India has an
immense wealth of traditions, arts, and
crafts. Its unmatched, amazing Classical Dances are art forms, which surely are
impossible to miss. In total, there are 8 accepted classical dance forms – with
a few more regional ones. The great Sanskrit text Natya Shastra by the ancient
scholar Bharata Muni contains the largest discourse on Indian dance forms and
performing arts. Covering Tandava – the dance of fury by Lord Shiva and the 9
Rasas of human life, the revered epic treatise talks in detail about the
various classical dances, which originally were dance-dramas – an extension of
local theatre arts - performed for religious and social purposes.
Much like
expressions and postures, costumes to are
an integral aspect of these dances. Each of the 8-10 listed Indian Classical
Dances – be it Kathak, Bharatnatyam,
Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakkali or any other – has a set pattern of dance –
practice or performance – ensembles, jewelry, accessories and get-up, which may also undergo some changes
with the varying sub-set of a dance. The place of origin, culture and era during which a dance got established/
popularized also has a significant impact on the costume and look adopted for
it.
Kathak
For example,
Kathak is a dance form with its roots primarily in Northern India – and it got
a definitive impetus during the Mughal rule – so influences from these eras and
areas are visible in the Anarkalis, Angarakhas and
Churidaars of this dance. With its varying Gharanas, Kathak also has costume
variations. For Lucknow Gharana, you
would see dancers wearing Nawabi style Anarkali suits with prim trousers or
even churidars, while in Banaras Gharana
performances, the famous Benarasi brocades or even Banarasi Sarees make an
appearance. For Jaipur Gharana, dancers wear frock-style, flared ethnic suits
and similar Indian dresses. Though the silhouettes are similar to Anarkali
suits, the styling is slightly different and so are jewelry and hair
adornments.
Classical Dances from Southern India
In Bharatnatyam,
Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, and Kathakali,
there is a marked influence of weaves and fabrics from Southern India, as these dances evolved in the Southern states of
India. Though, the costumes of all these
dance forms are entirely divergent from each other, you would always see those
trademark South Silks and distinctive Kanchipuram borders on all of these. Same
goes for flowers and key jewelry, barring Kathakali with its dramatically
differing theatrical ensembles, worn during performances.
Kathakali, which
is a story play, is one of the most dramatic and distinctive dance forms – and
that is true for its get up and outfits. Elaborate colorful mask-like makeup, even masks, vivid headgear
and stiff skirts are often seen on articulate Kathakali dancers, known to show
their expressions even through the minute
finger and eye movements.
In one of the
most popular classical dance forms, Bharatnatyam, dancers wear costumes made
from rich south silk sarees and kanjivaram sarees for performances, while
Kanchi cotton sarees and Guntur sarees are typically worn for practice sessions
and informal presentations. The dress for Bharatnatyam is worn in two variants
– the skirt style and the pajama style. These are pre-stitched dresses, as
usually no one these days takes the effort of painstakingly typing a 9 yards
long saree into a Bharatnatyam costume.
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