About
the Book
Dance Drama in Theory and Practice is a
documentation of nearly a hundred years of growth and development of a precious
art-from that developed in south India, more particularly in Tamil Nadu. The
origin of Dance Drama may be traced to the Sanskrit Drama may be traced to the
Sanskrit Drama which is firmly grounded in lyrics and music. Texts like Natyasastra and Abhinayadarpana
are the basis for both Dance and Drama. Dance forms like Bharatnatyam
kudiyattam Kuchipudi, Kathkali Yaksagana and Bhagavatamela. As also Bhajana
traditions too might have contributed to the development of Dance Drama.
The book consists twelve chapters in
which the first two chapters are introductory by nature. The dance dramas of
some of the important dance schools are discussed till the eighth chapter. The
contributions of some of the senior artists in the field are acknowledged in
the ninth chapter Artistes of the younger generation who have come to
the fore in the twenty-first century and their presentation are analysed in the
next chapter. There are also some new trends in the present-day dance dramas
which are discussed in the penultimate chapter. In the last chapter some
pointers to the future are highlighted. The book is well-served by
illustrations. Pictures and drawings.
About
the Author
Dr. S. Ramaratnam
is the Vice Chancellor (designated) of Jagadguru Kripalu University, Odisha.
Before taking up the present assignment, he was workin
as the Vice Chancellor of Sri Sri University, Odisha. Having worked as the Director of Management
Institutes and Principal of colleges, he has more than forty-five years of
experience.
A major part of his career was spent in
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai where he worked as Professor
of Sanskrit and the Principal He is an MA, PhD in Sanskrit and Principal He is
an MA, and MPhil (Management), etc.
Dr. Ramaratnam
is truly a multifaceted personality. He has been awarded titles such as Samskrta Ratna Sahitya Vallabha, Kalasastra Parangata and Bharata Kala Nipuna. He has worked as Visiting Professor at Oxford and
Mauritius Universities. Dr. Ramaratnam has presented
papers in conference held in several countries He has authored a number of
books and over fifty articles in leading journals.
Foreword
Indian Art, particularly the field of
Fine Arts is spiritually oriented. It is very difficult to trace the origin of
fine arts in India, but references to music and dance are found in the Rgveda itself. A number of gods and goddesses of the Hindu
pantheon are associated with some aspects of the fine arts or some musical
instruments. Sarasvati is the Goddess of learning as
well as music. She plays on flute and Lord Krsna
plays on flute and Lord Siva on a small drum called dakka.
Dance has an age-old tradition in India.
Like other arts, dance is also given a divine origin. Thus, Lord Siva Nataraja
is hailed as the originator of the Tandava dance
while Goddess Parvati is said to have evolved the Lasya
dance. We find the Lord in a dancing pose in the sculptures and bonzes of many
temples, particularly in the south India. We also have dancing poses of Lord Krsna (Kalinga nartana) and Lord Ganapati (Nartana
Ganapati). India's
court consisted of
celestial dancers like Urvasi, Rambha,
and Tilottama. One of the auxiliary sciences of the
Vedas is Gandharva-veda which is dedicated to music.
Hence, Bharata calls his art as Natya-veda.
Incidentally, Bharata's Natyasastra
is the earliest available work on music, dance, rhetoric, and theatre. Bharata is said to have imbibed the art of dance directly
from Lord Brahma. The term sastra; science,
associated 'with natya (dance/drama), has given the
arts respectability and credibility. There are records to prove that dance and
music were imparted to both girls and boys. Kalidasa's
Malavikagnimitra mentions male dance teachers and
their corresponding female dance students. We also learn from the play that
dance competitions were quite common and were usually held in the courts of the
kings. It is also evident that music and dance were patronized by the kings. Dance
and music teachers were given generous funds for promoting the arts.
The temples functioned as the centres of
art. Music, dance and drama were staged during temple festivals. Dance
flourished in the temples and there were female dancers called devadasis exclusively dedicated to dance performances in
the temple. Beautiful dancing poses were carved in the sculptures of the
temples, particularly belonging to south India. The 108 karanas,
sculptured in the temples of Tanjore and Chidambaram
are an evidence to the popularity of dance as an art
form. Exquisite dance poses are found in the sculptures of other temples as
well. The drum beating dancer's sculptures of the Belur
and Halebidu temples in Karnataka are very well known
for their intricate carving and the expression of emotions. Being associated
with temples, dance was considered as a divine art and it was handed down from
generation to generation through the gurukula system
of education.
