Class 6 Arts (Kriti-I) Chapter 13, Breaking Barriers with Dance, explores how Indian classical and folk dance traditions transcend gender, social barriers and classroom subjects—connecting the Bhakti movement, Gotipua, Ardhanareeswara, Yakshagana and geometric shapes in dance.
What Class 6 Art Chapter 13 Covers
Bhakti Movement, Gotipua, Ardhanareeswara & Yakshagana (Activities 1–3) traces how the Bhakti movement shaped temple and community dance (Devadasis, Maharis, Sattras, Kathakars) and highlights traditions where dancers portray all genders: Odisha’s acrobatic Gotipua, the half-Shiva half-Parvati Ardhanareeswara dance, and Karnataka’s vibrant Yakshagana dance-drama.
Dance, Geometrical Shapes & Rhythmic Geometry (Activities 4–5) connects body postures and floor patterns to mathematical geometry—forming lines, triangles, squares, circles and symmetry in sync with Tala beats.
Bhakti and temple dance: the Bhakti movement, from around the 6th–7th century, shaped regional classical dance. Devadasis and Tevadichhis in the south and Maharis in Odisha danced in temple rituals. In Odisha’s Gotipua, young boys dressed as girls dance for the public with acrobatic movements.
Dance beyond gender: Purulia Chhau and Yakshagana were once performed only by men and Mohiniyattam only by women, but these limits have been removed today. Lavani and Bhangra can be learnt by girls and boys alike. Activity 3 is a project on Jogati Manjamma, who shaped the Jogati dance of Karnataka by breaking barriers of gender identity.
Exercises in Chapter 13
- Studio Activities, step-by-step creative exercises, and peer/self-reflection prompts.
Read Class 6 Art Chapter 13 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 12: My Body in Motion
- Next: Chapter 14: Harmony in Motion
- Hindi medium: Class 6 Arts Chapter 13 PDF in Hindi (Kriti-I)
- All Art chapters and the other Class 6 books: Class 6 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
- Every book chapter by chapter: NCERT chapter wise PDF
FAQ
What is the Gotipua dance tradition of Odisha?
Gotipua is a traditional dance form from Odisha (the precursor to modern Odissi) in which young boys dress in female attire to praise Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna through expressive dance and acrobatic postures.
How are geometric shapes used in Indian dance?
Dancers form triangles (such as the Araimandi/Chauka stance), straight lines, diagonals, squares and circular mandalas both with their limbs and in group floor formations.
What is Gotipua?
A dance of Odisha in which young boys dressed as girls perform for the public, combining dance with acrobatics.