Assam Higher Secondary Sattriya Dance cheat sheet

Sattriya is one of India's eight classical dance forms; it was recognised as classical by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000, long after its 15th–16th century origins.

The form grew out of the Vaishnava movement of Srimanta Sankardeva (1449–1568) and his disciple Madhavdeva in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam.

Sankardeva's Ankiya Bhaona (one-act plays written in Brajavali) embedded dance and music in devotional theatre, making Bhaona the seedbed of Sattriya repertoire.

The name derives from the sattras, the Vaishnava monastic institutions where the dance was preserved and transmitted by celibate monks (bhokots).

Brajavali, a literary language mixing Maithili, Assamese and Hindi elements, is the standard text language of most Sattriya songs and plays.

Key chronicles: the Charit Puthi (biographies of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva) and the hagiographic traditions of the sattras record the form's early development.

The two main stylistic streams are the Gayan-Bayan tradition (pure dance to khol and taal) and the Nritya tradition of expressive dance within Bhaona.

Sattriya remained largely monastic until the mid-20th century, when it moved to the public stage through the efforts of reformers and women performers.

Mati Akhara ('ground exercise') is the foundational floor-and-standing drill series of Sattriya, codified to build strength, stamina and precision before repertoire is attempted.

Mati Akhara proceeds from sitting and supine exercises to standing exercises, then to combined sequences; the standing phase introduces the basic stance and footwork patterns.

The basic stance is a slightly bent-knee, feet-apart position with weight low, from which all ora and Chali movements are launched; the torso stays erect.

Ora denotes the stylised, circular, low-slung movement of the torso, hips and limbs executed in a wide plié-like base; it is the signature kinesthetic quality of Sattriya.

Ora is performed both in place and travelling, and in paired or mirrored formations; the aim is continuous, unbroken, rounded flow rather than sharp accents.

Chali is built on ora: the Chali sequences use the low stance, rhythmic foot contacts and swaying torso that define the ora vocabulary.

Body positions include the frontal samapada-like stance, turned and diagonal positions, and low seated or kneeling positions used in ground work.

Head, neck, eyes and chest follow the movement of the hands; gaze direction (drishti) is trained as part of basic technique, not only in abhinaya.

Mati Akhara is taught as a graded syllabus; mastery of the full set is a prerequisite for learning Chali, Jhumura and the Bhaona roles.

Sattriya uses single-hand (asamukta) and combined (samyukta) hastas largely shared with the Bharata tradition, but with local naming and usage conventions.

Pataka (open flat palm, fingers together) is used for holding, striking, blessing, cloud, river and many descriptive contexts.

Tripataka (pataka with the ring finger bent) indicates a crown, tree, arrow, fire or a lamp, depending on context.

Ardhachandra (fingers straight, thumb extended) serves for the moon, a mirror, the waist or a sword; it often pairs with the other hand for combined gestures.

Hamsasya (thumb and index joined, other fingers straight) denotes a swan, a bee, a garland, or delicate holding and pointing actions.

Alapadma (all fingers fanned open) represents a full-blown lotus, the sun, beauty, or an open flower; it is common in Gopi and Chali passages.

Hasta is never read in isolation: the same gesture carries different meanings according to body position, gaze, rhythm and the song text being interpreted.

In nritta passages hastas are decorative and rhythmic; in nritya they become semantic and must match the Brajavali lyric being enacted.

The khol (barrel drum) is the principal percussion instrument of Sattriya; the taal (cymbals) marks the cycle and is played by the singer or a separate player.

Common tala cycles include Choutal (a 6-matra cycle) and Khertal, plus larger cycles used in Bhaona; each has characteristic theka patterns on the khol.

Choutal is the most widely used cycle in Sattriya nritta and is counted in six matras with a defined pattern of beats and khali (empty) positions.

Laya has three standard speeds: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast); a performance may move through all three within one item.

Bayan (the khol player) and gayan (singer) must synchronise; the singer often conducts tempo changes, and the dancer follows the vocal line.

Rhythmic compositions include bol (spoken drum syllables), tuk (short rhythmic units) and longer set pieces played on the khol and echoed in footwork.

Footwork (ghat) is the dancer's percussion: the feet articulate the tala, and the khol answers or complements the foot pattern.

