Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Ancient India Dance Overview


Dance in India is at least 5000 year old. Dancing figures in paintings, statues and temple walls show evidence for the popularity of dance even in ancient times. The earliest evidence is a bronze statue of a dancing girl dating from the Indus Valley Civilization(see below). Throughout the centuries, Indian dance has been used as a means of worship, as well as the expression of emotions.  Temple dancers performed sacred dances to please the gods. The dancing Lord Shiva, or Nataraja, is the ultimate symbol of Indian dance.   Aspects of dance are based on the ancient stories and tales of India.


Dancing bronze girl - first evidence of dance in India

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by Bethany


1 comment:

  1. First of all, the entire website is so cool! It's pretty with the background, I love the relation between modern India and Ancient India. I knew dance was important, but I never realized how far back the history behind the dance went. It is amazing how many traditions have been kept alive for so long!

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