This is the first in a series of articles discussing the relationship between dance and religion. This column introduces the origins, the different styles, and the basic elements of classical dance. It sets the framework for farther explorations of the shared traditions of philosophy, worship, and dance.

The origin of classical dance is untraceable to a direct source. The Natya Sastra, the oldest treatise on which classical dance is said to have been based provides a story of how dance came to the people of the earth. In the "Treta Yuga" society was in a decline. People had stopped reading the scriptures and following a righteous way of life. Corruption was fast becoming the norm. The priests were at a loss as to how to guide the people back to a spiritual way of living.

They prayed to Lord Brahma to create a "past-time" which would entertain and educate the people. Lord Brahma created the "Natya Veda" or Treatise of Drama which he evolved from the four existing Vedas. From the Rig Veda he took music, from the Saama Veda he took recitals, from the Yajur Veda he took histrionic and gestural representation, and from the Atharva Veda he took the sentiments.

It was then presented by the angels and demons to Lord Shiva an his wife Parvati at their home in the Himalayas. Lord Shiva added the strong masculine Tandava dance to the form while his wife offered the soft, graceful Lasya movements, and thus was born dance. Sage Bharata was deemed worthy of sharing the art. He taught it to his 100 hundred sons who dispersed it throughout what is now called India.

In different regions, the art developed into different forms. Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, and Odissi are today considered to be the classical forms which were derived. Kuchupudi is considered by some to be a "semi-classical" dance because of its beginnings in folk tradition, and classical by others because of its newer classical components. Though the text on which these dance styles is based is considered ancient and has been dated to approximately three thousand years ago, the present day forms are believed to have developed close to 400 years ago.

Classical dance is presented through formal components which are given varying emphasis in the different forms. The three most fundamental aspects are Natya, Nritta, and Nritya. Natya is the dramatic element through which stories are acted. Nritta is called "pure dance" in which intricate steps are interwoven in rhythmic patterns. Nritta has no meaning in itself, but adds beauty and excitement to a performance; however, it can help to create drama and emphasize a particular mood. Nritya is full of meaning and defines the mood and sentiment through which stories are told. Natya and Nritya work together to form Abhinaya or expression. But, expression, in the venacular of classical dance, is not simple. Abhinaya is comprised of four aspects: Aangika, Aaharya, Saatvika, and Vaachika.

Continued in the next issue.............................

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