Overview
This chapter looks inside a dance movement and asks what it is made of. It begins with breath, which Indian thought calls prāṇa, the life force. You learn why a relaxed spine is the starting point of every movement, why the body opens and stretches best on an in-breath and folds or contracts on an out-breath, and how steady breathing lets you hold a pose for longer. The chapter then shows that every movement, however fast, begins in stillness and returns to stillness, and that dance is a play between the two. Next you meet the three great texts that name the parts of dance: the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharata Muni, the Saṅgīta Ratnākara of Śārṅgadeva and the Abhinaya Darpaṇam of Nandikeśvara. From them come the words sthāna (posture), chārī (a way of moving the feet and legs), gati (the walk or gait of a character) and maṇḍala (a combination of movements). You practise standing, sitting and reclining postures, turn everyday actions into stylised poses, explore earthly and aerial chārīs, and walk like a deer, a monkey or a tiger. Finally you join hands and feet into a karaṇa, the unit from which a full dance phrase is built, and create a short head-to-toe sequence of your own with your breath guiding it.
हिंदी में पढ़ें
नृत्य की एक गति किन चीज़ों से बनती है? यह अध्याय उसे खोलकर भीतर झाँकता है। इसकी शुरुआत श्वास या प्राण से होती है, जो रीढ़ को शिथिल करती है और शरीर को एक गति से दूसरी गति तक ले जाती है। यह दिखाता है कि हर गति स्थिरता से शुरू होकर स्थिरता पर ही समाप्त होती है। फिर यह प्राचीन भारतीय ग्रंथों — नाट्यशास्त्र, संगीत रत्नाकर और अभिनय दर्पणम् — तथा नृत्य के अंगों के लिए उनके शब्दों से परिचय कराता है: मुद्रा के लिए स्थान, पैरों की गति के लिए चारी, पात्र की चाल के लिए गति, और हाथ-पैर की एक साथ गति के लिए करण। समूह गतिविधियों के द्वारा आप रोज़मर्रा की मुद्राओं को शैलीबद्ध करेंगे, पशुओं की तरह चलेंगे और अपनी श्वास के मार्गदर्शन में अपना एक छोटा नृत्य-क्रम रचेंगे।
Learning Objectives
- Explain what prāṇa means and why breath is described as the fuel of dance.
- Practise inhaling on expanding movements and exhaling on contracting movements, and use breath to hold a static posture steadily.
- Describe how every movement starts and ends in a moment of stillness.
- Name the Nāṭyaśāstra, the Saṅgīta Ratnākara and the Abhinaya Darpaṇam, and state what each contributed to the study of dance.
- Identify the three kinds of sthāna and turn everyday actions into stylised dance postures.
- Distinguish bhaumi chārīs from ākāśikī chārīs and gati from chārī, with examples from regional dances.
- Define a karaṇa and create a short sequence that joins a posture, a leg movement, arm movements and hastas with breath awareness.
- Judge your own and your group's sequence for clarity of posture, control of movement and use of breath.
Topics in this chapter
9 topics · tap a topic title to jump straight to it.
Prāṇa: breath as the life force of dance
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
In yoga, the word prāṇa means the vital breath, the energy that keeps a living body alive. The controlled flow of breath in and out is called prāṇāyāma. Indian dance borrows this idea directly: a dancer's movement is said to run on prāṇa. When the breath is free and even, the body moves with ease; when the breath is held or jerky, the body becomes stiff and the movement looks forced.
Every dance movement starts from a state of balance, sometimes called equipoise. In practice this means a relaxed spine: the back is long, the shoulders are loose, and there is no tension in the neck or jaw. Breathing is what relaxes the spine. A few slow breaths before you begin let the muscles along your back soften, so that the body can then move with both agility (quickness) and stability (balance).
Breath also acts as a bridge between two movements. Watch a skilled Odissi or Bharatanatyam dancer: the end of one movement flows into the start of the next without a break, and that seam is carried by the breath. A beginner often stops, gasps and starts again, and the dance looks like separate pieces rather than one flowing line.
Finally, breath carries feeling. A sharp in-breath can show surprise; a long, heavy out-breath shows tiredness or disappointment; quick, shallow breathing shows fear. You will use this more in the chapter on dance for well-being, but the habit begins here: notice your breath every time you dance.
How to practise: sit or stand tall, close your eyes, and breathe in through the nose for a count of four and out for a count of four. Feel the spine lengthen on the in-breath and the shoulders drop on the out-breath. Do this for one minute before every class. It warms you up gently and calms nervousness before a performance.
