Indian classical dance in the context of "Yakshagana"

Bharatanatyam is an Indian classical dance form that comes from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism and in general of Hinduism.

A description of precursors of Bharatanatyam from the Natya Shastra date from around 500 BCE - 500CE and those in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram date to around 171 CE. Temple sculptures of the 6th to 9th century CE suggest dance was a refined performance art by the mid-1st millennium CE. Sadiraattam, which was renamed Bharatanatyam in 1932, is the oldest classical dance tradition in India.

Various dance forms are practiced in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, who speak Tamil language, one of the oldest surviving languages in India. With archaeological evidence pointing to the Tamilakam region being inhabited for more than 3,800 years, Tamil culture has seen multiple influences over the years and has developed diversely. With its diverse culture, many forms of individual and group dances have their origins in the region.

As per Tamil literature, dance forms formed a part of nun kalaigal (fine art forms) which also included music, and drama. Bharatanatyam is a major genre of classical dance that originated in the state. There are a lot of folk dance forms that are practised in the region, some of which trace their origins to the Sangam period (3rd century BCE). Koothu was a popular theater art from which combined dance with drama.

Theatre of India is one of the most ancient forms of theatre and it features a detailed textual, sculptural, and dramatic effects which emerged in mid first millennium BC. Like in the areas of music and dance, the Indian theatre is also defined by the dramatic performance based on the concept of Nritya, which is a Sanskrit word for drama but encompasses dramatic narrative, virtuosic dance, and music. Historically, Indian theatre has exerted influence beyond its borders, reaching ancient China and other countries in the Far East.

With the Islamic conquests that began in the 10th and 11th centuries, theatre was discouraged or forbidden entirely. Later, in an attempt to re-assert indigenous values and ideas, village theatre was encouraged across the subcontinent, developing in a large number of regional languages from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Modern Indian theatre developed during the period of colonial rule under the British Empire, from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th.

The Raslila (Sanskrit: रासलीला, romanized: Rāsalīlā), also rendered the Rasalila or the Ras dance, is part of a traditional story described in Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana and Gita Govinda, where Krishna dances with Radha and the gopis of Braj. Rasalila has also been a popular theme for other India classical dances including Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Manipuri Raas Leela, Kuchipudi, and Kathak.

The Indian classical dance of Kathak and Manipuri rasalila are evolved from the rasalila of Braj. Kathak, also known as Natwari Nritya, was revived in the 1960s by the Kathak dancer, Uma Sharma.

Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as classical or folk. 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.

Sangeet Natak Academy, the national academy for performing arts in India, recognizes eight traditional dances as Indian classical dances, while other sources and scholars recognize more. These have roots in the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra, and the religious performance arts of Hinduism.

The culture of North India encompasses North Indian classical music or Hindustani music, the Indian classical dance of kathak and other folk dances, traditional North Indian clothing, North Indian architecture and North Indian cuisine among other aspects.

Kathak is a form of Indian classical dance. The dance style in its formative phase was inseparably linked with Krishna legend. The word Kathak comes from the word katha which means "story".

The Gita Govinda (Sanskrit: गीतगोविन्दम्; IAST: gītagovindam) is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and gopis (female cow herders) of Vrindavan.

The Gita Govinda is organized into twelve chapters. Each chapter is further sub-divided into one or more divisions called prabandhas, totalling twenty-four in all. The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called ashtapadis. The text also elaborates the eight moods of Heroine, the Ashta Nayika, which has been an inspiration for many compositions and choreographic works in Indian classical dances. Every night in the Jagannatha temple, the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva is sung in the style of Odissi music, a tradition that has continued unbroken since the time of Jayadeva himself. Musicians of Kerala have adapted the ashtapadis into a musical form performed in temples called sopana sangeetham. Jayadeva's hymns are also included in the Guru Granth Sahib.