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Dr.
V Raghavan, an outstanding scholar of the 20th century believed that Bharata
Natya is a form of authentic Indian dance art, the antiquity of which goes
to Rigvedic hymns and even Mohenjodaro times. He asserts that it was the
same dance that Arjuna taught the Virata princess in Mahabaratha, it was
the same dance that Malavika danced in Kalidasa's play and Madhavi in Silappadhikaram.
Ajanta, Amaravati, Sittanavasal and Tanjore paintings are visual representations
of the same dance.
('Remembering Dr. V Raghavan' by TK Venkatasubramanian, Nartanam, May – Aug 2008) |
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Hallisaka
is a circular dance, in the manner of Krishna’s dance with the gopis. The
circular dance of girls is one of the most widely prevalent folk dances
in all parts of the country: the garba of Gujarat, the achiyarkuravai of
ancient Tamil classics, the kummi, kolattam and kudichcupattu of Tamilnadu
and the kaikottikali of Malabar are all varieties of hallisaka.
('Uparupakas and Nritya-Prabhandas' by Dr. V Raghavan, Nartanam, May – Aug 2008) |
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Jayappa speaks of the Kanduka nritta – the dance with the playing of the ball - as a group dance in which the women, besides beating the ball on the ground, threw and exchanged the ball and ran to catch it. |
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