Safety note: never hold your breath until you feel dizzy. If you feel light-headed, stop, sit down and breathe normally.
- Prāṇa = the vital breath or life force; prāṇāyāma = the regulated flow of breath in and out.
- Rule: every movement begins from a relaxed spine (equipoise).
- Safety rule: never hold the breath to the point of dizziness; stop and breathe normally if light-headed.
3Worked example
- A Kathak dancer takes two slow breaths in sama sthāna before beginning a fast sequence of spins, so the spine is relaxed and the balance is secure.
- In a Bharatanatyam class, students who breathe evenly can hold the half-sitting aramandi longer than students who hold their breath.
- On stage, a dancer playing a frightened character uses short, quick breaths, and the audience feels the fear before any gesture is made.
4Your turn
Why does a dancer begin with a relaxed spine?
5Remember this
Breathing in stillness and in motion
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
Once you know that breath fuels movement, the next step is to match the breath to the shape of the movement. The rule is simple and is shared with yoga āsanas:
- Inhale when the body expands — when the arms open wide, the chest lifts, the body bends back or stretches long, or a leg extends.
- Exhale when the body contracts — when you crouch, curl inwards, fold forward or draw the limbs close to the body.
Why does this work? Breathing in fills the lungs and naturally lifts the rib cage, so the body is already moving in the direction of expansion. Breathing out empties the lungs and lets the rib cage sink, which helps the body fold. When breath and movement agree, the movement looks larger and smoother; when they fight each other, it looks cramped.
Breath matters just as much in stillness. When you hold a static posture, such as a dancer's pose balanced on one foot, the temptation is to freeze and stop breathing. Instead, keep breathing gently and think of lengthening the spine upward on every breath. This keeps the body balanced and lets you hold the pose for longer without wobbling.
Many dance poses and yoga poses look alike. A dancer's one-legged balance resembles Vṛkṣāsana (tree pose); a deep side stretch resembles Trikoṇāsana. In both arts, the breath is what keeps the pose alive.
Group practice: in groups of four, hold a posture you learnt in earlier classes and watch how the spine rises and falls with the breath. Then create a movement that opens the body — arms flung wide, a long reaching step — and breathe in. Next, move into a contraction, such as crouching in fear, and breathe out. End in a calm still pose. After each group shows its pattern, discuss when breathing made the movement easier.
Judging your work: ask a partner to watch your shoulders and stomach. If they move with your breath and the movement looks unhurried, you are on the right track.
- Rule: inhale on expansion (stretching, opening, rising); exhale on contraction (folding, crouching, curling).
- Rule: in a static posture, keep breathing gently and lengthen the spine to hold balance longer.
3Worked example
- Opening the arms wide like wings: breathe in as they rise, breathe out as they fold back to the chest.
- Crouching low to show a character hiding: breathe out as the body curls down.
- Holding a one-legged balance like Vṛkṣāsana: keep a slow breath and lengthen the spine upwards to stay steady.
4Your turn
A dancer bends forward and curls into a small shape. What should the breath be doing?
5Remember this
Stillness and motion: the two elements of dance
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
Look closely at any dance and you will find two things alternating: moments of stillness, when the body holds a shape, and stretches of motion, when the body travels or changes shape. Dance is the combination of being static and being dynamic.
This is true even of something as ordinary as walking across a room. Before you leave the door there is a tiny pause; then you move; then you arrive at the window and pause again. We can write it as:
stillness → motion → motion → motion → stillness
A dance phrase follows the same pattern, only more deliberately. It begins in a clear pose, flows through movement, and ends in another clear pose. In Bharatanatyam an adavu often ends on a sharp final position; in Kathak a whirl of spins ends suddenly in a frozen pose, called a sam moment in the rhythm, and the audience applauds that stillness as much as the speed before it.
Why does stillness matter so much? First, it gives the eye something to hold. A movement that never pauses becomes a blur, while a clear pose at the end lets the audience see what the dancer meant. Second, stillness shows control: anyone can rush, but stopping exactly on the beat, without wobbling, needs strength and balance. Third, stillness gives the dancer a moment to breathe and prepare the next movement.
A useful way to think about it is that stillness is the punctuation of dance. A sentence without full stops is hard to read; a dance without still points is hard to watch.
How to practise: choose any short movement you know. Perform it three times: first rushing from start to end, then with a clear pause at the beginning and end, then with a held pause of three counts at the end. Ask a partner which version was clearest. Almost always it is the one with clean still points.
