Tamil Nadu

• Andhra Pradesh

Match

Match the following:

• Odissi

• Sattriya

• Bharatnayam

• Kathakali

• Kuchipudi

Odisha

Assam

Tamil Ndu

Kerala

Andhra Pradesh

• Odisha

• Assam

• Tamil Ndu

• Kerala

• Andhra Pradesh

Fill in the Blank

Mohiniyattam is from _____.

Thank You!

Have a nice day!