Classical dances in India

Introduction
 Dance in India comprises the varied styles
of dances and as with other aspects of
Indian culture
 Different forms of dances originated in
different parts of India
 Developed according to the local traditions
and also imbibed elements from other parts
of the country.
 These dance forms emerged from Indian
traditions, epics and historical-mythology.

HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY
 In India all forms of art have a sacred origin and the
inner experience of the soul finds its highest
expression in music and dance.
 Lord Shiva as Nataraja is its manifesting principle.
 Shiva manifests Tandava (masculine form)
 Parvati manifests Lasya (feminine form).
 Natya Shastra and Abhinaya Darpana tells us that,
Lord Brahma created dance upon request of the
Gods and it became known as the fifth Veda, open
to all, irrespective of caste and creed

CREATION OF NATYA VEDA
 Prior to the creation of the Natya Veda,
Brahma entered a Yogic trance and..
 He drew literature from the Rig Veda,
 Song from the Sama Veda,
 Abhinaya or expression from the Yajur
Veda and
 Rasa or aesthetic experience from Atharva
Veda.
 These aspects are the four main
constituents of the Natya Veda.

INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCES
 Sangeet Natak Akademi, recognizes
EIGHT distinctive traditional dances as
Indian Classical Dances. These are:
 Bharatanatyam- TN Kathak- UP
 Kathakali- Kerala Kuchipudi- AP
 Manipuri-Manipur Sattriya –Assam
 Mohiniyattam – Kerala Odissi –Odisha

History
 Performed inside the sanctum of the temple
according to the rituals called Agama
Nartanam
 The term "classical" (Sanskrit: "Shastriya")
was introduced by Sangeet Natak Akademi
to denote the Natya Shastra-based
performing art styles.
 Usually feature a story about good and evil

 The dance is traditionally presented in a
dramatic manner called nritta, which uses
"clean" facial expressions and mudrā, or
hand gestures, to narrate the story and to
demonstrate concepts such as particular
objects, weather, aspects of nature and
emotions.
 Classical Indian dance is also known as
Natya. Natya includes singing and
abhinaya (mime acting). These features are
common to all Indian classical styles of
dance.

 A dance style is classical to the extent that
it incorporates Natya Shastra techniques.

Bharatanaty
amSouth Indian Classical
dance and music

11
The dance is
inspired from
the sculptures of
the ancient
temple of
Chidambaram.

A short history of Bharatanatyam
Bharat Natyam was developed
by mixing elements from the
earlier forms of dance: Dassi
Attam and Sadr.
Dassi Attam was a dance form
of the Devadasis or temple
dancing girls while Sadr was a
form found in the palaces of
southern India.
Devadasi 12

Origin of the word
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam, is the
combination of: BHA-
Bhava (Expression)
RA-Raga (Music, melody)
and TA- Tala
(Rhythm).
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It is a traditional
dance- form known
for its
grace, purity,
tenderness,
and
sculpturesque

The music of
Bharatanatyam is based
on Indian classical
music called Carnatic.
Its main emphasis is on
vocal music.
14
Most compositions are written to be
sung, and even when played on
instruments, they are meant to be
performed in gāyaki (singing) style.
Tyagaraja was one
of the greatest
composers of
Carnatic music or
classical South
Indian music.

Musical instruments for Bharatanatyam
The
instruments
used are the
veena, bansuri
or venu,
mridangam,
violin, manjira
or thalaam ,
tambura and
the kanjira.
Veena
Venu
Mridangam
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Manjira
Violin
Kanjira
Tambura
Surpeti

 The dance direction is done
by ‘the Nattuvanar’
 One or two vocalists normally
accompany the Nattuvanar.
16

 The Nattuvanar is the
person who directs a
bharatanatyam
performance by reciting
rhythmical syllables
and playing manjiras,
The texts are based on
South Indian rhythm.
17Indian scale

The three elements of Bharatanatyam
18
Bharatanatyam is evenly divided between
three elements:
Nritta :
Nritya :
Natya :

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“Nritta” or pure dance,
is the movement of
hands and feet on
rhythm and speed.
These movements do
not convey meaning,
emotion or theme but
are used to create a
collage of rhythmic
lines, forms and
shapes .

20
“Nritya” is the
interpretative element of
the dance. It exhibits the
meaning of the song and
conveys the underlying
emotion with hand
gestures and facial
expressions.

