Main image via Indian Traditional Dance

Put on your dancing shoes!

Oh wait, you don’t need shoes for the Indian dance. Read this article first and dance later, to your heart’s content!

via GIPHY

In conjunction with International Dance Day, we thought of appreciating the many forms of dance we have in our Indian culture, some of which are too beautiful not to be noticed.

Dance is an ancient tradition in India and while we step forward with time, adapting to the new technologies and basically new-everything, we tend to detach ourselves from our culture and tradition.

Here’s six types of Indian traditional dances which are not only an art, but also a very good form of yoga and exercise.

1. Bharathanatyam

This is a southern Indian dance, originating from Natyashastra, an ancient treatise on theatre. This form of dance is often used to express the Hindu religious stories and epics. Every single hand gesture, called hasta or mudras carries it’s own meaning and a story.

via GIPHY

2. Kathakali

If you weren’t scared when you saw the Kathakali dancers’ face paints as a kid, you’re lying. But that’s exactly what makes this form of dance so beautiful. Originating from Kerala, Kathakali is a religious dance performed by males, even for female roles. The elaborate costume and makeup draw inspiration from the Ramayana and stories from Shaiva traditions.

via GIPHY

3. Kathak

We know what you’re thinking… Kamal Hassan’s dance in Vishwaroopam! Yes, that’s Kathak. This form of dance is often a dance of love. The movements include intricate footwork accented by bells work around the ankles and stylized gestures from body languages. It involves emotion and drama, which we’ve got to admit… is totally what we love about it.

4. Manipuri

This dance comes from northeastern India. It often depicts the tales of god Krishna, which may be accompanied by narrative chanting and choral singing. This dance requires the females to be fluid with their arms and hands, while the male roles tend to have more forceful movements.

 Image via CulturalIndia

5. Kuchipudi

If you can sing and dance at the same time, you might be able to nail this one. Kuchipudi is from Andhra Pradesh and it involves song and dance introduction, sprinkling of holy water and burning incense along with invocations of goddesses. Phew, sounds like a lot of practice.

Image via YouTube

6. Odissi

If you love to see the temple sculptures, imagine replicating them because that’s what this dance is mainly about. Originating from Orissa, this dance is predominantly for women and is believed to be the oldest of the surviving Indian classical dances.

 Image via 

Wow, these are all amazing in their own beautiful ways but guess what? Worry not if you haven’t learnt any of these dances. We’ve got one for you and it’s really very simple. It’s called the ‘Just Dance’ and it has no rules to it. So anybody can dance!

Which dance is your favourite?

Info via Britannica