One of the most striking features of
Indian classical dance and
dances of Thailand,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist s ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and the
Malay world
The Malay world or Malay realm ( Indonesian/ Malay: or ; Jawi: ), is a concept or an expression that has been used by different authors and groups over time to denote several different notions, derived from varied interpretations of Malayne ...
and is the use of hand gestures. Speaking in dance via gestures in order to convey outer events or things visually is what
mudra
A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.
As wel ...
s do. To convey inner feelings, two classifications of
mudra
A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.
As wel ...
s (hand/finger gesture) are used in Indian classical dance, Thai dances, Cambodian dances, Lao dances, Burmese dances and Malay dances, and are indeed a prominent part of the dancer's vocabulary.
Background
The ''Abhinaya Darpa'' (a descriptive primer for dancers) mentions that the dancer should sing the song by the throat, express the meaning of the song through hand gestures, show the state of feelings in the song by eyes, and express the rhythm with his or her feet.
From the Natya Shastra, a text on the arts, this beautiful quotation and translation is often quoted by Indian classical dance instructors:
::"Yato hastastato drishtihi"..."Where the hand is, the eyes follow"
::"Yato drishtistato manaha"..."Where the eyes go, the mind follows"
::"Yato manastato bhavaha"..."Where the mind is, there is the feeling"
::"Yato bhavastato rasaha"..."Where there is feeling, there is mood/flavour, sweetness (i.e., appreciation of art; aesthetic bliss)"
So vast are the subtleties expressed in the hand gestures of hasta that the vastness of what being human entails, and perhaps even what the entire universe contains, might be expressed by the dancer.
Hence as 'hasta' form a distinct coded language which brings a unique poetic element while performing, so too when abhinaya (traditional facial expressions), pose (attitude), and rhythm complete the language, the dancer may express practically anything and everything to an attentive audience.
Gestures
In
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
, the Classical Dance of India performed by Lord
Nataraja
Nataraja () also known as Adalvallaan () is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is called Tandava.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2015) The pose and artwork are described in many Hindu texts such as the ''T ...
, approximately fifty-five root mudras (hand/finger gestures) are used to clearly communicate specific ideas, events, actions, or creatures in which thirty-two require only one hand, and are classified as `Asamyuktanamasa Hasta', along with twenty-three other primary mudras which require both hands and are classified as 'Samyukta Hasta'; these fifty-five are the roots but the branches permit of many more mudra, some of which are used primarily as aesthetic or decorative.
See also
*
List of gestures
*
List of Indian dances
*
Adavu
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
References
* Indianartz.com.
Hasta Mudras - Gallery''
* Ramm-Bonwitt, Ingrid (1987).
Mudras - As Maos Como Simbolo do Cosmos''
* https://boardgamestips.com/wow/how-many-mudras-are-there-in-bharatanatyam/#How_many_mudras_are_there_in_Bharatanatyam
{{DEFAULTSORT:List of mudras (dance)
*
Dance in India
Dance in Thailand
Dance in Cambodia
Dance in Malaysia
Dance in Brunei
Dance in Singapore
Dance in Indonesia
India dance-related lists