Assam Higher Secondary Sattriya Dance flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Sattriya classical status

Sattriya was recognised as a classical dance form of India by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000, after centuries of monastic practice in Assam's Vaishnava sattras.

Srimanta Sankardeva

Fifteenth-sixteenth century Assamese saint-reformer (1449-1568) who founded the Vaishnava movement in Assam and created the Ankiya Bhaona, the theatrical matrix of Sattriya dance.

Brajavali language

Literary language used in Sattriya songs and Ankiya Bhaona texts, blending Maithili, Assamese and Hindi elements; most abhinaya passages are set to Brajavali lyrics.

Ankiya Bhaona

One-act devotional plays composed by Sankardeva and Madhavdeva, performed in the sattras; they contain the dance, music and abhinaya material from which Sattriya repertoire derives.

Sattra institution

Vaishnava monastic centre of Assam where Sattriya was preserved and taught by celibate monks called bhokots; the word Sattriya itself derives from sattra.

Mati Akhara

Foundational graded exercise series of Sattriya, performed first sitting and lying, then standing, building strength, stance and precision before repertoire is learned.

Ora movement

Signature Sattriya movement quality: a low, wide stance with continuous rounded swaying of torso, hips and limbs, giving the form its flowing, unbroken character.

Basic Sattriya stance

Feet apart with knees bent and weight low, torso erect; all ora and Chali movement is launched from this grounded position and returns to it.

Drishti training

Systematic training of gaze direction in Sattriya basic technique; the eyes follow the hands in nritta and carry emotion in abhinaya.

Pataka hasta

Single-hand gesture with a flat open palm and fingers held together; denotes holding, blessing, cloud, river or striking, depending on context.

Tripataka hasta

Pataka hand with the ring finger bent; used for crown, tree, arrow, fire or lamp, with meaning fixed by the accompanying lyric and body position.

Hamsasya hasta

Gesture with thumb and index finger joined and remaining fingers straight; represents a swan, bee, garland, or delicate holding and pointing actions.

Alapadma hasta

Gesture with all fingers fanned open from the palm; denotes a full-blown lotus, the sun, beauty or an open flower, frequent in Gopi and Chali passages.

Hasta in nritta vs nritya

In pure nritta passages hand gestures are decorative and rhythmic; in expressive nritya they become semantic and must match the Brajavali text being sung.

Khol

Barrel-shaped drum that is the principal percussion instrument of Sattriya; the drummer is called the bayan and answers the dancer's footwork.

Choutal tala

Six-matra rhythmic cycle widely used in Sattriya nritta, with a defined theka pattern on the khol and specific khali positions in the cycle.

Laya in Sattriya

Tempo, classified as vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast); a single item may pass through all three speeds before its cadential close.

Ghat footwork

The dancer's percussive footwork that articulates the tala; the khol player complements or answers the foot pattern within the rhythmic cycle.

Chali

Best-known Sattriya pure nritta item performed in a group, built on ora with rhythmic footwork and gestures; traditionally danced by monks, later by women.

Jhumura

Vigorous Sattriya nritta item with energetic footwork and dynamic body movement, linked to the Sutradhara entrance tradition in Ankiya Bhaona performance.

Gopi Prabesh

Repertoire item enacting the entry of the gopis into the rasa circle, expressing longing and devotion through expressive movement and Brajavali song.

Sutradhara

Stage director and narrator of Ankiya Bhaona, who opens the play with an entrance, salutation and rhythmic preamble that frames the performance.

Gayan-Bayan

Sattriya repertoire category of pure music and drumming, featuring the singer (gayan) and khol player (bayan) without narrative dance.

Nritta, nritya, natya

Classical tripartite classification: nritta is pure rhythmic dance, nritya is expressive dance, and natya is dramatic enactment; Sattriya repertoire uses all three.

Four abhinaya components

Angika (body), vachika (speech and song), aharya (costume and makeup) and sattvika (inner emotional states) together constitute abhinaya in Sattriya.

Navarasa

Nine sentiments framing expressive passages: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, vira, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta; Sattriya emphasises bhakti and shringara.

Sattvika abhinaya

Visible manifestation of genuine inner devotional feeling rather than imitation; central to Gopi Prabesh and rasa passages in Sattriya performance.

Mukhaja abhinaya

Facial expression, trained through eye, brow and lip exercises; in Sattriya the eyes carry most of the emotional weight of a lyric.

Mekhela-chador

Assamese two-piece drape worn by female Sattriya performers, usually white or cream silk with a red or gold border, paired with traditional ornaments.

Sattra male costume

White or off-white dhoti and chadar tied in sattra style with a folded waist cloth; monks wear white as a mark of renunciation.

Gamkharu

Traditional Assamese bangle worn as part of Sattriya stage ornamentation, along with earrings, necklaces and the sirpatti head ornament.

Majuli sattras

River island in the Brahmaputra holding the principal sattras, including Kamalabari, Dakhinpat, Garamur and Auniati; the historic centre of Sattriya practice.

Jatin Goswami

Leading modern Sattriya exponent and codifier who helped bring the form from the sattra to the proscenium stage and to national recognition.