Basanta Utsav of Shantiniketan

Basanta Utsav. This is a World famous festival of Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan to enjoy the season Spring. It is the festival of colors, music, dance and overall entertainment with the feeling of togetherness.

Indian Classical Dance

Natya Shastra was a very popular form of performing art in ancient India. The Classical dance of modern India also came from this art. The term “Classical” whose Sanskrit synonym is “Shastriya” was bring in by “Sangeet Natak Akademi” to describe this Natya Shastra based art style. The most important characteristics of Indian Classical Dance is the use of “mudra” or the hand gestures as a short hand sign language to narrate the story and also to show certain objects, nature, emotions etc. Many classical dances include facial expressions as an integral part of the dance form.

According to Sangeet Natak Akademi there are eight form of Indian Classical Dance:

1. Bharatanatyam - Tamil Classical Dance
2. Odissi - Oriya Classical dance
3. Kuchipudi - Telugu Classical dance
4. Manipuri - Manipuri Classical Dance
5. Mohiniaattam - Malayali Classical Dance
6. Sattriya - Assamese Classical Dance
7. Kathakali - Malayali Classical Dance
8. Kathak - Hindi Classical Dance

Other dances yet to be awarded as Classical Dances, whose theories can also be traced back to the Natya Shastra are-

1. Gaudiya Nritya - Bengali Art Dance
2. Andhra Natyam - Telugu Art Dance
3. Vilasini Nrityam/Natyam - Telugu Art Dance

The Women Who Changed American Modern Dancing

Since late 1920's, three women had changed the space of American dance: Helen Tamiris, Martha Graham, and Doris Humphrey.

Tamiris rise up as a renounced ballet dancer. She was a political mutineer, as well. As a child, Helen studied "Interpretative Dancing" with Irene Lewisohn and Blanche Talmud, and at fifteen she joined the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

Helen was a candid young woman with a obstinate streak. Her openness prevented her higher education. After she made a street-corner speech opposing America's entry into World War I, her shocked principal told her that, as punishment, her diploma would be withheld from her. Her stubbornness was reflected in her dissatisfaction with both ballet and Interpretative Dancing.