Maharashtra HSC Dance Theory flashcards

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

Nritta

Pure abstract rhythmic movement performed without narrative or emotional meaning, emphasising footwork, form and timing; the alarippu and tillana are typical nritta items.

Nritya

Expressive, narrative dance in which movement conveys meaning through mudras, facial expression and gesture, as in the padam or varnam of a Bharatanatyam recital.

Tandava and Lasya

Complementary movement qualities: tandava is the vigorous, energetic, forceful mode associated with Shiva, while lasya is the graceful, tender, fluid mode associated with Parvati.

Sangeet Natak Akademi list

India's national academy recognises eight classical dance forms: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya, the last added in 2000.

Natyashastra authorship and date

Attributed to Bharata and dated roughly 200 BCE to 200 CE, it is the earliest surviving comprehensive Indian treatise on dance, drama and music, and the common source for classical theory.

Tanjore Quartet

Four 19th-century brothers, Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Sivanandam and Vadivelu, who served the Thanjavur court and codified the Bharatanatyam margam repertoire still performed today.

Kathak gharanas

The principal Kathak schools are Jaipur, Lucknow and Banaras, each with distinct emphases on footwork, spins, abhinaya and repertoire; the Lucknow gharana is noted for expressive thumri.

Sattriya dance origin

A classical form of Assam that developed in Vaishnava satras founded by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century, performed as devotional dance-drama within monastery settings.

Rasa

The aesthetic relish or delight experienced by a spectator when an emotional state is fully evoked by performance; the Natyashastra lists eight rasas and shanta was added later.

Sthayibhava

The permanent or dominant emotional state underlying a rasa, such as rati for shringara; it is activated by vibhava, expressed through anubhava and coloured by transitory emotions.

Four modes of abhinaya

Angika (body and gesture), vachika (speech, song and recitation), aharya (costume, makeup and decor) and sattvika (involuntary inner emotional response) together constitute expression in dance.

Navarasa

The nine rasas: shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhaya, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta, the last added by later theorists such as Abhinavagupta as the rasa of peace.

Aramandi

The fundamental Bharatanatyam stance: knees bent and turned outward with feet apart and weight lowered, also called muzhumandi when the half-sitting position is deepened.

Asamyuta and samyuta hastas

Asamyuta hastas are single-hand gestures such as pataka and tripataka; samyuta hastas are two-hand combined gestures such as anjali and kapota, catalogued in texts like Abhinaya Darpana.

Karana

A codified combined pose of hands, feet and body; the Natyashastra describes 108 karanas, which are widely compared with dance figures carved on temple walls.

Adavu

The basic rhythmic movement unit of Bharatanatyam, built from footwork, knee bends and hand gestures; families include tatta, natta, metti and tirmanam adavus.

Adi tala

The most common Carnatic tala of eight aksharas, structured as laghu of four, drutam of two and drutam of two, counted with claps and hand waves.

Laya

Tempo or rhythmic speed in dance, classified as vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast); it describes the pace of movement relative to the tala cycle.

Korvai

A precomposed rhythmic phrase in nritta, built from a repeated motif and varied to resolve on a chosen beat, often used to close a jatiswaram or tillana section.

Sollukattu

Mnemonic rhythmic syllables such as ta ka dhi mi recited to encode and teach footwork patterns, functioning as an oral notation system for nritta passages.

Kathakali makeup colours

Pacha green denotes noble heroes, kathi the proud heroic type, thadi beards in red, white or black denote demonic, monkey and forest characters, and kari marks evil figures.

Bharatanatyam costume

A tailored sadakam or fan-pleated skirt with a blouse, a pleat fan secured by a waist belt, and temple jewellery including the maang tikka and nethi chutti.

Bharatanatyam margam order

The traditional recital sequence is alarippu, jatiswaram, shabdam, varnam, padam, javali and tillana, with the varnam as the longest and central item.

Aharya abhinaya

The expressive use of costume, makeup, ornaments and stage properties as one of the four abhinaya modes; it supports character and mood rather than serving a decorative purpose only.

Lavani

Maharashtra's best-known folk dance, performed to dholki and tasha accompaniment, linked to the lavani song genre and historically to the tamasha theatre tradition.

Tamasha

A Marathi folk theatre form combining song, dance and drama, featuring the songadya jester and the lavani dancer as its principal dance component.

Lezim

A Maharashtrian folk dance performed with a wooden instrument fitted with metal discs that are shaken to produce rhythm, often in group formations during festivals.

Kalakshetra

An institution founded in Chennai in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale, influential in reshaping Bharatanatyam repertoire, presentation and pedagogy in the modern period.

Kelucharan Mohapatra

A central figure in the modern revival of Odissi, whose teaching and choreography shaped its repertoire, technique and international presence in the 20th century.

Birju Maharaj

A leading exponent of the Lucknow gharana of Kathak, known for expressive abhinaya, intricate footwork and a long career as performer and teacher.

Rasa in criticism

A performance is judged successful when the dominant emotion is evoked and the spectator experiences rasa; technical correctness alone does not establish aesthetic value.