THE DIFFERENCE OF NRITTTA AND ABHINAYA

 

                                WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

                                       "NRITTA" AND "ABHINAYA"?

                     NRITTA : THE NRITTA TECHNIQUE OF INDIAN DANCE EMPHASIS HUMAN MOVEMENT. INDIAN DANCE IS, INFACT, A STRINGING TOGETHER OF A NUMB ROF HIGHLY STYLIZED AND SYMBOLIC POSES. THE NRITTA TECHNIQUE ENCOMPASSESS NOT ONLY THE TECHNIQUE OF RENDERING RYTHM (TALA) THROUGH MOVEMENTS WHICH DO NOT HAVE MEANING, BUT ALSO IMPORTANT FEATURE OF PROJECTING SPECIFIC POSES WITHIN THE GIVEN RHYTHMIC CYCLE.

                   INDIAN DANCE PURPOSELY EMPHASIZE ONLY CERTAIN TYPES OF MOVEMENTS. IT EXPLORES THE FULL POSSIBILITIES OF THOSE MOVEMENTS WITHIN CONSCIOUSLY IMPOSED LIMITATION. NONE OF THE INDIAN STYLES USE LARGE LEAPS EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN ASPECTS OF KATHAKALI AND CHHAU FORMS AND LITTLE OR NO DISCUSSION OF THEN APPEARS IN THE TREATISE OR INDIAN DANCE.

                 NATYASHASTRA CONTAINS DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE MOVEMENTS OF MAJOR LIMBS (THE ANGAS) AND  MINOR LIMBS (THE UPANGAS). THE HEAD, BREAST OR CHEST, SIDES (WAIST), HIPS AND FEET CONSTITUTE MAJOR LIMBS (ANGAS) AND THE EYES, EYEBROWS, NOSE, LIPS, CHIN, MOUTH ETC. CONSTITUE THE MINOR LIMBS (UPANGAS). THIS IS FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION ON BASIC STANCES I.E, THE STHANAS - THE COMBINATION OF THESE PRIMARY MOVEMENTS.

                 ABHINAYA : THE MIMING ASPECT OF THE NATYA TERMED AS A ANGIKABHINAYA IN THE NATYASHASTRA IS ALSO AN INTEGRAL PART OF DANCING. IN DANCE (NRITYA) IT IS KNOWN AS ABHINAYA. SAME PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO BOTH DRAMA AND NRITYA OR ABHINAYA.

                IN THE NRITTA PORTION, MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT UTILIZES SWARNAS OF A MELODY IN A GIVEN RHYTHMIC CYCLE (TALA) AND THE VARIATIONS OF TALA ARE INTERPRETED BY THE FEET AND THE OTHER ANGAS AND UPANGAS OF THE BODY. IN THE ABHINAYA PORTION, THE MUSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT INVARIABLY CONSISTS OF POETRY, LYRICAL OR NARRATIVE, WHICH IS SET TO MUSIC AND RHYTHM. IT IS THIS POETRY WHICH IS INTERPRETED BY THE DANCERS. IN THE ACTUAL INTERPRETATION, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOLO DANCING OF ALL THE CLASSICAL STYLES, IT CONSISTS OF PORTRAYING THE VARIOUS TRANSIENT STATES (SANCHARIBHAVAS), OF THE PARTICULAR DOMINANT STATE (THAYIBHAVA). THIS IS DONE THROUGH A SERIES OF THE ANGIKABAHINAYA IN WHICH EACH WORD OR LINE OF POETRY IS INTERPRETED IN AS MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AS POSSIBLE. IN DOING SO, THE PRINCIPLE OF NATYADHARMI IS FULLY FOLLOWED - THE DANCER ASSUMES DIFFERENT ROLE WITHOUT CHANG3E OF DRESS OR COSTUME.

                   FROM AMONGST THE MOVEMENTS OF THE ANGAS AND UPANGAS THE NRITYA OR ABHINAYA PORTION DEPENDS MOSTLY ON THE GESTURE OF THE HANDS AND FACE ESPECIALLY THE MOVEMENTS OF THE EYES, EYEBROWS, EYEBALLS ETC.

                  THE TECHNIQUE OF INDIAN DANCE IS AS COMPLEX AS THE TECHNIQUE OF ANY OTHER ART IN INDIA. IN BUILDS FROM ITS SMALLEST PART INOT A COMPOSITE WHOLE BY A SERIES OF LAWS APPLIED SYSTEMATICALLY. ALL THIS IS DONE WITH A VIEW TO EVOLVING A PARTICULAR STAGE OR MIND OR RASA.

                        WHAT IS THE MATURE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND LITERARY EVIDENCE ON DANCE IN INDIA?