The dance form as available in the
south, called Bharatanatyam, got embellished by the
advent of the Tanjore Quartet, Chinnayya,
Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu (nineteenth century) who systematized this art
form and made it into a performing art. The conservative social system
prevented family ladies from taking to dance and the trend continued till the
beginning of the last century; consequently, dance became the exclusive
property of a handful of devadasis, patronized by the
petty kings and the zamindars. The art was given a
new impetus and credibility as a performing art by the efforts of visionaries
like Smt Rukmini Devi Arundale and Sri Krishna Iyer.
Thanks to their efforts dance became a popular performing art patronized by the
general public in the 1930s and '40s of the last century.
Sanskrit drama also has an ancient
tradition and the dramatic art attained its peak during the days of Bhasa and Kalidasa. The ancient
Sanskrit drama had a good measure of music and dance. This aspect of Sanskrit
drama might have paved the way for the evolution of dance dramas in Indian
tradition. Dance itself is a wonderful art and the Dance Dramas are even more
absorbing. Most of the dance dramas presented in the last century were based on mythological themes, though certain
innovations were made by some of the Dance troupes. Bold and new themes are
experimented in the group dances/ presentations and dance dramas of the present
century.
Dr Ramaratnam,
a Sanskrit scholar and academician, has made a deep study of dance forms and
the dance dramas from the middle of the last century till the first decade of
the present century. He has given an excellent portrayal of the dance dramas of
the various dance schools and dance troupes who have given memorable
performances, thereby enhancing the value of this art form. He has given an almost
complete account of the all dance schools and their productions. This work is a
combination of material from primary sources with the author's analysis,
original thoughts of the author and a compilation of reviews from the media and
the websites. It is an excellent work on dance dramas and it will provide an
able guidance for the dance artistes.
Narada Gana Sabha has come forward to meet the entire cost of the
publication of this volume as it will be of great help to dance artistes and
dance lovers.
Preface
DANCE DRAMA IN THEORY AND PRACTICE is
the outcome of almost a decade of study that I have been doing in the field of
Dance Drama. There is still much more to be done but I thought of writing a
volume on the first phase of the Project. The Project was undertaken by me
under the Senior Fellowship scheme of the Department of Culture during the
years 2001 and 2002. A Project Report was submitted in the year 2003; the same
is now enlarged, updated and published. Though initially it was planned to confine
the Project only to the current dance dramas, it was later decided to extend
the study to the earlier dance dramas also. What was started as a documentation
of the present- day dance dramas has ultimately grown into the study of the
Origin and Development of the entire Dance Drama tradition. It was planned to
restrict the study to Tamil Nadu only but the scope of the study has been
extended to the entire south India. Consequently, the volume has swelled to the
present size.
The origin of Dance Drama may be traced
to the Sanskrit Drama which was firmly grounded in lyrics and music. If we
remove the dialogues and replace them with gesticulations, we will get a dance
drama. In tracing the origin of Dance Drama texts like NatyaSastra
and Abhinasadarpana have been very helpful. All
aspects of Bharatanatyam, Kudiyattam,
Kucipudi, Kathakali, Yaksa- gana, Bhagavatamela,
Bhajana tradition, and Harikatha
have been studied in relation to the Dance Drama.
In the preparation of this volume, care
has been taken to strike a middle path. The Sanskrit content has been kept at a
minimum level. Intricate technical details have been avoided keeping in mind
the general reader.
As for the artistes, information has
been drawn from their respective websites. Some of the artistes like Sri Dhananjayan have developed very useful and informative
websites. They were very useful in compiling this volume. The reviews from
leading newspapers have also been used.
This study is more or less a literary
study, that is, it is a view of dance drama from a student of literature. In
addition to excerpts from songs employed by the artistes, additional verses and
stanzas from great poets have also been added to amplify a particular scene of
depiction. It may be useful for the artistes of the younger generation who may
be looking for original sources for their own dance drama.
Any project of this nature must have an
eye on future. Quite unexpectedly the researcher has actually traced the
history of Dance Drama of approximately seventy years period. I is a considerable period looking at the changing scenario in
the field of art. In the present-day world with the channels of communication
available even a five years period is quite significant. Changes occur very
fast. In this context, this documentation has assumed considerable importance.
