Dance styles
Indian classical dance contains different dance styles, which are more or less based on the book Nāṭyaśāstra, which was written by Bharata Muni between 200 BC and 100 AD. The book consists 6000 shlokas (Old Indian poetic stanzas). The Nāṭyaśāstra tells about theatre art: dance, theatre and music. In the Nāṭyaśāstra we can find acting techniques, but also how to build up and organize a stage, and how to make optimal use of make-up and jewelry. The Nāṭyaśāstra even tells of ways to convey specific emotions to the audience.
Three aspects are distinguished in all Indian classical dance styles, namely:
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Nritta: Abstract dancemovements;
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Nritya: The depiction of a story using handgestures;
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Abhinaya: Mime, expression of the emotions through facial expressions.
At Dance Academy Natraj you can learn the Indian classical temple dance styles Odissi and Kathak.
Kathak
Kathak is one of the eight classical dance styles from India and originates from the North of the country.
Kathak is derived from the word kathá which means 'story' in Hindi. Thus, Kathak is a narrative dance style that made it possible for Kathakars (storytellers), to tell religious and mythological stories in the temples.