Laya variation is a structural device: an item may begin vilambit, accelerate through madhya, and close in drut with a cadential passage.

Chali is a pure nritta item performed in a group, built on ora, with rhythmic footwork and hand gestures; it is the best-known Sattriya dance piece.

Chali is traditionally performed by bhokots (monks) in the sattra and later by women; it exists in several named versions associated with different sattras.

Jhumura is a vigorous nritta item with energetic footwork and dynamic body movement, associated with the Sutradhara's entrance tradition in Bhaona.

Gopi Prabesh enacts the entry of the gopis (cowherd women) into the rasa circle, expressing longing and devotion through expressive movement.

The Sutradhara (stage director-narrator) opens the Ankiya Bhaona with an entrance, salutation and rhythmic preamble that sets the performance frame.

Other repertoire items include the Gayan-Bayan (pure music and drumming), the Sutradhara's Nandi, and various nritya passages from Ankiya plays such as Rukmini Haran and Ram Vijaya.

Sattriya repertoire is drawn from Sankardeva's and Madhavdeva's Ankiya Bhaona; each play supplies entry pieces, dance interludes and abhinaya passages.

Items are classified broadly as nritta (pure rhythmic dance), nritya (expressive dance) and natya (dramatic enactment), following the classical tripartite scheme.

Abhinaya has four components: angika (body), vachika (speech/song), aharya (costume and makeup) and sattvika (inner emotional states).

Sattriya abhinaya is Vaishnava in content: the dominant sentiments (rasa) are bhakti and shringara, with karuna and vira appearing in narrative passages.

Texts set to abhinaya are Brajavali songs of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva; the dancer must convey the literal and the devotional meaning simultaneously.

Facial expression (mukhaja abhinaya) is trained through eye, brow and lip exercises; the eyes carry the emotional weight in Sattriya.

Navarasa (nine sentiments) are the framework for expressive passages: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, vira, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta.

The Gopi Prabesh and rasa passages demand sattvika abhinaya, the visible manifestation of inner devotional feeling rather than mere imitation.

Hand gestures in abhinaya are chosen to match the word being sung, while the body and gaze indicate the addressee or the object of devotion.

Abhinaya is performed within the tala framework; expression never abandons the rhythmic structure, and pauses are measured against the cycle.

Male performers traditionally wear the dhoti and chadar in white or off-white silk, tied in a characteristic sattra style, with a folded waist cloth.

Female performers wear the mekhela-chador, the Assamese two-piece drape, usually in white or cream silk with a red or gold border.

The pagri or headgear, the waist sash and the patta (silk cloth) are part of the formal costume vocabulary; monks wear white as a mark of renunciation.

Makeup is relatively restrained: a clean base, defined eyes and kohl, and red lip colour; heavy character makeup is reserved for specific Bhaona roles.

Ornaments include the gamkharu (Assamese bangle), earrings, necklaces and the sirpatti head ornament; gold-toned jewellery is standard for the stage.

The khol and taal are part of the visual staging; the singer and drummers sit at the side or rear and remain visible to the audience.

Stage presentation follows a devotional frame: an opening salutation (often to Krishna or to the guru) precedes the main item, and the performance closes with a rhythmic cadence.

Group items such as Chali are staged in symmetrical formations, with the lead dancer or singer cuing tempo changes and entry points.

Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva are the foundational figures: composers of the Ankiya Bhaona and shapers of the sattra tradition.

The four principal sattras traditionally cited are Kamalabari, Dakhinpat, Garamur and Auniati, all in Majuli, Assam.

Majuli, the river island in the Brahmaputra, is the historic centre of sattra culture and remains the main repository of Sattriya practice.

Jatin Goswami is a leading modern exponent and codifier; he helped bring Sattriya to the proscenium stage and to national recognition.

Sharat Chandra Goswami, of Kamalabari sattra, was a major twentieth-century exponent and teacher of Sattriya technique.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi recognised Sattriya as a classical dance form in 2000, and its awards and festivals have supported the form's exponents.

Institutions teaching Sattriya include the Sattriya Kendra (Guwahati), Gauhati University's dance department, and the sattra-run training centres in Majuli.

Women entered Sattriya performance from the mid-twentieth century onward, breaking the earlier monastic monopoly on the form.