21
Natya is the more
dramatic element of
Bharatanatyam. Since it is
almost entirely made of
hand gestures, it has been
compared to sign
language but with a more
stylized effect. The theme
of this third part is almost
always taken from the
Ramayana or the
Mahabharata.

C0RE PRINCIPLE OF BHARATANATYAM
 “Yatho hasthastato dristhihi, yatho
drishthasthato manaha, yatho manasthato
bhaavo, yatho bhavasthato rasaha”
 Where hands go, eyes follow; where eyes go
mind follows; where mind goes, there is created
aesthetic expression of emotion and thus the
essence is evoked.

Kathakali is the classical dance form of
Kerala.
The word Kathakali literally means "Story-
Play".
Kathakali is known for its heavy, elaborate
makeup and costumes.
In fact, the colorful and fascinating
costumes of Kathakali have become the
most recognized icon of Kerala.

Kathakali is considered as one of the
most magnificent theatres of
imagination and creativity.
 Kathakali dance presents themes
derived from the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata and other Hindu epics,
mythologies and legends.

COSTUMES
 The headgear worn by the various
characters in Kathakali are excellent
specimen of intricate wood carving, an
ancient specialty of the region.
 Even the shiny finishing with trinkets take
hours of painstaking labour by expert
craftsmen.
 Most of the ornaments donning each
character are made in this fashion too.

MAKE- UP
 The make-up, called Chutty in the bibliography
of Kathakali, is also an art form in itself.
 The colourful faces are the results of hours of
painstaking handiwork by expert artists. Their
work is, by no means subordinate to portrait
painting.
 The basic materials used for the make up are
very crude items like raw amorphous Sulphur,
Indigo, Rice paste, Lime, Coconut oil etc.

Although dance is an important element in
Kathakali, it is not the main feature. Pure
dance sequences are limited to Kalasams,
which punctuate acting segments. The accent
in Kathakali is more on the Thandava style of
dancing than on Lasya style. Hence the
movements are often explosive. Delicate
movements are rare

MUDRAS
 There are 24 Basic Mudras (hand
gestures) There are 'Asamyutha Mudras'
(that is shown using single hand) and
'Samyutha Mudras' (mudras shown in
double hands).
 Considering all these Mudras and their
seperations there are totally 470 symbols
used in Kathakali.

Acting
 A Kathakali actor uses immense concentration,
skill and physical stamina, gained from training
based on Kalaripayattu , the ancient martial art
of Kerala, to prepare for his demanding role.
 Training can often last for 8-10 years. The
training programme is intensive.
 In Kathakali, the story is enacted purely by the
movements of the hands (called mudras or
hand gestures) and by facial expressions
(rasas) and bodily movements

 The main facial expressions of a Kathakali
artist are the 'navarasams' ( 'Navarasas' in
anglicised form ) (Nine Tastes, but more
loosely translated as nine feelings or
expressions) which are Sringaaram
(amour), Haasyam (ridicule, humour),
Bhayam (fear), Karunam (pathos),
Rowdram (anger, wrath), Veeram (valour),
Beebhatsam (disgust), Adbhutham
(wonder, amazement), Saantham
(tranquility, peace)

Types of Make Ups
 Pacha
Mythological characters are classified into
different categories. The first in the order of
precedence is the Dhirodatta, the noble hearted,
upright hero. The make-up known as Pacha
(Green) is allotted to such characters. Examples
are the Gods of the elements, noble kings like
Nala, Yudhishtra, Rukmangada, Arjuna and
Bhimsena.

Kathi
 Kathi, another prominent costume of kathakali
is devoted to heroes who are not too particular
about the means they use to gain their needs.
 The costume in general is similar to Pacha,
except that in the make-up, a knife-shaped
pattern is drawn on either cheek in red pigment.
 In addition, a small ball is fixed to the tip of the
nose and another one in the fore-head. kathi
represents restlessness easily swayed towards
wickedness and is the costume of characters
like Ravana, Kamsa and Duryodhana.