Self-check: at the end of a phrase, can you hold the final pose for three counts with steady breath and no extra movement of the hands or eyes? If yes, your stillness is under control.
- Pattern of a movement: stillness → motion → stillness.
- Dance = static (postures) + dynamic (movements).
3Worked example
- Walking from point A to point B: a pause at A, the walk, and a pause at B.
- A Kathak dancer finishes a series of rapid spins and freezes in a pose exactly on the first beat of the rhythm cycle.
- A Bharatanatyam adavu ends on a crisp final position before the next adavu begins.
4Your turn
Why do dancers end a fast sequence with a clear, held pose?
5Remember this
The great dance texts and their vocabulary
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
Indian dance has been written about for well over a thousand years. Three texts give us most of the words used in this chapter.
| Text | Author and period | Why it matters |
| Nāṭyaśāstra | Bharata Muni; an ancient text (your textbook dates it to the 5th century BCE; many scholars place its final form somewhat later) | The oldest and most authoritative treatise on drama, dance and music together; the first written record of all aspects of the performing arts. Added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2025. |
| Saṅgīta Ratnākara (ocean of saṅgīta) | Śārṅgadeva, around the 12th–13th century CE | Treats saṅgīta as vocal music, instrumental music and dance together; one of the first texts with a separate chapter on dance. |
| Abhinaya Darpaṇam (mirror of gestures) | Nandikeśvara | The first book entirely devoted to dance; still used by many classical styles, especially for hastas. |
Each text names the parts of dance in its own way. The Nāṭyaśāstra calls postures sthāna and ways of moving chārī, gati and maṇḍala. The Abhinaya Darpaṇam uses sthānaka and maṇḍala for postures and chārī and gati for movement. The Saṅgīta Ratnākara follows the Nāṭyaśāstra's uniform, codified style, which it calls mārgī, and also records regional variations, which it calls deśī.
The idea of mārgī and deśī is useful even today. Mārgī means the shared classical grammar that dancers across India recognise; deśī means the local flavour of a region. Your own state's folk dances are a living deśī tradition, while the codified technique of a classical form follows mārgī principles.
You do not need to memorise every term at once. What matters is understanding that these words describe things your body already does: standing in a pose, moving the feet, walking in a character's way, and combining these into patterns.
How to study: make a three-column card with the headings Text, Author, Key words. Revise it by explaining each word aloud while showing it with your body — for example, say 'sthāna' and strike a pose.
- Nāṭyaśāstra terms: sthāna (posture); chārī, gati, maṇḍala (ways of moving).
- Abhinaya Darpaṇam terms: sthānaka and maṇḍala (postures); chārī and gati (ways of moving).
- Mārgī = codified, uniform classical style; deśī = regional variation.
3Worked example
- Sthāna (posture) — standing still in a clear, balanced pose.
- Mārgī — the codified classical technique shared across a style; deśī — a regional variation such as a local folk step.
- The Abhinaya Darpaṇam is still the main reference for hastas in Bharatanatyam classes.
4Your turn
Which text records both the uniform classical style (mārgī) and regional variations (deśī)?
5Remember this
Sthāna: standing, sitting and reclining postures
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
According to the Nāṭyaśāstra, sthānas (postures) are of three types:
- Standing postures — the most used in dance, from feet together and upright to deep, wide, bent-knee stances.
- Sitting postures — on the floor or on a raised seat, used to show a king on a throne, a person in prayer or someone resting.
- Reclining postures — lying or half-lying, used to show sleep, illness, grief or a god resting, such as Vishnu on the serpent.
Every classical style has its own basic standing posture, and you will meet these in the next chapter: the half-sitting aramandi of Bharatanatyam, the upright sama sthāna of Kathak, the square chauka of Odissi. Folk forms have characteristic stances too, such as the Kud dance of Jammu, Perini Natyam of Andhra Pradesh and the Naurata dance of Madhya Pradesh.
Many dance forms also have distinct postures for male and female characters. In Sattriya of Assam, the stance used for vigorous, masculine roles is called purusha pāk and the stance for gentle, feminine roles is called prakriti pāk. A dancer of any gender learns both, because a solo dancer must play every character in a story.
Postures connect dance to other arts. The famous Chola bronze sculptures of South India, and the carved dancers on temple walls at places such as Konark and Khajuraho, freeze dance postures in metal and stone. Dancers have studied these sculptures to recover poses, and sculptors drew on dancers for their models.