 

                   ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND LITERARY EVIDENCE : IT WAS IN THE SECOND PERIOD THAT THERE WAS THE FIRST ARTICULATION OF A SELF-CONSCIOUS UNDERSTANDING OF DANCE AS AN ART. THE COMPILATION OF NATYASHASTRA CONFIRMS IT. WE ALSO FIND THAT THERE WAS AN EFFORT AT STYLIZATION ALTHOUGH NONE OF THE MONUMENTS AND THE SCULPTURAL RELIEFS SHOW THAT THEY HAD ARRIVED AT A STEREOTYPED CONVENTION MERELY TO BE FOLLOWED REPEATED. THE MOTIFS IN THE SCULPTURAL TRADITION WERE THOSE OF THE TREE AND WOMAN, THE YAKSHA AND YAKSHANI AND MANY OTHERS, ALL THESE FINALLY CRYSTALISED INTO THE DANCE OF SIVA AND THAT OF KRISHNA. IN BHARHUT, SANCHI, MATHURA AND ELSEWHERE THERE ARE INNUMERABLE YAKSHA AND YAKSHNIS WHO STAND AGAINST TREE AND PILLAR, HOLD BRANCHES OR BIRDS ETC. EACH OF THESE MEN AND WOMEN ARE SEEN IN THE DANCE POSE. ALONGSIDE ARE DANCE SCENES WITH FULL ORCHESTRA. THIS IS ALSO THE PERIOD OF THE EMERGENCE OF THE SCULPTURAL FIGURES OF GODS AND GODDESS ESPECIALLY SIVA, DURGA, SARASWATHI, AND GANESHA. EACH HAS A DANCE ASPECT POPULARLY CALLED, THE NRITTAMURTI. FROM THIS SCULPTURAL EVIDENCE OF THE SECOND PERIOD, WE REALIZE THAT THE DANCE MUST HAVE BEEN CENTRAL TO THE CULTURE FOR THE SCULPTURE TO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO ARREST IT IN STONE REPEATEDLY.

                 TO THIS SECOND PERIOD ALSO BELONGED THE CONSTRUCTION OF STUPAS AND TEMPLES. DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF LIFE HAVE BEEN DEPICTED ON THE RAILINGS AND GETS THE DANCE RECITAL AS ALSO THE DANCING ASPECT OF GOD AND GODDESS. THE ORISSAN TEMPLES OF BHUBANESWARA AND EVEN EARLIER THE STUPAS OF RATNAGIRI TELL US OF THE PRE-OCCUPATION OF THE SCULPTURE WITH THE IMAGE OF DANCE. THE TEMPLES OF RAJA RANI, OF PARASURAMESWARA AND OF LINGARAJA - ALL REVERBERATE WITH MUSIC AND DANCE. INNUMERABLE FIGURES ENTWINED WITH TREES OR PILLAR HOLDING BIRDS, STANDING ON ANIMALS OR DWARDS SMILING OR MORE SERIOUS, ARE DEPICTED IN PANEL AFTER PANEL ON THE OUTER WALLS OF THESE TEMPLES. LOOKED AT CLOSELY, ONE IS IMRESSED BY THE FACT THAT THE SCULPTURE WAS NOT ONLY A KEEN OBSERVER OF MOVEMENT, BUT WAS ALSO A SELF-CONSCIOUS ILLUSTRATOR OF THE BASIC POSITION I.E. THE STHANAS AND THE  FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENTS CALLED THE CHARIS DESCRIBED IN THE NATYASHASTRA. THE MONUMENTS OF CENTRAL INDIA ESPECIALLY THOSE OF KHAJURAHO BUILT BY CHANDELES AND UDAYESHWAR OF THE  PARMARAS BELONGING TO THE 11TH AND 12TH CENTURIES ALSO PRESENT A WIDE ARRAY OF MOVEMENT PATTERNS FROM SOLO STANDING FIGURES TO FIGURES IN ARDHAMANDALI, TO GROUPS AND FINALLY TO THE MOST IMPRESSIVE SERIES OF FLYING FIGURES, LEAVES A STAGGERING IMPRESSION OF THE POPULARITY OF DANCE.

                      THESE SCULPTORS AND PAINTERS RECORD IN STONE AND IN PAINTING, THROUGH LINE AND MINIATURE PAINTING. SOME ARE INSPIRED BY BUDDHIST TEXTS OTHER BY JAINA THEMES AND YET OTHERS BY HINDU PURANIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS. THE EVIDENCE OF DANCE IN MURAL PAINTINGS RANGES FROM THE FAMOUS DANCE SCENES OF BAGH CAVES TO AJANTA, ELLORA AND PANNAMALAI.

