Kriti Class 8 Chapter 11, Pan Indian Dance Forms, surveys India’s eight major classical dance forms alongside vibrant tribal and regional folk dances from Nagaland and Chhattisgarh.
What Kriti Class 8 Chapter 11 Covers
Bharatanatyam and Kathak: Bharatanatyam, from Tamil Nadu, is danced in the half-sitting aramaṇḍi with strong footwork, in bāṇis such as Thanjavur, Pandanallur, Vazhuvoor and Mysuru. Kathak, from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, tells stories through spins, rhythmic stamping and expression, in the Lucknow, Jaipur, Banaras and Raigarh gharānās.
Kathakali and Kuchipudi: Kathakali from Kerala is a dance-drama in a deep, bent-knee stance (atimaṇḍala), with painted faces: green for heroes, red for villains. Its two styles are vaḍakkan (northern) and thekkan (southern). Kuchipudi takes its name from a village in Andhra Pradesh where families such as the Vempati and Vedantam keep the tradition, and its dancers also speak and sing (vāchika abhinaya).
Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Sattriya: the remaining four of the eight major classical forms, compared in Activity 11.1’s dance matrix.
Dances of Nagaland: the Ao Naga celebrate Moatsu Mong after sowing and Tsungrem Mong before harvest. The Sumi perform a war dance for victory, and Lotha women dance the mungyanta at the Tokhu Emone festival.
Dances of Chhattisgarh: the Panthi of the Satnami community to the mandar drum and jhanjh, the Gaur Maria of the Bison-Horn Maria of Bastar at births and weddings, the Karma dance for Karma Devi, the women’s Suwa (parrot) dance, and the Gond Gedi dance on bamboo stilts.
Exercises in Chapter 11
- Circle Time discussion prompts and Assessment rubrics at the end of the chapter.
Read Kriti Class 8 Chapter 11 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 10: Inner Dynamics of Dance
- Next: Chapter 12: Dance for Well-being
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FAQ
What are the eight major classical dance forms of India?
Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Sattriya.
What is the Gedi dance?
A dance of the Gond people of Chhattisgarh performed on bamboo stilts.