How to hold a good posture: distribute your weight evenly, keep the spine long, lift the chest a little, relax the shoulders, and set the gaze clearly in one direction. In a bent-knee posture, the knees should point in the same direction as the toes — never twist the knee inwards, which strains the joint.
Self-check: look in a mirror or ask a partner to photograph you. Are both sides balanced? Is the gaze steady? Could someone draw your posture from the photo?
- Sthāna types (Nāṭyaśāstra): standing, sitting, reclining.
- Safety rule: in a bent-knee posture, the knees must point the same way as the toes.
3Worked example
- Standing: Kathak's upright sama sthāna with feet together.
- Sitting: a dancer sits on one heel with the other knee raised to show a sage in meditation.
- Reclining: a dancer half-lies on one elbow to show Vishnu resting on Ananta the serpent.
- Sattriya's purusha pāk and prakriti pāk as male and female stances.
4Your turn
In Sattriya, what is prakriti pāk?
5Remember this
Stylising everyday postures
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
Dance postures are not invented out of nothing. Many of them are stylised versions of the way people stand and sit in daily life. To stylise means to take an ordinary action and make it clearer, more balanced and more beautiful, so that it can be read from a distance and repeated exactly.
Watch people around you. Someone looking up at a flying bird tilts the head back, shades the eyes with a hand and shifts weight to one foot. Someone drinking water from a pot tips the head and lifts the elbow. Friends chatting lean towards each other. A student reading bends the neck and curves the back. Each of these is a natural posture with its own line.
To turn such a posture into a dance posture, follow three steps:
- Observe — note where the weight is, which way the head turns, and what the hands do.
- Simplify — remove small, accidental movements and keep only the shape that tells the action.
- Exaggerate and balance — make the line a little bigger, straighten the spine, place the feet in a dance stance and fix the gaze.
You can also explore postures that feel masculine, feminine or both. Strong, wide, grounded stances are often used for heroic or masculine roles; curved, light, narrow stances for gentle or feminine ones. But these are conventions of a style, not rules about who may dance them. Good dancers of every gender can do both.
A fun extension is to study characters: an elderly person leaning on a stick, a superhero with chest out and fists on the hips, a builder lifting bricks, a traffic police officer with a raised palm, a batsman waiting for the ball. Strike each as a frozen photograph — a single moment that would make a memorable picture.
Judging your posture: show it to a classmate without telling them what it is. If they can name the action or character within a few seconds, your stylisation is clear. If they cannot, simplify further or make the key line bigger.
- Stylising steps: observe → simplify → exaggerate and balance.
3Worked example
- Watching a bird: head tilted back, one hand shading the eyes, weight on one foot — stylised with a straight spine and fixed upward gaze.
- A traffic police officer: one palm raised firmly, the other arm extended to the side, feet planted wide.
- An elderly person: back slightly bent, one hand on an imaginary stick, knees soft.
4Your turn
What does it mean to stylise a posture?
5Remember this
Chārī: moving the feet and legs
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
Motion in dance means moving from one place to another using different levels (high, middle, low), speeds, extensions of the limbs, leaps and turns. How a dancer moves depends on the mood of the character, the pattern of the choreography (circular, straight lines, diagonals) and the action being shown.
The Nāṭyaśāstra calls movements of the feet and legs chārīs and divides them into two kinds:
- Bhaumi chārīs — earthly movements in which the feet stay on the ground, such as sliding, dragging or stamping.
- Ākāśikī chārīs — aerial movements in which the feet leave the ground, such as jumps, hops and leaps.
A combination of chārīs makes a maṇḍala. Think of chārīs as single words and a maṇḍala as a short sentence built from them.
The Abhinaya Darpaṇam explains that the word chārī comes from chāra, to move, and means a way of displacing yourself. Among its examples are:
| Chārī | Meaning |
| Chalana | simple walking steps |
| Veginī | quick steps |
| Saraṇam | wide steps |
| Kuṭṭanam | thumping steps |
You can see chārīs in regional dances. In Kathakali of Kerala, dancers use strong thumping steps on the outer edges of the feet. The Tippani dance of Gujarat began with women pounding floors with long sticks; they move in circles and lines with small jumps, and the whole group, the sticks and the song all speed up together, starting slowly and ending fast.
How to practise: first explore earthly ways of moving — drag your feet as if through deep sand, slide sideways, stamp in rhythm. Then try aerial ways — a small hop, a jump with both feet, a leap from one foot to the other.
