Dance in South Asia

Written by Sidrah Roghay • February 2011

Dance in South Asia has developed through the centuries and continues to mesmerize. Besides being a form of worship and festivity, dance has held captive its audience here since long.

Dance in South Asia has developed through the centuries. Unlike the dances in the western world these are accompanied by bright colors, loud music, and movements that involve not just the hands and feet but also facial expressions. Here, dance has been a form of worship and festivity. Some of the oldest and most interesting dances practiced in this particular region have been highlighted below.

Kathak
Kathak is generally practiced in India and Pakistan, and is characterized by fluid hand gestures and facial expressions to go with. The word “Kathak” means to tell a story and this is what the dance is basically about. The dancer would narrate a story through her movements (for the dancer is generally a female). The dance is accompanied by traditional musical instruments such as the ghungroo (tiny dancing bells that dancers wear in their anklets), sitar (an eastern violin) and the harmonium. However when kathak traveled from the temple to the royal court its objective shifted from story-telling to that of entertainment.

Like the geisha tradition in Japan the institution for Kathak is called “tawaif”, and it developed during the time of Mughal rule in the sub-continent. The royal family would send their sons to the tawaifs so that they learn the etiquettes of that time. The dancers here were trained in the highest manner of civility and were cultured.
When the British took over the sub-continent this particular form of art was outlawed and branded as prostitution.

Cham Dance
Cham or the mask dance is a means of offering and festivity in Bhutan. The dancers wear huge colorful masks made of feathers, beads, bones and shells. It dates back to the eighth century. Certain characteristics are common in the cham dance; they are grouped, masked and always have an audience. In an upbeat of drums and bells dancers would act out as deities and gods and narrate history and legends. In a largely closed society these particular groups of dancers are the only people who are allowed to sometimes even mock religion. The cham dance is thought to ward off evil spirits and celebrate victory.

Yakun Natima
Amidst blazing torches, native drums and the tropical balmy night of a Sri Lankan forest, a Kattadiya (devil dancer) performs the exorcist dance so as to cure an unconscious patient of his ailment. His objective is to rid his patient from the “devil” that is causing the illness. The dance may continue for the whole night. The Kattadiya, would politely request, cajole and at times threaten the devil to leave the patient, and often by the end the patient is limp and sweating but cured of his illness.

Attan
The Attan dance dates back to the pagan tribes in Afghanistan. It comprises of a number of twists and turns, with occasional claps in rhythm to the beat of drums. Later when Islam became more common in Afghanistan, Attan was converted into a soldier dance, where a group of soldiers would perform steps that their dance leader would instruct them to.

In a circle of two or two hundred, dancers will follow each other so that the circle keeps moving, performing a series of steps varying from head banging to body twisting. The dancers would at times also carry handkerchiefs in their hands to accentuate their wrist movements. This is one dance that requires immense physical labor.