When the artistes realize that they are part of history and that their dance
drama could make an epoch making turn, they will be more responsible in every
aspect of the production. Changes have been taking place in the dance drama
right from the choice of the theme. Instead of directly borrowing from the
Purana, the artistes look for mixed themes, Purana plus history plus current
happenings. The music is classical plus folk plus Western. The costumes are
traditional plus modem. The dances are Bharatanatyam
plus folk plus modem. A time may come when the artiste need not know a
particular type of dance. It may be enough if they know some
"movements." Recorded music and multi-media equipments have become
the order of the day. The main question before the artistes now is-should they
be satisfied with a small but appreciative audience or should they do something
extra in order to pull the crowds? Well, nobody will be able to solve the
puzzle. But quality and purity will always stand the test of time. One has to
be patient. One can draw the example from two important entrepreneurs in
Chennai. One is Grand Sweets and Snacks and the other is Rangachari
Cloth Store. They had a very humble beginning and had only small business for
nearly twenty-five years. But persistence paid.' Quality stood the test of
time. One can see how big they have grown over the years.
I am thankful to the authorities of the
Department of Culture for approving this project I am beholden to several artistes
who have helped me with the synopsis of their productions and photographs. The
dance dramas have been staged; reviews have appeared; they have already become
a public property. Yet a number of artistes go into the shell when asked to
give details of their productions. They seem to have these questions in their
mind though they do not come out openly-who arc the other artistes you are
going to cover? Let them give their information first, then
I will give mine. Well artistes are artistes; they are emotional; they are
possessive. They have to survive the severe test of competition. They are at
the mercy of the sabha secretaries. They are in the
hands of the critics who can make or mar them. The dance drama producer cannot
hope to make much money. He/She will be satisfied if
the break even is achieved. What they want is a good response from the
audience. So if the artistes hesitate to share information, it is
understandable.
In compiling this volume, most of the
artistes are covered. If any artiste is left out by mistake, I apologise to
them. Most of the dance dramas presented till the end of 2010,
are included. If some are left out, it is not because of negligence, but on
account of space problem. The dance dramas presented after 2010 will be
included in the subsequent volumes as and when they are prepared. Ideally, one
such volume has to be brought out once in every five years. For chapters 9,10, and 11, I have depended almost entirely on the reviews
published in The Hindu. The opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and
the author of this book presents them for the benefit of the readers. Some are
reviews of an entire festival (including Curtain Raisers); therefore, there may
be some additional information other than a particular dance drama. They are retained
for the sake of general reader interest.
There are invariably, repetitions of
themes like the Ramayana Krsna jananam,
Annamacharya, and Candalika.
They are still retained since the treatment of the theme differs from artiste
to artiste.
I must thank my family heritage for my
interest in arts. In my childhood I was constantly hearing Jayadeva's
Gitagovindam being sung by my aunts and their gurus.
All through our life, my wife and I stayed in Mylapore,
the cultural centre of south India and so we had opportunity to witness
glorious performances by artistes of reputation.
My own background of Sanskrit learning
and a work on Sanskrit Dramatic traditions for PhD helped me. Later on,
artistes like Dr Ambika Kameshwar
worked under my guidance for their PhD. I am grateful to the some useful its like the Wikipedia which I
have made use of in this book. Besides these, I am particularly indebted to the
Editor of The Hindu new paper for having not only
permitted me to use their
articles but also for having provided me with a CD of important photographs
from their archives.
In the preparation of this volume,
diacritical marks have been added wherever necessary, keeping in mind the needs
of the general reader. Diacritical marks are not applied, in general, for the
names of artistes, their schools and their productions. Thus, titles such as Seetha Kalyanam, Panchali Sabadam, etc., are
retained as they are. Similarly, the names of the artistes like Nrithya Choodamani and Natya Kala Acharya are not given with
diacritical marks generally. Sanskrit names and names of characters adopted in
the vernaculars are also retained as they are in the latter.
I salute Goddess Sarasvati
whose blessings I seek ever and anon for continued progress and furtherance of
knowledge.
Contents
List
of figures |
ix |
Foreword |
xv |
A
curtain Raiser |
xix |
Preface |
xxiii |
Acknowledgements |
xxvii |
Abbreviations |
xxix |
Introduction
to Dance, Drama and Dance Drama |
1 |
Foundation
of Dance Drama |
24 |
Dance
Dramas of Kalakshetra |
68 |
Dance
Dramas of Shree Bharatalaya |
102 |
Dance
Dramas of Bharatakalanjali |
117 |
Dance
Dramas of Natyalaya |
150 |
Dance
Dramas of Nrtyodaya |
164 |
About
the Book
Dance Drama in Theory and Practice is a
documentation of nearly a hundred years of growth and development of a precious
art-from that developed in south India, more particularly in Tamil Nadu. The
origin of Dance Drama may be traced to the Sanskrit Drama may be traced to the
Sanskrit Drama which is firmly grounded in lyrics and music. Texts like Natyasastra and Abhinayadarpana
are the basis for both Dance and Drama. Dance forms like Bharatnatyam
kudiyattam Kuchipudi, Kathkali Yaksagana and Bhagavatamela. As also Bhajana
traditions too might have contributed to the development of Dance Drama.