Safety: warm up the ankles and calves first. Land every jump softly through the toes, ball of the foot and then the heel, with knees bent. Never jump on a slippery floor or in socks.
- Bhaumi chārī = earthly movement, feet stay on the ground; ākāśikī chārī = aerial movement, feet leave the ground.
- Several chārīs combined = a maṇḍala.
- Abhinaya Darpaṇam chārīs: chalana (walking), veginī (quick), saraṇam (wide), kuṭṭanam (thumping).
- Safety rule: land jumps softly, toes first, knees bent, on a dry non-slip floor.
3Worked example
- Bhaumi chārī: sliding the feet sideways along the floor without lifting them.
- Ākāśikī chārī: a leap from one foot to the other across the stage.
- Kathakali's thumping steps on the outer edge of the foot.
- Tippani of Gujarat: small jumps in circles while the rhythm gradually speeds up.
4Your turn
A dancer leaps so that both feet are off the ground. What kind of chārī is this?
5Remember this
Gati: walking like characters and animals
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
In the Nāṭyaśāstra, gati means the walks and movements suited to the different characters of a play. A king walks slowly and grandly, a soldier marches, a child toddles, an old person shuffles, a thief creeps. Simply by watching how a character walks, the audience knows who it is.
The Abhinaya Darpaṇam describes gati as a characteristic gait, often like that of an animal. The dancer takes on the way the animal moves. This can be used to show the animal itself, or to show a human with that animal's quality — a brave hero who moves like a lion, a shy heroine who moves like a deer.
Some examples of animal gaits:
- Deer — quick, light, high-leaping movements.
- Monkey — strong steps and sudden jumps.
- Tiger — powerful, heavy, weighted steps.
- Garuḍa (the eagle-like bird) — light, airy jumps.
The difference between chārī and gati is worth remembering. A chārī is a technical way of moving the feet and legs; a gati is a whole manner of walking that expresses a character. A gati is usually built out of several chārīs plus the right posture, arms and expression.
The Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand is rich in gatis inspired by animals and birds: lion, peacock, duck, deer, bear, goat, crocodile and more. The dancers wear masks, so the walk and body must carry the whole character.
How to build a gati: watch the animal (in life or on video). Ask three questions — How fast? How heavy? How high? Then decide the posture of the spine, the position of the arms and the rhythm of the feet. Practise to a steady beat so the walk becomes repeatable.
Group scene: split into two groups. One group plays human characters — a king, a queen, a hunter, soldiers, villagers. The other plays animals — a lion, an elephant, a deer, a peacock, a snake. Think about the speed and the emotion of each character, then create a short scene in which humans and animals meet, and perform it.
Self-check: if the class can name your character from your walk alone, your gati works.
- Gati = the characteristic walk of a character or animal.
- Chārī = a technical movement of the feet and legs; a gati is built from chārīs plus posture, arms and expression.
- Three questions for a gati: How fast? How heavy? How high?
3Worked example
- Deer gati: quick, springing steps on the toes with the head alert and turning.
- Tiger gati: low, heavy steps, shoulders rolling, each foot placed with weight.
- Seraikella Chhau peacock dance: light steps and spreading arms to show the tail.
- A king's gati: slow, upright walk with a lifted chest and steady gaze.
4Your turn
Which of the following is the best description of gati?
5Remember this
Karaṇa: joining hands and feet into a dance phrase
1Think first
2The idea, in plain words
A complete dance phrase is built by combining postures and movements of the legs with movements of the arms and hand gestures (hastas). The Nāṭyaśāstra gives this coordination a name. A line in its fourth chapter says:
hasta-pāda-samāyogo nṛttasya karaṇaṁ bhavet
That is, the combined movement of hands and feet in dance is called a karaṇa. The text describes 108 karaṇas, and many of them are carved on the walls of temples in Tamil Nadu, such as at Chidambaram and Thanjavur.
You have certainly seen one karaṇa: the bronze image of Naṭarāja, dancing Shiva, shows a moment of the bhujaṅgatrāsita karaṇa (number 24 in the Nāṭyaśāstra's list). The name means 'startled by a snake' — one leg is lifted and swung across the body as if jumping away from a serpent, while the arms balance the movement.