Thadi (Beard)
 The costume that represents Thamoguna
(wickedness) is Thadi. Thadi means beard. There
are red, black and white thadis, each depicting a
distinct type of wickedness. Red thadi has the face
painted in frightening dark portions and wears an
impressive red beard. The head gear is round in
shape and much larger in size than those worn by
Kathi. Red thadi is usually given to extremely wicked
characters like Rakshasas or despicable men like
Dussasana. Examples of Rakshasas are Bakasura
and Jatasura. The concept of the red thadi is only of
the destructive evil force with little or no thinking
faculty

Kari (Black)
 The 'Kari' is an all black costume. The face
is painted in black; the jackets and skirts
are blacker still. The headgear is primitive.
The costume is used for depicting the
lowest of primitive human beings both men
and women. The noises they produce can
almost amount to howling. Characters
portrayed in this costume are demonesses
and evil beings of the 'under world'.

Minukku
 The make-up used for gentle characters is
'Minukku'. It consists of a mere painting of
the face with yellowish orange pigment.
There is no white chutty make-up and no
elaborate clothing as in other characters.
Women, sages and Brahmanas appear in
'Minukku'. Other characters who appear in
Minukku are charioteers and messengers.

MOHINIYATTAM
 Mohiniyattam: a dance form from Kerala is
closely related to Bharathanatyam of Tamil
Nadu, which was originally called
'Dasiyattam'.
 Originated as the temple dance performed
by Devadasis, it portrays feminine love in
its myriad forms - carnal, devotional and
maternal- with accent more on Lasya and
Bhava.

 Costumes and ornaments of Mohiniyattam have
much in common with female characters of
Koodiyattam and Kathakali.
 Once Mohiniyattam was performed only in
Temples premises and royal courts.
 The first reference to Mohiniyattam is found in
'Vyavaharamala' composed by
Mazhamangalam Narayanan Namboodiri, of
16th century AD.
 Major contributions to this art form were given
by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, Irayimman
Thampi and Kuttikunju Thankachi.

 The renowned Malayalam poet Vallathol revived
it and gave it a status in modern times through
Kerala Kalamandalam which is presently doing
its best for the development and popularity of
Mohiniyattam.
 Most of the component items of Mohiniyattam
are similar to Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi,
though subtle differences of style is obvious.

 The accompaniments for Mohiniyattam are
Vocal, Veena, Venu, Maddalam and Idakka.
Other instruments are also not unusual.
 Compared to most other dance forms,
Mohiniyattam gives more importance to gestural
and facial acting. The Mudras (hand gestures)
are almost always same as those employed in
Kathakali. The artists try to enact the lyrics
almost in its entirety, like in Kathakali

KUCHIPUDI
 Kuchipudi is pronounced as Koochipoodi is a
Classical Indian dance originated in Andhra
Pradesh, India.
 Origin of the name Kuchipudi is taken from name
of a village in the Divi Tehsil of Krishna district that
borders the Bay of Bengal.
 The resident Brahmins were practicing this
traditional dance form, and it acquired the present
name.
 According to facts Siddhendra Yogi first developed
a unique and particular style of kuchipudi based on
the Natya Shastra.

 Kuchipudi dance style, like many other classical
dance forms, was initially presented at temples
and was performed by the Brahmin men.
 The first documented evidence of Kuchipudi
male dancers’ performance was recorded in
1502 A.D. where they performed in front of
Veeranarasimha Rayalu of Vijayanagara Empire
and depicted the misdeeds and corrupt rule of
Sammeta Guravaraju, Siddavatam ruler.


 Another evidence shows that the Nawab of
Golconda, Habul Hussan Qutub Tanisha, fond
of the performance of kuchipudi, gifted the
village of Kuchipudi and made it a cultural
center to pursue the art with peace and
harmony.
 Even today, artists and scholars living there
continue the age-old tradition and pass the
knowledge to present and future generations.

 Looking at the type of dance movements,
costumes, and physically the location of its
origin one can say that Kuchipudi is a blend of
Odisi (a dance form of Orissa) and
Bharatnatyam (a dance form of Tamil Nadu).
 Kuchipudi is famous for its extremely elegant
movements and its very strong descriptive and
dramatic character narration.

 These dance dramas were mostly performed as
an offering to lord Krishna mostly.
 All these dances were performed by men who
could play the roles of both men and women as
performers.
 Initially, it was performed for lord Krishna, but
with passage of time the dance form was even
performed for Lord Shiva. This started
happening by the end of the 18th century.

