Kriti Class 8 Chapter 10, Inner Dynamics of Dance, opens the Dance section with Pandit Shubhankara’s verse from the Saṅgīta Dāmodara on bhāva and rasa, then explores breath, dance elements, sthānas (postures) and gati/chārī (movements).
What Kriti Class 8 Chapter 10 Covers
Breath in dance: in yoga, prāṇa is the vital breath and prāṇāyāma its flow. Dance movements start from a relaxed spine; breathing in helps the body expand, breathing out helps it contract, as when crouching in fear (Activity 10.1).
Stillness and motion: every movement begins and ends in a static posture, so dance is a play between being still and moving.
Postures (sthāna): the Nāṭyaśhāstra names three kinds: standing, sitting and reclining. Some forms have set male and female postures, such as the puruṣha and prakṛiti pāk in Sattriya. Activities 10.2 and 10.3 turn everyday poses (drinking water, watching a bird, a police officer, a superhero) into stylised postures.
Motion (gati and chārī): the Abhinaya Darpaṇam describes animal gaits such as the deer’s high leap, the monkey’s jumps, the tiger’s weighted step and the light, airy Garuḍa jump. It also lists chārī, or ways of moving: chalana (walking), veginī (quick steps), saraṇam (wide steps) and kuṭṭanam (thumping steps, as in Kathakali).
Putting it together: the Nāṭyaśhāstra calls a coordinated movement of hands and feet a karaṇa and describes 108 of them. Activity 10.5 builds a sequence from one posture, one leg movement and hand gestures, guided by the breath.
Exercises in Chapter 10
- Circle Time discussion prompts and Assessment rubrics at the end of the chapter.
Read Kriti Class 8 Chapter 10 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 9: My World of Music
- Next: Chapter 11: Pan Indian Dance Forms
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FAQ
What is a karaṇa in dance?
A coordinated movement of hands and feet described in the Nāṭyaśhāstra, which lists 108 karaṇas.
What are chārīs?
Ways of moving the feet and legs described in the Abhinaya Darpaṇam, such as chalana (walking), veginī (quick steps) and kuṭṭanam (thumping steps).