UPMSP Intermediate Dance key terms

Ancient Sanskrit treatise on dance, drama and music attributed to sage Bharata, dated roughly between 200 BCE and 200 CE; it sets out rasa theory, body technique and the classification of nritta, nritya and natya.

The aesthetic flavour a trained spectator relishes when a performance fully evokes its dominant emotion; classical theory names nine rasas and treats rasa as the aim of dance and drama.

The emotion or mood a performer portrays through face, body and gesture; when it is sustained and developed it ripens into rasa in the mind of the spectator.

The nine rasas of classical aesthetics - shringara, hasya, karuna, raudra, veera, bhayanaka, bibhatsa, adbhuta and shanta - each tied to a dominant emotion and a presiding deity.

The dominant, enduring emotion of a composition that persists throughout the item and ripens into rasa; fleeting moods such as fear or jealousy arise and pass around it.

Pure abstract dance performed for its own rhythmic beauty, with no attempt to tell a story; it rests on tala, laya and clean, well-held body lines.

Expressive dance in which gesture, eye movement and facial expression convey mood and meaning; the dancer uses abhinaya to draw out the sentiment of the song.

The dramatic element of performance, where a story is enacted through characters, mime, speech and music, as distinct from pure dance and from expressive solo dance.

The vigorous, forceful aspect of dance linked with Shiva's cosmic dance, marked by strong stamps, wide stances and energetic movement; it is contrasted with the soft lasya.

The gentle, graceful aspect of dance associated with Parvati, marked by soft flowing movement, delicate abhinaya and a lyrical, rounded quality of body line.

The stylised, convention-bound mode of presentation in classical dance, where movement, gesture and costume follow codified rules rather than everyday behaviour; it is the mode expected in traditional repertoire.

A Sanskrit treatise on dance by Nandikeshvara, widely used for hand gestures and for head, eye and neck movements, and for definitions of nritta, nritya and natya.

Distinct lineages or schools of kathak - chiefly Lucknow, Jaipur, Banaras and Raigarh - each with its own repertoire, teaching style, and emphasis on footwork, spins or abhinaya.

North Indian classical dance descended from the story-teller tradition, known for fast spins, intricate footwork, spoken rhythmic bols, and expressive thumri and ghazal abhinaya.

South Indian classical dance from Tamil Nadu, rooted in the temple and court sadir tradition; known for the araimandi stance, geometric lines and items such as alarippu, varnam and padam.

Classical dance of Odisha known for the tribhangi and chowk postures, sculptural poses and a repertoire moving from mangalacharan and pallavi to abhinaya and moksha.

Kerala dance-drama performed by male actors in elaborate painted make-up and large headgear, telling epic stories through codified gesture, mime and powerful eye movement.

Classical dance of Manipur, soft and rounded in movement, centred on Radha-Krishna themes in the Ras Leela, with the vigorous Cholom as its contrasting male form.

A codified gesture of the hand and fingers used to express an object, action or idea; hand gestures work as the alphabet from which expressive dance is built.

A gesture made with one hand only; the texts list twenty-eight of them, each with a literal meaning and a wider decorative or suggestive use.

A gesture formed by joining both hands; thirteen such combined gestures are enumerated, used for objects and actions that a single hand cannot express.

The basic single-hand gesture with fingers straight and held together and the thumb bent; it denotes a flag, river, forest, sky, king or a slap.

The rhythmic cycle of a composition, built from a fixed number of beats grouped into sections and marked by claps, waves and counted syllables.

The tempo or speed at which a rhythmic cycle is kept; laya is described as vilambit, madhya or drut, and the dancer's footwork must stay with it.

One beat, the basic unit of time in a tala; counting matras gives the length of the cycle and the position of every composition within it.

The first beat of a tala cycle and its point of rhythmic resolution; landing on sam together with the percussion and song shows control and correct planning.

A clap or stressed beat that marks the start of a section inside a tala cycle and shows where the rhythmic weight of the composition falls.

The unstressed or 'empty' beat of a tala cycle, shown by a wave of the hand instead of a clap; it creates the tension that resolves on sam.

The sixteen-beat Hindustani cycle most used in kathak, grouped 4+4+4+4, with tali on beats 1, 5 and 13 and khali on beat 9.

A ten-beat Hindustani cycle grouped 2+3+2+3, with tali on beats 1, 3 and 8 and khali on beat 6, common in kathak nritta at medium tempo.

The means by which a performer carries meaning to the audience; four kinds are recognised - angika (body), vachika (speech and song), aharya (costume) and sattvika (inner feeling).

Expression through the body: hand gestures, eye, eyebrow, neck and head movement, torso, and the stance and gait of the feet.

Expression of feeling through involuntary signs such as tears, trembling, perspiration and change of voice, arising when the performer is wholly absorbed in the role.

A short, complete rhythmic composition in kathak, usually finishing on sam within one cycle and often repeated three times to build speed and climax.

A short composed sequence of pure dance in kathak that suggests a theme, such as a woman carrying water or a peacock, without full narrative abhinaya.

A slow, lyrical song item in Bharatanatyam and related styles, in which the dancer interprets the words through detailed abhinaya and explores one emotion at length.

A fixed composition with words, melody and rhythmic setting, on which a dancer builds abhinaya or nritta; the term is used in Hindustani music and in kathak.

A fast, lively piece that usually closes a Bharatanatyam or Kuchipudi programme, built on rhythmic syllables with a short lyric and showing pure dance and intricate footwork.

The first public solo performance of a dancer, traditionally offered after years of training under a guru; it marks the move from student to performing artist.

The traditional method of transmission in which a student learns from one guru over years, by listening, imitation and correction, and later passes the knowledge on.