A Sanskrit verse from the Saṅgīta Dāmodara, a later text on music and dance, reminds us that technique alone is not enough:
kāvyaṁ na bhāvena vinā, na bhāvena vinā rasaḥ |
na bhāvena vinā nṛtyaṁ, na bhāvena vinā jagat ||
In plain words: without feeling there is no poetry and no rasa; without feeling there is no dance — indeed, nothing in the world.
Building your own head-to-toe sequence:
- Begin with one clear sthāna.
- Add one movement of the lower limbs — a chārī or a gati.
- Add arm movements and hastas that match the idea.
- Optionally use the head, neck, eyes, sides or hips, as learnt in earlier classes.
- End by returning to stillness.
Throughout, let the breath lead: inhale as the body rises or expands, exhale as it lowers or releases, and let the breath settle in stillness.
Judging the sequence: Is the starting pose clear? Do hands and feet arrive together on the beat? Does the breath match the movement? Does the final stillness hold for three counts? Does the whole sequence express a feeling?
- Karaṇa = coordinated movement of hands and feet (hasta-pāda-samāyoga); the Nāṭyaśāstra lists 108.
- Phrase recipe: sthāna → chārī or gati → arms and hastas → stillness, guided by breath.
3Worked example
- Naṭarāja bronze: a moment of the bhujaṅgatrāsita karaṇa, one leg swung across the body.
- A student sequence: stand in sama sthāna, take three gliding chārīs, open the arms in a wide arc ending in alapadma hasta, and freeze.
- Temple walls at Chidambaram show sculptured panels of the 108 karaṇas.
4Your turn
What is a karaṇa according to the Nāṭyaśāstra?
5Remember this
Key Concepts
- Prāṇa
- The vital breath or life force that, in Indian thought, fuels the body and its movement.
- Prāṇāyāma
- The regulated flow of breath during inhalation and exhalation.
- Equipoise
- The balanced starting state of a dancer, with a relaxed, long spine.
- Stillness and motion
- The static and dynamic elements whose alternation makes up all dance.
- Nāṭyaśāstra
- Bharata Muni's ancient treatise on drama, dance and music, the oldest authority on the performing arts.
- Saṅgīta Ratnākara
- Śārṅgadeva's text on music and dance that records both mārgī and deśī styles.
- Abhinaya Darpaṇam
- Nandikeśvara's 'mirror of gestures', the first book devoted entirely to dance.
- Mārgī
- The uniform, codified classical style of performance.
- Deśī
- A regional variation of dance or music.
- Sthāna
- A posture, which may be standing, sitting or reclining.
- Purusha pāk and prakriti pāk
- The male and female basic stances of Sattriya dance.
- Chārī
- A way of moving the feet and legs to shift the body.
- Bhaumi chārī
- An earthly movement in which the feet stay on the ground.
- Ākāśikī chārī
- An aerial movement in which the feet leave the ground.
- Maṇḍala
- A combination of several chārīs into a movement pattern.
- Gati
- The characteristic walk of a character or animal.
- Karaṇa
- The coordinated movement of hands and feet in dance, of which the Nāṭyaśāstra lists 108.
- Stylisation
- Shaping an everyday action into a clear, balanced, repeatable dance form.
End-of-Chapter Trial Paper & Test Questions
Topic-wise questions to test your understanding of every concept in this chapter.
