Traditional dances
A treasure trove of grace and beauty, India's eight classical dances - Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam - have over time become an emblem of the country. They derive from the four Vedas, the body of "revealed knowledge", the sacred texts on which Hinduism is based, and from the Natya shastra, a sacred compendium, somewhat regarded as the fifth Veda, in which drama, poetry, dance, song and music are codified.
One of India's best-known classical dances outside the country, since the celebrated English choreographer Akram Khan fused it with contemporary Western aesthetics, is Kathak. Originating in Uttar Pradesh, this dance is distinguished by its twirling movements punctuated by moments of immobility. Intense and highly rhythmic, the choreography demands excellent physical condition from the dancers.
The term Kathak derives from the Sanskrit word katha, meaning "story". And that's what this dance is all about: telling a story through hand and body movements and facial expression. It is this aspect that gives this dance its special status, since Kathak once had a social importance: by telling the story of Indian mythology, it was a vehicle for transmitting sacred texts to an illiterate public.
Although formally different, a dance with a similar purpose can be found inOdisha:Odissi. Also one of India's classical dances, this dramatic choreography also aims to tell a story (often extracted from Hindu texts) through the codes of Nritta (the art of body movement) and Nritya (the communication of emotions and narration through facial expressions and hand gestures). A dance with a marked rhythm (notably the artists' foot strikes), it also places great emphasis on expressiveness and symbolism through the use of mudras (codified and symbolic hand positions).
Sattriya is another major Indian classical dance from the vast state ofAssam. Once again using the body, gestures and facial expressions as the vehicle for its narrative, this beautiful dance relates the epics of the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyana, with themes often linked to Krishna. The accompanying musical compositions are called borgeets and consist of a series of lyrical songs set to specific ragas.
Assam is also home to the Bihu, an emblematic, joyous dance performed during the three Bihu festivals, a celebration of agriculture and the harvest.
Inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Heritage in 2010, Kalbelia song and dance is one of the mainstays of Rajasthani culture and the Kalbelia community. Kalbelias were once snake charmers, a fact that can be seen in the undulating movements of the choreography - making it one of the most sensual in the country - and in the use of the pungi for accompaniment, a wooden wind instrument traditionally used to capture snakes. As for the singing, it's a testament to the poetic nature of the group and their ability to improvise during performances.
An excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the traditions and folklore of Rajasthan is at the popular Pushkar Camel Fair. More than 200,000 people flock to the area at this time of year, and the event features many traditional performances: dances, music, puppets, funfair and circus..
Manipur may be a small state (22,000 km2), but it is rich in folk traditions. This is where the magnificent Manipuri is practiced, one of the eight forms of classical Indian dance. Exclusively for women, it represents the divine love between Krishna and Radha in an atmosphere of perfect harmony, with slow rhythms, gentle circular movements and peaceful undulations. Still practiced as a spiritual dance, it is performed mainly in front of temples during religious festivals.
Sankirtana is also performed in the same region. A danced and sung dramatization of Krishna's life and deeds, Sankirtana is usually performed by two drummers and a dozen singer-dancers, surrounded by seated devotees. The voices and rhythms accelerate to a crescendo, and the performance is intense, with the audience moved to tears.
Originally from Odisha, but widely practised in West Bengal, chhau is a semi-classical Indian dance, combining choreography and martial art. LikeOdissi, it is also inspired by episodes from the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyana, but stands out for its simulated combat movements and animal imitations. A national treasure inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Kuchipudi is a rare form of classical Indian dance that is sung (and incorporates dialogue), and is a jewel of theAndhra Pradesh region. Once practiced in temples, a performance always begins with prayers and offerings before the dancers combine fluid hand gestures(mudras) and masterful facial movements (almost acting) to dramatize a Hindu myth or legend. A devotional dance, it is used to bind the faithful to the deities through dance. Traditionally performed by men, Kuchipudi has become increasingly mixed over time.
In southern India, and more specifically in Tamil Nadu, Bhârata-natyam is the oldest form of classical Indian dance. Like Kuchipudi, it combines classical dance and martial arts, gracefully blending pure choreography with mime-like expression. Once performed only in temples, today it has left the sacred places to take over stages the world over, carried by a few legendary dancers and/or choreographers such as Raghunath Manet, Chandralekha (who initiated a renewal of the practice by combining it with yoga in particular) and Yamini Krishnamurthy, who has established herself as a dancer of both Bhârata-natyam and Kuchipudi.