 In the early 1900s, after Siddhendra Yogi
another towering figure in Kuchipudi - Vedantam
Lakshminarayana Shastri - once again changed
the stylistic direction of dance form.
 He moved from the little village of Kuchipudi,
the birth place of this art form, to the larger
metropolis of Madras (now Chennai), a major
centre for art and culture in India.
 His talent and brilliance was immediately
recognized.o He introduced women to
Kuchipudi and choreographed several solo
dances, which have become part of the
Kuchipudi today.

 Thus, Kuchipudi has under gone a number of
changes and today surprisingly women are the
ones who have finally mastered this dance form
better than men.
 Kuchipudi dance groups today are broadly
classified in to two groups.
 Natyamelamu consists of a group of actors
(males) performing Kuchipudi dance-drama.
 Nattuvamelamu is a tradition of dance
performed by woman artistes.

 This tradition had two sections, those who
performed at the royal courts and those
who performed in temples.
 Initially, as we know it, Kuchipudi was just
a form of temple dance but now with
passage of time it has finally become one
of the most well known performing arts in
the whole of our country.

 The Kuchipudi is a dance-drama of Nritta,
Nritya and Natya.
 Nritta encompasses steps and movements
in the form of patterns of dance which,
though decorated in them, have no
meaning to convey.
 The Nritya consists of Sabdams.
 The Natya consists of acting with mudras
for the songs.

 Some of dance which is practiced today in
kuchipudi are: Purvaranga,Tandava Nritya
kari Gajanana or Vinayaka Kautham
Bhamakalapam,Satya Bhama, Bhakta
Phrahalda, Usha Parinayam, Sasirekha
Parinayam, Rama Natakam, Gollakalapam,
Gollabhama,Tarangam,

 The kuchipudi dance makeup should have a
graceful look and must be suitable for stage
light.
 Makeup must suit dancers with fair and dark
skin colors.
 The important characters have their makeup
different from the others. The makeup used in
this dance is not so heavy.
 The list of items required for the makeup of this
dance form are: Altha, sindur, kumkum, bindi
(preferably maroon color ), black eye liner, eye
shadow, facial powder and foundation whose color
should be lighter than the character’s skin color.

History
 This dance form traces its origin to the
nomadic bards of ancient northern India,
known as Kathakars or story tellers.
 Its form today contains traces of temple and
ritual dances, and the influence of the
bhakti movement.
 From the Sanskrit word katha meaning
"story", and katthaka in Sanskrit means "he
who tells a story", or "to do with stories".

 The story of Kathak begins in ancient times with
the performances of professional story-tellers
called kathakas who recited or sang stories from
epics and mythology with some elements of
dance.
 The traditions of the kathakas were hereditary,
and dances passed from generation to
generation. There are literary references from
the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE which refer to
these kathakas.
 The structure of a conventional kathak
performance tends to follow a progression in
tempo from slow to fast, ending with a dramatic
climax.

 Today, Kathak has regained its popularity
after the period of decline during the rule of
the British Empire and it is now one of the
eight officially sanctioned classical dance
forms of India.
 Kathak's current form is a synthesis of all
the input it has had in the past: court and
romantic aspects sit comfortably side-by-
side with the temple and
mythological/religious.

Costume (Female)
 Traditional (and perhaps more specifically Hindu)
costume sometimes consists of a sari, whether worn in
an everyday style, or tied up to allow greater freedom of
movement during dance. However, more commonly, the
costume is a lehenga-choli combination, with an
optional odhni or veil.
 Mughal costume for women consists of an angarkha
(from the Sanskrit anga-rakshaka 'limb-keeper') on the
upper body. The design is akin to a chudidaar kameez,
but is somewhat tighter fitting above the waist, and the
'skirt' portion explicitly cut on the round to enhance the
flare of the lower half during spins.

Costume (Male)
 The traditional costume for men is to be
bare-chested. Below the waist is the dhoti,
usually tied in the Bengal style, that is with
many pleats and a fan finish to one of the
ends
 The Mughal costume is kurta-churidar. The
kurta can be a simple one, or again,
adapted for dance to incorporate wider
flare, but is usually at least knee-length.

Introduction
 Manipuri dance is one of the eight classical
dance forms of India .It belongs to the north
East Indian state of Manipur. Its themes are
devotional and are performed on religious
occasions and in temples throughout the area.
It is even often referred to as "sankirtan".
 The term Manipuri actually covers a number of
dance forms from the region. The most
important being the Ras Lila and the Pung
Cholom.

