So it would seem I'm a free, jobless, teenager (who gets mistaken for a dropout on the regular). It just feels like every day is a Saturday, doesn't it? And it shall remain so until I leave on February 20th to the motherland. Before I foray into the project related contents of my post (it shall come, do not fret Mrs. McConaghy!), Happy National Pancake Day to one and all! I enjoyed a free short stack with my fellow seniors, which forced me to leave the house (thank you IHOP + wonderful company!).
Onwards to the related topics. Since I'm a bit over two weeks away from jetting off, I am focusing on my background research and interview questions. This post will focus on my preliminary research.
There's this ancient book called the Natyasastra (Sanskrit for treatise on dance; natya = dance). It was written somewhere around 200 BC, and basically laid out all the rules for classical Indian dance - a guidebook for creation if you may. It's a literal guide to the dramatic arts, and lays out everything from body positions to makeup/costume to musical accompaniment. So basically, all the dance forms have similar core values and ties to spirituality. However, their styles and choreography have evolved completely differently.
So crash course: The classical Indian dance forms are unique in that they contain not only a physical dance facet, but also a theatrical (mime, acting, emoting) side. Vocabulary time!
Nritta: Pure dance composed of choreographed movements, which does not convey any underlying meaning. This is the basis of a student's tutelage, such as learning the various positions in ballet. This video is a demonstration of Nritta in Bharatanatyam (South Indian classical) - Nritta in Bharatanatyam.
Nritta is broken down into teaching blocks when one first learns a dance form. The name for these blocks is different in each dance style - Adavus in Bharatanatyam, Atavus in Mohiniattam, fluid motions in Manipuri, etc. The organization varies with the dance style.
I think I've overloaded my meager reading audience with enough information. That was a basic crash course and demo in Nritta. Tune in next time for some hard core emotion known as Abhinaya folks!
I am off to scavenge for food :)
~Prithvi
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