Gaudiya Nritya
Bengali classical dance tradition
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Gaudiya Nritya (Bengali: Gaur̤īẏa Nṛtya or Gour̤īyo Nrityo) is a classical dance form of Bengal.[2][3][4][5] This dance expressed religious stories[6] through songs written[7] and composed to the ragas and talas[8] of Gaudiya music by ancient poets, especially Vaishnavism.[9] Gaudiya Nritya performances have also expressed ideas of other traditions related to the Hindu deities Shiva[9] and Ganesha, as well as Shakta concepts.[10] It was reconstructed by Mahua Mukherjee in the 1980s and a research scholarship has since been awarded for it by the Indian Ministry of Culture.
Performance of Gaudiya Nritya by Mahua Mukherjee | |
| Genre | Indian classical dance |
|---|---|
| Instrument(s) | Anaddha, Ghana, Susir and Tata[1] |
| Origin | Bengal |
Etymology
On 21 September 1994, The name Gaudiya Nritya was adopted on the advice of Indologist Bratindra Nath Mukhopadhyay.[11] Reasons for this designation include: in ancient times – the reign of Shashanka and the Pala and Sena eras – the whole of Bengal was referred to as Gauda and the presence of the Gaudiya style in Indian music and literature. Also, in the seventeenth century, Sangeet Shastrakar Maheswara Mohapatra of Odisha mentions seven types of dance styles in his Sanskrit treatise Abhinaya Chandrika including Gaudiya dance.[12]
History
The theoretical foundations of Gaurika dance can be found in the ancient Sanskrit text Natyashastra;[13] Its existence in ancient times is attested by dance poses in sculptures of the Gaudiya style temple and archaeological sites associated with Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism and it is mentioned by ancient poets of Bengal.[14] After India's independence from colonial rule, it underwent revival, reconstruction and expansion in the 1980s.
It has been reconstructed by Mahua Mukherjee, a Bengali researcher and dancer.[15][16] A research scholarship was awarded by the Ministry of Culture for this dance-based research,[17][18] which is mainly offered to recognize Indian classical dances. Rabindra Bharati University and University of Oklahoma have recognized it as a classical dance form.[19][20][21][22]
Music and instruments
Like other classical dances of India, the development of Gaudiya Nritya is also based on religion and centered on deities. Therefore, naturally, its songs are also religious. Various types of prabhanda geets (essay songs), such as kirtan, bhavsangeet, etc., are associated with Gaudiya Nritya.[23] The prabhanda geet has 6 angas to , and 5 jatis based on the number of angas. The angas are swara, biruda, pada, tenak, jat and tala.[24] Kirtan is the mainstay of Gaudiya Nritya. According to Swami Pragyanananda, all six angas of the prabhanda geet are present in kirtan, and it is a Medini type of prabhanda geet. Kirtan song is a form of advanced prabhanda geet.[23]
In Gaudiya Nritya, tala (In Carnatic music, it is referred to as Aksharakal and in Hindustani music, it is referred to as Matara) is measured by the varnakal. Varnakals have different talas in specific numbering, in Gaudiya Nritya there are different talas starting from four varnakals to sixty-eight varnakals. In Gaudiya Nritya, the main tala is adital or rastala, which consists of four-varnakal.[25]
The main instruments in Gaudiya Nritya are the Pakhavaj and the Shrikhol. In addition, other instruments are used at special times, in special roles, to create atmosphere and rasas.[26]