Kerala is an inexhaustible well of traditional dances. In fact, two of the eight official classical forms can be found here alone. The first is the celebrated Kathakali. Originating in Kerala, this art form lies somewhere between dance and silent theater and features Hindu mythology, particularly the two epics Rāmāyana and Mahābhārata. But the great specificity of the discipline is its incredible make-up. Rich, codified and complex, they translate and indicate the personality and status of the characters. For example, where green indicates a virtuous person, red betrays evil or even diabolical behavior. An art to be appreciated on stage at the Kerala Kathakali Centre in Kochi.
The other classical dance of Kerala is Mohiniyattam, the "dance of the enchantress". And the fact is, it's so bewitching that it lives up to its name. Very similar to the aforementioned Bhârata-natyam, which it evokes through the breadth of its movements (but more sensual), it calls for numerous swayings of the torso and great expressivity of the face and gaze, as if to bewitch the spectator. Most of the time, the dancer wears the white and gold outfit typical of Kerala.
Kerala also boasts two major Indian dances which, although officially not considered "classical dances", are inscribed on Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: Kutiyattam and Mudiyettu. The former is one of India's oldest theatrical traditions (over 2,000 years old). Here again, eye expression and gestures play a vital role in conveying the characters' thoughts and feelings. A demanding art form, it requires lengthy training (ten to fifteen years!) to master all its subtleties. Traditionally performed in Kuttampalams, theaters located in Hindu temples with an orchestra of percussionists, it is now performed on all types of stages. Mudiyettu is a dance drama depicting the mythological story of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. A community ritual performed in temples, it generally sees the participation of an entire village, all castes included. In addition to the artistic aspect, this practice creates bonds within the community and remains an important vehicle for transmitting traditional values and moral codes to future generations.
Traditional music
India is not only a country of dance, but also of many musical traditions.
Among the best known, the Maharashtra region cultivates both Bhavageete, a form of sung poetry quite similar to Ghazals, and Lavani, a combination of song and dance performed to the rhythm of the dholak (a small drum played lying down), while in the Punjab, Bhangra, dance-oriented music marked by the energy of the dhol (a drum with a distinctive sound), is the pride of the region.
And let's not forget to mention a tradition present throughout the North, indeed the whole country: the Ramlila, a staging of the Rāmāyana epic in the form of tableaux combining song, narration, recitation and dialogue. It is performed during Dussehra, held every year in autumn. The Ramlila evokes the battle between Rāmā and Ravana, a symbol of the victory of good over evil in which the audience is invited to sing and take part in the narration. And like many Indian traditions, Ramlila is on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Mamallapuram Dance Festival is an excellent way to get a glimpse of these many traditions at the same time and in the same place. It's one of India's most important dance festivals, in an exceptional setting. Bhârata natyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi... in short, one of the finest dance festivals in the country. In the same vein, the Nishagandhi Dance & Music Festival is one of the best in the field, with a strong emphasis on classical dance. And let's not forget the Konark Dance & Music Festival, which since 1986 has featured performances by some of the country's finest artists, includingOdissi, Kathak, Bharata natyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam..
Classical music
Very different from the Western understanding of the term, classical music in India is divided into two families: that of the North, known as Hindustani music, and that of the South, known as Carnatic music. For a long time, the two were one and the same, and they still cultivate many similarities. For example, they both obey the melodic framework of the raga (a set of rules determining the atmosphere and emotional content of a piece of music), the rhythmic cycle of the tala, and employ many common instruments such as the sitar, the veena (a giant zither with a long neck and resonators at each end), the tabla (a one-sided drum) or the mridangam (a two-sided drum), the sarod (a lute, a distant cousin of the Afghan rabâb) or the sarangi (a bowed hurdy-gurdy).
But the two branches differ in many ways. In Hindustani music, the more fluid structure encourages improvisation, whereas Carnatic music, more methodical in essence, requires a stricter adherence to composition. The influences of North and South are also very different, and the secular impact of the Mughal courts and artists from Iran on Hindustani music, for example, can be guessed at.
Among the great stars of Hindustani music, one name is familiar to Western ears: Ravi Shankar (1920-2012). This sitar virtuoso, a great master of Indian music, has become a worldwide icon. His international reputation is due in no small part to his collaborations with violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Beatles guitarist George Harrison and pianist Philip Glass. All his albums are real jewels, and many of them deal beautifully with Hindustani music.