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Which breathing pattern suits an expanding movement such as opening the arms wide? (a) Holding the breath (b) Breathing out (c) Breathing in (d) Panting quickly / फैलाव वाली गति, जैसे बाँहें चौड़ी खोलना, के लिए कौन-सा श्वास-क्रम उपयुक्त है? (a) साँस रोकना (b) साँस छोड़ना (c) साँस लेना (d) तेज़-तेज़ हाँफना
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(c) Breathing in — inhaling lifts the rib cage and helps the body expand and stretch. / (c) साँस लेना — साँस भरने से पसलियाँ ऊपर उठती हैं और शरीर को फैलने व खिंचने में सहायता मिलती है।
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Who wrote the Abhinaya Darpaṇam? (a) Bharata Muni (b) Nandikeśvara (c) Śārṅgadeva (d) Jayadeva / अभिनय दर्पणम् की रचना किसने की? (a) भरत मुनि (b) नंदिकेश्वर (c) शार्ङ्गदेव (d) जयदेव
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(b) Nandikeśvara — his Abhinaya Darpaṇam is the first book devoted entirely to dance. / (b) नंदिकेश्वर — उनका अभिनय दर्पणम् पूरी तरह नृत्य को समर्पित पहला ग्रंथ है।
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In which type of chārī do the feet leave the ground? (a) Bhaumi (b) Ākāśikī (c) Chalana (d) Sthānaka / किस प्रकार की चारी में पैर ज़मीन छोड़ देते हैं? (a) भौमी (b) आकाशिकी (c) चलन (d) स्थानक
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(b) Ākāśikī — aerial chārīs such as jumps and leaps lift the feet off the ground. / (b) आकाशिकी — कूद और छलाँग जैसी आकाशीय चारियों में पैर ज़मीन से ऊपर उठते हैं।
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The Naṭarāja bronze shows a moment from which karaṇa? (a) Bhujaṅgatrāsita (b) Kuṭṭanam (c) Saraṇam (d) Veginī / नटराज की कांस्य प्रतिमा किस करण का एक क्षण दिखाती है? (a) भुजंगत्रासित (b) कुट्टनम् (c) सरणम् (d) वेगिनी
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(a) Bhujaṅgatrāsita — karaṇa number 24 of the Nāṭyaśāstra, where the leg swings across the body as if startled by a snake; the other options are chārīs. / (a) भुजंगत्रासित — नाट्यशास्त्र का 24वाँ करण, जिसमें पैर मानो साँप से डरकर शरीर के आर-पार घूमता है; बाकी विकल्प चारियाँ हैं।
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According to the Nāṭyaśāstra, sthānas are of how many types? (a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) 108 / नाट्यशास्त्र के अनुसार स्थान कितने प्रकार के होते हैं? (a) दो (b) तीन (c) चार (d) 108
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(b) Three — standing, sitting and reclining; 108 is the number of karaṇas. / (b) तीन — खड़े, बैठे और लेटे हुए; 108 करणों की संख्या है।
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In the Saṅgīta Ratnākara, what does deśī refer to? (a) The codified classical style (b) Regional variations (c) A thumping step (d) A reclining posture / संगीत रत्नाकर में 'देशी' का क्या अर्थ है? (a) संहिताबद्ध शास्त्रीय शैली (b) क्षेत्रीय रूपांतर (c) थपथपाता हुआ कदम (d) लेटी हुई मुद्रा
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(b) Regional variations — deśī is the local form, while mārgī is the uniform classical style. / (b) क्षेत्रीय रूपांतर — देशी स्थानीय रूप है, जबकि मार्गी एकरूप शास्त्रीय शैली है।
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Explain the role of breath in dance, both in movement and in holding a posture. / नृत्य में श्वास की भूमिका को गति और मुद्रा थामने, दोनों संदर्भों में समझाइए।
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Breath, called prāṇa, is the life force that fuels dance. Slow breathing relaxes the spine so the body can move with agility and stability. In movement, the body stretches and expands best on an inhale and contracts or folds on an exhale, and the breath links one movement smoothly to the next. In a static posture, continuing to breathe gently and lengthening the spine helps the dancer stay balanced and hold the pose longer. Breath also expresses feeling, for example quick shallow breaths for fear or a heavy sigh for disappointment. / श्वास, जिसे प्राण कहते हैं, वह जीवन-शक्ति है जो नृत्य को ऊर्जा देती है। धीमी साँस रीढ़ को शिथिल करती है जिससे शरीर फुर्ती और स्थिरता के साथ चल सके। गति में शरीर साँस लेते समय सबसे अच्छा फैलता और खिंचता है तथा साँस छोड़ते समय सिकुड़ता या मुड़ता है, और श्वास एक गति को अगली गति से सहज रूप में जोड़ती है। स्थिर मुद्रा में धीरे-धीरे साँस लेते रहने और रीढ़ को लंबा रखने से नर्तक संतुलित रहता है और मुद्रा को देर तक थाम पाता है। श्वास भाव भी व्यक्त करती है, जैसे डर के लिए तेज़ उथली साँसें या निराशा के लिए भारी आह।