The book consists twelve chapters in
which the first two chapters are introductory by nature. The dance dramas of
some of the important dance schools are discussed till the eighth chapter. The
contributions of some of the senior artists in the field are acknowledged in
the ninth chapter Artistes of the younger generation who have come to
the fore in the twenty-first century and their presentation are analysed in the
next chapter. There are also some new trends in the present-day dance dramas
which are discussed in the penultimate chapter. In the last chapter some
pointers to the future are highlighted. The book is well-served by
illustrations. Pictures and drawings.
About
the Author
Dr. S. Ramaratnam
is the Vice Chancellor (designated) of Jagadguru Kripalu University, Odisha.
Before taking up the present assignment, he was workin
as the Vice Chancellor of Sri Sri University, Odisha. Having worked as the Director of Management
Institutes and Principal of colleges, he has more than forty-five years of
experience.
A major part of his career was spent in
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai where he worked as Professor
of Sanskrit and the Principal He is an MA, PhD in Sanskrit and Principal He is
an MA, and MPhil (Management), etc.
Dr. Ramaratnam
is truly a multifaceted personality. He has been awarded titles such as Samskrta Ratna Sahitya Vallabha, Kalasastra Parangata and Bharata Kala Nipuna. He has worked as Visiting Professor at Oxford and
Mauritius Universities. Dr. Ramaratnam has presented
papers in conference held in several countries He has authored a number of
books and over fifty articles in leading journals.
Foreword
Indian Art, particularly the field of
Fine Arts is spiritually oriented. It is very difficult to trace the origin of
fine arts in India, but references to music and dance are found in the Rgveda itself. A number of gods and goddesses of the Hindu
pantheon are associated with some aspects of the fine arts or some musical
instruments. Sarasvati is the Goddess of learning as
well as music. She plays on flute and Lord Krsna
plays on flute and Lord Siva on a small drum called dakka.
Dance has an age-old tradition in India.
Like other arts, dance is also given a divine origin. Thus, Lord Siva Nataraja
is hailed as the originator of the Tandava dance
while Goddess Parvati is said to have evolved the Lasya
dance. We find the Lord in a dancing pose in the sculptures and bonzes of many
temples, particularly in the south India. We also have dancing poses of Lord Krsna (Kalinga nartana) and Lord Ganapati (Nartana
Ganapati). India's
court consisted of
celestial dancers like Urvasi, Rambha,
and Tilottama. One of the auxiliary sciences of the
Vedas is Gandharva-veda which is dedicated to music.
Hence, Bharata calls his art as Natya-veda.
Incidentally, Bharata's Natyasastra
is the earliest available work on music, dance, rhetoric, and theatre. Bharata is said to have imbibed the art of dance directly
from Lord Brahma. The term sastra; science,
associated 'with natya (dance/drama), has given the
arts respectability and credibility. There are records to prove that dance and
music were imparted to both girls and boys. Kalidasa's
Malavikagnimitra mentions male dance teachers and
their corresponding female dance students. We also learn from the play that
dance competitions were quite common and were usually held in the courts of the
kings. It is also evident that music and dance were patronized by the kings. Dance
and music teachers were given generous funds for promoting the arts.
The temples functioned as the centres of
art. Music, dance and drama were staged during temple festivals. Dance
flourished in the temples and there were female dancers called devadasis exclusively dedicated to dance performances in
the temple. Beautiful dancing poses were carved in the sculptures of the
temples, particularly belonging to south India. The 108 karanas,
sculptured in the temples of Tanjore and Chidambaram
are an evidence to the popularity of dance as an art
form. Exquisite dance poses are found in the sculptures of other temples as
well. The drum beating dancer's sculptures of the Belur
and Halebidu temples in Karnataka are very well known
for their intricate carving and the expression of emotions. Being associated
with temples, dance was considered as a divine art and it was handed down from
generation to generation through the gurukula system
of education.