Among other artists to know and listen to, Ali Akbar Khan (1922-2009), virtuoso of the sarod, must be at the top of the list for having popularized this aesthetic; Abdul Rashid Khan, known as "Rasan Piya" was one of the great singers of Hindustani music (known for his khyal) and Hariprasad Chaurasia, remains as the great flutist of the genre.
The Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, founded in 1875, is the oldest Hindustani music festival in the world and is still held annually in Jallandhar.
The most illustrious names in Carnatic music are Purandara Dasa (1484-1564), considered the father of the genre, and Tyagaraja (1767-1847), a key player in the development of this aesthetic. In the 18th century, Shyama Shastri, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar formed the "trinity of Carnatic music", an exceptional trio of composers who opened a new era in the history of this music. In the course of the 20th century, a handful of artists brought the genre to its peak: the singular Manjapara Devesa Ramanathan, the great mridangam (drum) musician Palghat Mani Iyer, the skilful singer Madurai Mani Iyer and Aruna Sairam, the female voice par excellence.
Held every year from mid-November to mid-January (i.e. for nine weeks!), the Chennai Music Season is India's leading carnatic music festival.
Popular music
Filmi ", the term used to describe Bollywood songs, is one of India's most popular genres. A huge market, it dominates the Indian music industry, and many of its artists are stars. This applies not only to the artists who write the soundtracks - often great names in classical music, such as Ravi Shankar or Ali Akbar Khan - but also to the "playback singers". As you no doubt know, in Indian films, actors rarely, if ever, sing, and it's professional musicians who do the singing (in playback, that is). A profession in its own right, in which a few artists have excelled - and sometimes still excel - such as Geeta Dutt (1930-1972), considered one of the greatest playback singers of all time; Kattassery Joseph Yesudas, a giant widely regarded as the greatest Indian singer of all time (and the most prolific: he is said to have recorded over 50,000 songs!); Mohammed Rafi (1924-1980), highly influential, above all for his ability to adapt his voice to the personality and style of the on-screen actor; Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (1946-2020), also known and recognized as a presenter, actor, composer, dubbing artist, etc.; Kishore Kumar (1929-1980), the most influential Indian actor of all time; Kishore Kumar (1929-1987) a legend, capable of singing in several voices and more recently Shreya Ghoshal, one of India's most prolific singers or Alka Yagnik, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most watched artist in 2022 with 15.3 billion views on YouTube.
Contemporary music
The thousand-year history of Indian music doesn't stop there, of course, and many young artists continue to write it with their work. Not least in the field of electronic music. Electronic music has been making waves in India since the 1980s, with Charanjit Singh's album Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat, considered the precursor of acid house - and the first known attempt to combine Indian classical and electronic music. An excellent compilation released by Naya Beat Records traces the emergence of electronic music in the region in the 1980s and 1990s: Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992.
Today, young artists are keeping this heritage alive and forging a new electronic sound in India. Among them, the fabulous Arushi Jain creates elegant soundscapes playing Indian ragas on modular synthesizers, Sickflip mixes footwork with folk elements and, in the diaspora, San Francisco duo Baalti produce a warm house sound using samples from Bollywood and Lollywood soundtracks.
Of course, in a country the size of India, there's a vibrant rap scene. That said, the genre has been slow to take hold here. Until the 2000s, the timid Indian scene was largely an imitation of American hip-hop. Pioneers like Baba Sehgal at least had the merit of planting the first seed. It wasn't until the early 2000s that rap in India really became an original art form.
By then, it was tackling socially conscious issues such as poverty, police brutality, women's rights, corruption, etc., and artists were now rapping in their mother tongue: Hindi as well as Punjabi or Tamil. The first big hit, the real turning point in Indian rap, came in 2015 with the release of Mere Gully Mein, a call for revolution by Mumbai rappers Naezy and Divine. Now stars, Naezy and Divine's story has even been adapted for the big-budget film Gully Boy.
Now, the new generation is looking to innovate the genre, and a few names are starting to make waves locally, such as Rak, the Seedhe Maut duo who tackle social issues, long-time underground champion Prabh Deep, Manmeet Kaur, one of the first women to rap in the country, and the militant Ahmer.
Out of any category, let's also mention London-based percussionist Sarathy Korwar, much appreciated for his ability to make Indian music interact on an equal footing with many aesthetics, including jazz.