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Differentiate between chārī and gati with two examples of each. / चारी और गति में अंतर दो-दो उदाहरणों सहित स्पष्ट कीजिए।
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A chārī is a technical way of moving the feet and legs to shift the body. It may be bhaumi, with the feet on the ground, or ākāśikī, with the feet leaving the ground. Examples are chalana (simple walking steps) and kuṭṭanam (thumping steps), or Kathakali's thumping footwork. A gati is the characteristic walk of a character or animal that tells the audience who is moving. Examples are the quick, high-leaping deer gati and the powerful, weighted tiger gati, or the animal walks of Seraikella Chhau. A gati is usually built from several chārīs together with posture, arms and expression. / चारी पैरों और टाँगों को चलाकर शरीर को स्थानांतरित करने का एक तकनीकी तरीका है। यह भौमी (पैर ज़मीन पर) या आकाशिकी (पैर ज़मीन छोड़ते हुए) हो सकती है। उदाहरण हैं चलन (साधारण चलने के कदम) और कुट्टनम् (थपथपाते कदम), या कथकली का ज़ोरदार पदकर्म। गति किसी पात्र या पशु की विशिष्ट चाल है जो दर्शकों को बताती है कि कौन चल रहा है। उदाहरण हैं हिरण की तेज़, ऊँची छलाँग वाली गति और बाघ की शक्तिशाली, भारी गति, या सरायकेला छऊ की पशु-चालें। गति प्रायः कई चारियों को मुद्रा, बाँहों और भाव के साथ मिलाकर बनती है।
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Name the three main dance texts studied in this chapter and state one contribution of each. / इस अध्याय में पढ़े गए तीन मुख्य नृत्य-ग्रंथों के नाम लिखिए और प्रत्येक का एक योगदान बताइए।
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The Nāṭyaśāstra by Bharata Muni is the oldest and most authoritative treatise on drama, dance and music; it names postures sthāna and movements chārī, gati and maṇḍala, describes 108 karaṇas, and was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2025. The Saṅgīta Ratnākara by Śārṅgadeva treats vocal music, instrumental music and dance together, has an independent chapter on dance, and records both the uniform mārgī style and regional deśī variations. The Abhinaya Darpaṇam by Nandikeśvara is the first book exclusively on dance and remains the main reference for hastas in many classical styles. / भरत मुनि का नाट्यशास्त्र नाट्य, नृत्य और संगीत पर सबसे प्राचीन और प्रामाणिक ग्रंथ है; यह मुद्राओं को स्थान और गतियों को चारी, गति और मंडल कहता है, 108 करणों का वर्णन करता है, और 2025 में यूनेस्को के 'मेमोरी ऑफ़ द वर्ल्ड' रजिस्टर में शामिल हुआ। शार्ङ्गदेव का संगीत रत्नाकर गायन, वादन और नृत्य को साथ रखता है, उसमें नृत्य पर स्वतंत्र अध्याय है, और यह एकरूप मार्गी शैली तथा क्षेत्रीय देशी रूपांतर दोनों दर्ज करता है। नंदिकेश्वर का अभिनय दर्पणम् केवल नृत्य पर पहला ग्रंथ है और आज भी कई शास्त्रीय शैलियों में हस्तों का मुख्य संदर्भ है।
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Describe the steps you would follow to create a short head-to-toe dance sequence, and how you would judge it. / एक छोटा 'सिर से पाँव तक' नृत्य-क्रम बनाने के चरण लिखिए और बताइए कि आप उसका मूल्यांकन कैसे करेंगे।
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Start in one clear sthāna (posture) with a relaxed breath. Add a movement of the lower limbs, either a chārī such as walking or thumping steps, or a gati such as a deer's walk. Add arm movements and hastas that match the idea, and if you wish, movements of the head, neck, eyes or hips. Let the breath guide the sequence, inhaling as the body rises or expands and exhaling as it lowers or releases. End by returning to stillness. To judge it, check that the opening pose is clear, the hands and feet arrive together on the beat, the breath matches the movement, the final pose is held steadily for a few counts, and the whole sequence expresses a feeling. / एक स्पष्ट स्थान (मुद्रा) में शिथिल साँस के साथ आरंभ करें। निचले अंगों की एक गति जोड़ें — चलने या थपथपाने के कदम जैसी कोई चारी, या हिरण की चाल जैसी कोई गति। विचार के अनुरूप बाँहों की गतियाँ और हस्त जोड़ें, और चाहें तो सिर, गर्दन, आँखों या कूल्हों की गतियाँ भी। श्वास को क्रम का मार्गदर्शन करने दें — शरीर उठते या फैलते समय साँस लें और नीचे आते या ढीला होते समय साँस छोड़ें। अंत में स्थिरता में लौटें। मूल्यांकन के लिए देखें कि आरंभिक मुद्रा स्पष्ट हो, हाथ-पैर ताल पर साथ पहुँचें, श्वास गति से मेल खाए, अंतिम मुद्रा कुछ गिनतियों तक स्थिर रहे, और पूरा क्रम कोई भाव व्यक्त करे।