Characteristics of Manipuri Dance
The traditional Manipuri dance style
embodies delicate, lyrical and graceful
movements .Rounded movements and
avoid any jerks, sharp edges or straight
lines. undulating and soft appearance.
The foot movements are viewed as part of
a composite movement of the whole body.
The dancer puts his or her feet down, even
during vigorous steps, with the balls of the
feet touching the ground first. The ankle
and knee joints are effectively used as
shock absorbers. The dancer’s feet are
neither put down nor lifted up at the precise
rhythmic points of the music but rather
slightly earlier or later to express the same
rhythmic points most effectively.

RasLila and Manipuri dance
 There are a number of forms in Manipuri.
These are the Ras Lila, the Pung Cholom, Nupa
Cholom, Thoibi and a host of others. We will
now look at them in greater detail.
 The Ras Lila is the most important dance form
in the Manipuri style. The theme revolves
around the love of Krishna and the milkmaids
(gopinis). Although the themes are romantic,
we must remember that the Bhakti school of
Hinduism considers physical love as a metaphor
for spiritual longing.

Types of Raslila and Manipuri
 There are five Ras Lilas that deal with the
divine love of Radha and Krishna. These
are: Maharas, Vasantras, Kunjaras,
Nityaras and Divaras.
Other Ras deal with
various aspects of Krishna's life such as
Karnabheda (ear piercing), marriage, etc.
The performance of Ras Lila is generally
performed in a special enclosure in front of
the temple called a Nat Mandap.

Music in Manipuri Dance
 There is a very characteristic style of music for
Manipuri dance. The music is generally similar
to the larger body of north Indian (Hindustani)
music. However there are differences in
nomenclature of rags, tals, and the style of
presentation is somewhat different.
 Manipuri is unique among the classical Indian
dances in that the instrumentation is a central
part of the dance, rather than as a side
accompaniment.

 Dances are very much based upon the
cymbals (kartal or manjira) and the
cylindrical drum known as
Manipuri mridang or pung. Unlike other
classical, dances where the instrument is
merely used as an accompaniment, the
pung and the kartal (manjira) are actually
used in the dance.

Song and Instruments
 Other common instruments
are the harmonium, pena,
bansuri, shankh (conch), and
esraj.
 The songs used in Manipuri
are usually from the great
poets of old such as Jaydev,
Vidyapati, Chandidas,
Govindadas or Gyandas.
Any of a number of
languages may be used
such as Sanskrit, Maithili,
Brijbhasha or others.

Musical Instruments
 Pung
 Kartal (Manjira) and Manzilla
 Pena
 Harmonium
 Bansuri
 Esraj
 Shankh

Costume
 The Ras costume consists of a richly
embroidered stiff skirt which extends to the feet.
These skirts or lehngas are called ‘Kumin’ and
also a ‘patloi’named cloth worn by females
 A short fine white muslin skirt is worn over it. A
dark coloured velvet blouse covers the upper
part of the body and a traditional white veil is
worn over a special hair-do which falls
gracefully over the face.
 Krishna wears a yellow dhoti, a dark velvet
jacket and a crown of peacock feathers. The
jewellery is very delicate and the designs are
unique to the region.

Manipuri Dancers
The present noted Manipuri dancers of India and
Bangladesh, as well as international fame are
Hanjaba Guru Bipin Singha, Guru Chandrakanta
Singha - Nartanachrya, Guru Nilmadhab Mukharjee,
Guru Haricharan singha, Bibhaboti Devi, Kalabati
Devi etc.
Most of them have their dancing tours on the manipuri
to England, America, Rassia, Australia, Japan,
Germany, Italy, France, Hongkong, Thailand, Bhutan,
Srilanka etc. and earned great name and fame for
their style.
Among Non-Manipuri dancers, the names of Preeti
patel, Sruuti Banerjee, Tamanna Rahman.In Bombay
the famous performers and teachers are the Jhaveri
sisters - Nayana,Suverna, Darshana and Ranjana
Jahveri. They continue this tradition at their institution
'Manipuri Nartanalaya'.

