Abhinaya, Rasa, Bhava and Expressive Aspects
Abhinaya, Rasa, Bhava and Expressive Aspects examines how dance communicates feeling. You need the four abhinaya, the navarasa and the difference between transient bhava and the dominant rasa that the audience experiences.
Core framework
- Angika: body and gesture.
- Vachika: song, speech and recited text.
- Aharya: costume, make-up and stage properties.
- Sattvika: inner emotional truth expressed through physical signs.
- Navarasa: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta.
- Bhava: emotional state or mood; sanchari bhava are transient feelings that support the dominant rasa.
Worked example
A dancer portrays a woman who sees her beloved, remembers separation, then resolves to wait. Reasoning: the dominant rasa may be shringara, but the sequence uses sanchari bhava such as remembrance and anxiety. The face, eyes, breath and hasta must support the same emotional line; otherwise the audience reads confusion rather than rasa. A strong answer identifies the dominant rasa and the supporting bhavas.
Traps
Do not say rasa is the dancer’s private mood; rasa is the aesthetic experience evoked. Do not equate more facial movement with better abhinaya. Do not rely on mudra alone; eyes, breath, posture and music carry meaning. Do not list navarasa without applying one.