                    LITERARY EVIDENCE : THIS IMPRESSION OF THE PERVASIVE POPULARITY OF THE DANCE MOTIF IS FURTHER REINFORCED BY THE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE IN SANSKRIT LITERATURE OF THE CLASSICAL PERIOD. IN THE EPICS RAMAYANA AND THE MAHABHARAT, MANY DANCE PERFORMANCES ARE PRESCRIBED. IN THE WORKS OF POETS BHASA, KALIDAS AND OTHERS UNTIL THE TIME OF HARSHA, WE ENCOUNTER MANY PRECISE DESCRIPTIONS OF DANCERS AND DANCE RECITALS. FROM ALL THIS, ONCE CAN GATHER THAT THE POET AND THE DRAMATIST WERE EQUALLY WELL-VERSED IN THE TECHNICAL INTRICACIES OF DANCE. THEY APPRECIATED THE AESTHETIC BEAUTY AND DREW UPON THIS ART TO STRUCTURE THEIR PLAY ON POETIC OR DRAMATIC EDIFICE. NONE OF THE PLAYS OF KALIDAS, BHAVBHUTI AND HARSHA AND BEEN  CONCEIVED OF AS DRAMA DEPENDENT ON THE SPOKEN WORD ALONE. THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM EMPLOYED BY THE WRITER TAKES INTO ACCOUNT NOT ONLY THE VERBAL COMMUNICATION THROUGH GESTURES, COSTUMES, DECOR ALONE BUT ALL THE INNER STATES OF BEING WHICH ARE REFLECTED IN INVOLUNTARY EXPRESSIONS. 

                 THIS TRADITION WAS ESTABLISHED IN INDIA  MANY CENTURIES PRIOR TO THE WRITING OF THE PLAYS OF BHASA OR KALIDASS. THIS IS EVIDENT FROM THE CODIFICATION OF THESE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES IN THE FIRST TREATISE ON DRAMATURGY I.E. THE NATYASHASTRA. THIS TRADITION CONTINUES IN THE PLAYS OF BHAVABHUTI AND HARSHA AND CULMINATES IN THE WORK OF RAJSHEKHARA. MANY EXAMPLES OF THIS COULD BE CITED FROM THE DRAMATIC WORK OF RAJSHEKHARA MANY EXAMPLES OF THIS COULD BE CITED FROM THE DRAMATIC WORKS OF THE 10TH CENTURY A.D. KARPURAMANJARI IS THE EXAMPLE OF THIS WHERE THE DRAMATIC FORM, CHIEFLY UTILIZING THE VERBAL LAND, GIVES PLACE IN THE SANSKRIT TRADITION. HOWEVER, ITS FULL AND VIGOROUS FLOWERING TOOK PLACE ONLY IN THE EARLY AND THE LATE MEDIEVAL PERIOD SAY 9TH CENTURY A.D. AND CONTINUING UNTIL 11TH AND 12TH CENTURY A.D.

                        IN THE 9TH 10TH CENTURY A COMMENTARY OF NATYASHASTRA BY ABHINAVAGUPTA WAS WRITTEN. THE COMMENTARY OF ABHINAVAGUPTA BEGAN A NEW PHASE OF THE EVOLUTION OF DIFFERENT THEORIES OF AESTHETIC AND ARTISTIC CREATION.

                     FROM THE 13TH CENTURY ONWARDS ONCE CAN FIND MANUALS ON DANCE FROM PRACTICALLY EVERY REGION OF THE COUNTRY. EVEN A SUPERFICIAL STUDY OF THESE MANUALS EMPHASIZES TWO BROAD FACTS.FIRST. THAT DESPITE REGIONAL VARIATIONS ALL SCHOOLS SUBSCRIBED TO THE BASIS PRINCIPLES OF THE NATYASHASTRA TRADITION. THE DANCE CONTINUED TO BE DIVIDED INOT NATYA AND NRITTA ON ONE HAND AND INTO TANDAVA AND LASYA ON THE OTHER. THE SECOND IS THAT, ALTHOUGH THEY CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THESE BROAD PRINCIPLES, MANY DISTINCTIVE REGIONAL STYLES EVOLVED AND EACH REGION ULTIMATELY DEVELOPED A DISTINCTIVE REGIONAL STYLES EVOLVED AND EACH REGION ULTIMATELY DEVELOPED A DISTINCTIVE VOCABULARY. THIS SECOND FACT LED TO THE VONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL STYLES - BEIT BHARATNATYAM, KATHAKALI, MANIPURI, ODISSI OR KATHAK - CAN BE TRACED BACK TO DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD, ROUGHLY DATING FROM 1300 A.D TO 1800 A.D.

               THE RECENT REVIVAL OF INTEREST IN DANCE, DEVELOPED AS A SIGN OF NATIONAL PRIDE IN THE GLORIES OF INDIGENOUS ART AND CULTURE, HELPED THE DEVELOPMENT AND POPULARITY OF OUR VARIOUS DANCE STYLES. DURING THE PAST FIVE DECADES MANY LAYERS OF THE PAST ARTISTIC GLORY HAVE BEEN UNCOVERED. THE DIGGING CONTINUES AND EACH TIME ONE DELVES DEEPER, A GREATER TREASURE IS DISCOVERED.

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