The dance form as available in the
south, called Bharatanatyam, got embellished by the
advent of the Tanjore Quartet, Chinnayya,
Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu (nineteenth century) who systematized this art
form and made it into a performing art. The conservative social system
prevented family ladies from taking to dance and the trend continued till the
beginning of the last century; consequently, dance became the exclusive
property of a handful of devadasis, patronized by the
petty kings and the zamindars. The art was given a
new impetus and credibility as a performing art by the efforts of visionaries
like Smt Rukmini Devi Arundale and Sri Krishna Iyer.
Thanks to their efforts dance became a popular performing art patronized by the
general public in the 1930s and '40s of the last century.
Sanskrit drama also has an ancient
tradition and the dramatic art attained its peak during the days of Bhasa and Kalidasa. The ancient
Sanskrit drama had a good measure of music and dance. This aspect of Sanskrit
drama might have paved the way for the evolution of dance dramas in Indian
tradition. Dance itself is a wonderful art and the Dance Dramas are even more
absorbing. Most of the dance dramas presented in the last century were based on mythological themes, though certain
innovations were made by some of the Dance troupes. Bold and new themes are
experimented in the group dances/ presentations and dance dramas of the present
century.
Dr Ramaratnam,
a Sanskrit scholar and academician, has made a deep study of dance forms and
the dance dramas from the middle of the last century till the first decade of
the present century. He has given an excellent portrayal of the dance dramas of
the various dance schools and dance troupes who have given memorable
performances, thereby enhancing the value of this art form. He has given an almost
complete account of the all dance schools and their productions. This work is a
combination of material from primary sources with the author's analysis,
original thoughts of the author and a compilation of reviews from the media and
the websites. It is an excellent work on dance dramas and it will provide an
able guidance for the dance artistes.
Narada Gana Sabha has come forward to meet the entire cost of the
publication of this volume as it will be of great help to dance artistes and
dance lovers.
Preface
DANCE DRAMA IN THEORY AND PRACTICE is
the outcome of almost a decade of study that I have been doing in the field of
Dance Drama. There is still much more to be done but I thought of writing a
volume on the first phase of the Project. The Project was undertaken by me
under the Senior Fellowship scheme of the Department of Culture during the
years 2001 and 2002. A Project Report was submitted in the year 2003; the same
is now enlarged, updated and published. Though initially it was planned to confine
the Project only to the current dance dramas, it was later decided to extend
the study to the earlier dance dramas also. What was started as a documentation
of the present- day dance dramas has ultimately grown into the study of the
Origin and Development of the entire Dance Drama tradition. It was planned to
restrict the study to Tamil Nadu only but the scope of the study has been
extended to the entire south India. Consequently, the volume has swelled to the
present size.
The origin of Dance Drama may be traced
to the Sanskrit Drama which was firmly grounded in lyrics and music. If we
remove the dialogues and replace them with gesticulations, we will get a dance
drama. In tracing the origin of Dance Drama texts like NatyaSastra
and Abhinasadarpana have been very helpful. All
aspects of Bharatanatyam, Kudiyattam,
Kucipudi, Kathakali, Yaksa- gana, Bhagavatamela,
Bhajana tradition, and Harikatha
have been studied in relation to the Dance Drama.
In the preparation of this volume, care
has been taken to strike a middle path. The Sanskrit content has been kept at a
minimum level. Intricate technical details have been avoided keeping in mind
the general reader.
As for the artistes, information has
been drawn from their respective websites. Some of the artistes like Sri Dhananjayan have developed very useful and informative
websites. They were very useful in compiling this volume. The reviews from
leading newspapers have also been used.
This study is more or less a literary
study, that is, it is a view of dance drama from a student of literature. In
addition to excerpts from songs employed by the artistes, additional verses and
stanzas from great poets have also been added to amplify a particular scene of
depiction. It may be useful for the artistes of the younger generation who may
be looking for original sources for their own dance drama.
Any project of this nature must have an
eye on future. Quite unexpectedly the researcher has actually traced the
history of Dance Drama of approximately seventy years period. I is a considerable period looking at the changing scenario in
the field of art. In the present-day world with the channels of communication
available even a five years period is quite significant. Changes occur very
fast. In this context, this documentation has assumed considerable importance.