Odissi
 Odissi is one of the famous classical Indian
dances from Orissa state.
 The history of Odissi dance is almost two
thousand years old.
 Odissi is a highly inspired, passionate, ecstatic
and sensuous form of dance.
 Like most of the South Indian classical dances
of India Odissi too had its origin in the Devadasi
tradition.

 Odissi is considered a dance of love, joy and
intense passion, pure, divine and human.
 Over a period of time three schools of Odissi
dance developed, they are- Mahari, Nartaki, and
Gotipau.
 The Mahari system traces its roots in the
Devadasi tradition.
 The dance form of Odissi that developed in
royal courts is called the Nartaki tradition.
 In the Gotipau tradition of Odissi dance young
boys dress up in female attires and enact
female roles.

 One of the most distinguishing features of
Odissi dance is the Tribhangi.
 The notion of Tribhang divides the body into
three parts, head, bust and torso. The postures
dealing with these three elements are called
Tribhangi.
 This concept has created the very characteristic
poses which are more twisted than found in
other classical Indian dances.
 Mudra is also an important component of
Odissi dance.
 Odissi themes are almost religious in nature
and mostly revolve around Krishna.

 The rhythm, Bhangis and Mudras used in Odissi
dance have a distinct style of its own.
 The dance is performed mainly with the theme
of Infinite love of Lord Krishna and Radha.
 Odissi includes both Tandava and Lasya
elements. It has Navatala system.
 But the element that distinguishes Odissi form
other dance forms is the grace. In Odissi, the
torso movement is considered very important
which is soft, lyrical and graceful.

The basic body position is chowka that is
supposed to be a replica of Lord Jagnnath's
body position.

 Similar to other classical dance forms, in
Odissi too the Guru Shisya tradition is
prevalent.
 It takes around five to seven years to get
trained in this style.
 But, as Guru says, a whole life dedication
also seems to be less to master the form
completely.

Famous Odissi Dancers -
 Some of the renowned Odissi dancers are
Guru Pankajcharan, Guru Kelucharna, Late
Debprasad, late Sanjukta Panigrahi,
Kumkum Mohanty, Indrani Rehema, Guru
Nabakishore, Guru Gangadhar, Guru
Ranbir, Guru Subrat Pattaniak and Illena.

Sattriya
 Recognized in 2000 as a classical dance
by Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Sattriya is
the most recent entrant in this list.
 Sattriya has remained a living tradition
since its creation by the
medieval polymath Srimanta Sankardev in
15th century Assam.
 These were usually performed in
the sattras (monasteries) associated with
the Ekasarana dharma.

 Today, although Sattriya Nritya has
emerged from within the confines of
the sattras to a much wider recognition,
the sattras continue to use the dance form
for ritualistic and other purposes for which it
was originally created about 500 years ago.
 The core of Sattriya Nritya has usually
been mythological stories. This was an
artistic way of presenting mythological
teachings to the people in an accessible,
immediate, and enjoyable manner

 Traditionally, Sattriya was performed only
bybhokots (male monks) in monasteries as
a part of their daily rituals or to mark special
festivals. Today, in addition to this
practice, Sattriya is also performed on
stage by men and women who are not
members of the sattras, on themes not
merely mythological.

 Sattriya Nritya is divided into many
aspects: Apsara Nritya, Behar Nritya, Chali
Nritya, Dasavatara Nritya, Manchok
Nritya,Natua Nritya, Rasa
Nritya, Rajaghariya Chali Nritya, Gosai
Prabesh, Bar Prabesh, Gopi
Prabesh, Jhumura, Nadu Bhangi,
and Sutradhara, to name but a few — these
being the counterpart to items in Bharata
Natyam.

 Sattriya Nritya is accompanied by musical
compositions called borgeets (composed
by Sankardeva and Shree Shree
madhavdev, among others) which are
based on classical ragas. The instruments
that accompany a traditional performance
are khols (drums), taals (cymbals) and
the flute. Other instruments like
the violin and the harmonium have been
recent additions.

 The costumes are usually made of pat – a silk
produced in Assam which is derived from the
mulberry plant – and woven with intricate local
motifs.
 There are two types of costumes: the male
costume comprising the dhoti and chadar and
the female costume comprising
the ghuri and chadar.
 The waist cloth which is known as
the kanchi or kingkini is worn by both the male
and female dancers. The ornaments, too, are
based on traditional Assamese design.

Classical dances in India

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Classical dances in India