In India, whether it is a temple or a handicraft shop, a very common idol is the dancing god. He is the great Hindu god Shiva, and has a supreme position in the history of Indian dance. To this day, whenever there is a dance performance, Shiva's dance idol is often put in front of the stage. This dancing statue of Shiva is not only exquisite in workmanship, but also profound in meaning. The statue stood and danced. Holding a drum in the right hand symbolizes the creation of various sounds; The right hand symbolizes protection and blessing; Holding a burning fire in your left hand symbolizes that everything can be destroyed; The left hand hangs obliquely, opposite to the raised left foot, symbolizing freedom; Stepping on a devil with your right foot symbolizes the victory of justice over evil; Raise your left foot, symbolizing the other, rising endlessly; The surrounding decoration is a symbol of the natural world that nurtures human beings. The image of such a dance god is not only beautiful and moving, but also fully embodies the rich connotation of Indian dance.
The most obvious feature of Indian dance is the extremely rich body language, especially the unpredictable sign language. It is said that dancers can make 28 postures with one hand and 24 postures with both hands. Coupled with the coordination of head, neck, arms, legs and feet, its posture is even more numerous. This ever-changing posture can show people's secular desires, various actions, and even natural scenery such as heaven and earth, natural phenomena such as day and night. In short, everything in the world can be revealed in dance movements.
Indian dance also pays attention to the unity of hand, eye, heart and mind. To put it simply, it is necessary to organically combine gestures, eyes, inner thoughts, facial expressions and movements of other parts of the body in order to fully show the artistic conception that dancers want to express. Indian dance generally requires eight kinds of "ras" in body language, and "ras" means "taste". These eight kinds of Lars are: Slungar (love), Haxie (humor), Gruleng (pity), Lauder's angry will (hero), Payanag (terror), Weipaz (contempt), Adepode (consternation) and Suntech (tranquility). Of course, these eight kinds of Lars also contain various changes. For example, love includes the love of parents, brothers and sisters and lovers. For a dancer, it takes very hard training to perfectly embody all kinds of girls.
In addition, India is a "religious kingdom", which embodies the aura of God in all aspects. Dance is no exception. In all kinds of traditional dances, the legend about God is often an eternal theme of praise. Therefore, if you know something about Indian religions, especially Hindu legends, traditional dance is not difficult to understand.
Indian classical dance genre
Balata Natyan
Balata dance is a traditional dance in Tamil Nadu, southern India, and it is also the most popular, oldest and most influential dance in India. This kind of dance is mostly used for praising gods and offering sacrifices. It was originally performed in Hindu temples, and the performers were women. Later, with the development of society, it gradually spread outside the temple.
The dance of "Brahma" emphasizes the harmony and unity of tone, beat and expression, especially sign language, which is unpredictable and unforgettable. This kind of dance is usually performed by 1 actor alone, and the stage is assisted by five people. This dance is divided into six parts. The first paragraph is called "Alarip", which is a prelude to the whole dance, meaning to pray for the success of the whole dance, and is accompanied by lyrics. The second paragraph is called "Jatiswala", which means "speaking speed and tone". At this time, with music accompaniment, the dance officially entered the plot. The third paragraph is called "Shadam", which means "telling". The fourth paragraph is called "Varnam", which means "narrative". It is the focus and climax of the whole dance and the most difficult part. The fifth paragraph is called "Badme", which means "performance". The sixth paragraph is called "Tilam", which means "end".
Wana Prastam
Katakali dance is popular in Kerala, southwest India, and its content is mostly taken from two epics and past books. A particularly prominent feature of this genre of dance is the actor's facial makeup, which is far superior to China's Peking Opera. Their facial makeup is made of rice paste, green leaves, pigments, lampblack and white paper. Every time the makeup is done by a professional makeup artist, the actor has to lie flat on the ground for three or four hours to complete it. So as soon as an actor takes the stage, he can tell who is the hero and who is the devil from his face.
Katakali dance has a strong local flavor. The performance is not limited by the venue, as long as there is open space. As long as people hear the deafening drums before the performance, they will follow the sound and sit on the floor. At first glance, it is all night.
North Indian dance
Katak dance is a popular dance in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. It originated from the performances of some folk artists who made a living by telling two epics. During the Mughal dynasty, katak dance was lucky enough to be introduced into the palace and was loved by princes and nobles. Katak pays great attention to the change of dance steps. When an actor dances, he wears small bronze bells on his feet. With the change of dance rhythm, bronze bells sometimes make a loud noise, like Ma Benteng's hordes; Sometimes only one or two bells ring, just like a whisper. Therefore, dancers should have extremely high footwork.
Manipuli dance
Manipur dance is a folk dance that originated in Manipur, northeastern India. There are many legends about this dance, and some say it was created by the Hindu goddess Shiva and the goddess of snow mountain; Some people say that this is a dance created by Krishna and Rada when they are in love; It is also said that a king in Manipur dreamed of a beautiful dance, so he taught his daughter to learn it, and then it spread among the people.
Today's Manipur dance has mainly developed into a lyric dance to express the love story between Krishna and Rada. This kind of dance is cheerful, the music is simple and fresh, and it is deeply loved by people.