When the artistes realize that they are part of history and that their dance
drama could make an epoch making turn, they will be more responsible in every
aspect of the production. Changes have been taking place in the dance drama
right from the choice of the theme. Instead of directly borrowing from the
Purana, the artistes look for mixed themes, Purana plus history plus current
happenings. The music is classical plus folk plus Western. The costumes are
traditional plus modem. The dances are Bharatanatyam
plus folk plus modem. A time may come when the artiste need not know a
particular type of dance. It may be enough if they know some
"movements." Recorded music and multi-media equipments have become
the order of the day. The main question before the artistes now is-should they
be satisfied with a small but appreciative audience or should they do something
extra in order to pull the crowds? Well, nobody will be able to solve the
puzzle. But quality and purity will always stand the test of time. One has to
be patient. One can draw the example from two important entrepreneurs in
Chennai. One is Grand Sweets and Snacks and the other is Rangachari
Cloth Store. They had a very humble beginning and had only small business for
nearly twenty-five years. But persistence paid.' Quality stood the test of
time. One can see how big they have grown over the years.
I am thankful to the authorities of the
Department of Culture for approving this project I am beholden to several artistes
who have helped me with the synopsis of their productions and photographs. The
dance dramas have been staged; reviews have appeared; they have already become
a public property. Yet a number of artistes go into the shell when asked to
give details of their productions. They seem to have these questions in their
mind though they do not come out openly-who arc the other artistes you are
going to cover? Let them give their information first, then
I will give mine. Well artistes are artistes; they are emotional; they are
possessive. They have to survive the severe test of competition. They are at
the mercy of the sabha secretaries. They are in the
hands of the critics who can make or mar them. The dance drama producer cannot
hope to make much money. He/She will be satisfied if
the break even is achieved. What they want is a good response from the
audience. So if the artistes hesitate to share information, it is
understandable.
In compiling this volume, most of the
artistes are covered. If any artiste is left out by mistake, I apologise to
them. Most of the dance dramas presented till the end of 2010,
are included. If some are left out, it is not because of negligence, but on
account of space problem. The dance dramas presented after 2010 will be
included in the subsequent volumes as and when they are prepared. Ideally, one
such volume has to be brought out once in every five years. For chapters 9,10, and 11, I have depended almost entirely on the reviews
published in The Hindu. The opinions expressed are those of the reviewer and
the author of this book presents them for the benefit of the readers. Some are
reviews of an entire festival (including Curtain Raisers); therefore, there may
be some additional information other than a particular dance drama. They are retained
for the sake of general reader interest.
There are invariably, repetitions of
themes like the Ramayana Krsna jananam,
Annamacharya, and Candalika.
They are still retained since the treatment of the theme differs from artiste
to artiste.
I must thank my family heritage for my
interest in arts. In my childhood I was constantly hearing Jayadeva's
Gitagovindam being sung by my aunts and their gurus.
All through our life, my wife and I stayed in Mylapore,
the cultural centre of south India and so we had opportunity to witness
glorious performances by artistes of reputation.
My own background of Sanskrit learning
and a work on Sanskrit Dramatic traditions for PhD helped me. Later on,
artistes like Dr Ambika Kameshwar
worked under my guidance for their PhD. I am grateful to the some useful its like the Wikipedia which I
have made use of in this book. Besides these, I am particularly indebted to the
Editor of The Hindu new paper for having not only
permitted me to use their
articles but also for having provided me with a CD of important photographs
from their archives.
In the preparation of this volume,
diacritical marks have been added wherever necessary, keeping in mind the needs
of the general reader. Diacritical marks are not applied, in general, for the
names of artistes, their schools and their productions. Thus, titles such as Seetha Kalyanam, Panchali Sabadam, etc., are
retained as they are. Similarly, the names of the artistes like Nrithya Choodamani and Natya Kala Acharya are not given with
diacritical marks generally. Sanskrit names and names of characters adopted in
the vernaculars are also retained as they are in the latter.
I salute Goddess Sarasvati
whose blessings I seek ever and anon for continued progress and furtherance of
knowledge.
Contents
List
of figures |
ix |
Foreword |
xv |
A
curtain Raiser |
xix |
Preface |
xxiii |
Acknowledgements |
xxvii |
Abbreviations |
xxix |
Introduction
to Dance, Drama and Dance Drama |
1 |
Foundation
of Dance Drama |
24 |
Dance
Dramas of Kalakshetra |
68 |
Dance
Dramas of Shree Bharatalaya |
102 |
Dance
Dramas of Bharatakalanjali |
117 |
Dance
Dramas of Natyalaya |
150 |
Dance
Dramas of Nrtyodaya |
164 |