Indian dance is more of a combination of music, art and drama and so the classical dances of India usually follow most of the techniques and guidelines laid down for theatre. Dances are typically in the dance-drama form, where the dancer is conveying a story to the audience with the help of dance symbols. Indian dances differ significantly from Western Dance forms.

Western dancers are concerned more with space, and their dance movements involve moving around in space. They can be characterised by great leaps into the air, or the rapid movement from one place to another. Western dancers create movement by reaching into space and carving out intricate movements in the air, and the central aim is to make movement appear free from gravity.

Indian dancers, on the other hand, have a very different concept. They do not concern themselves with spaces but with time. The central aim of Indian dance is to make a pose so perfect that it appears timeless. Therefore, the movements take place in time and must be perfectly synchronized with the rhythm, in order to create a series of perfect poses. A perfect pose should capture time for a moment, and in a limited space. As a result most Indian dances, except for certain movements in Kathakhali, do not feature any major leaps or other sudden changes in space.

Indian dance does not concern itself with the layout of the muscles in the human body and instead focuses on the joints and the bone structure. Indian dancers are always trying to achieve the perfect pose. They can only do this by clearly understanding bone and joint structure of their body.

The basic theory of Indian dance assumes the body to be a mass which is equally divisible along a central median. When weight is perfectly balanced the samabhanga position emerges. When there is a slight imbalance the abhanga position is achieved and when there are two deviations on opposite sides then a thrice deflected position appears known as the tribhanga.

According to the Natyasastra there are two broad classifications for the different parts of the body, they are the major and minor limbs (the angas and the upangas ). The angas are the head, hands, chest, waist, hips and feet. The upangas are the eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin and mouth. Indian dance movements are divided into several units of movement, depending on which parts of the body are used, and combinations of certain events also have certain names. Movement with one foot is known as a chari and movement with both feet is known as a karana . A karana is also used to refer to a unit of movement which combines both hands and feet.

There are a few other terminologies. For instance, when contact with the ground is maximum it is known as bhaumi and when there is any effort to release from gravity it is known as akasiki. A circular movement is called a rechika , turns are known as bhramiris, jumps or elevations are known as utplavanas. These are just a few of the terms used in dance, and each of the classical dances have their own set of such terms.

An integral part of Indian classical dances is drama and dancers are expected to convey stories to the audience using their dance movements. Speech is replaced by music and movement, and it is set against a particular rhythmic cycle. A dancer has to assume different roles without the opportunity to change costume and hence must be able to display the different characters distinctly. There is an entire language made up from various signs and almost anything can be conveyed.

As Nandikesvara, the author of the Abhinaya Darapana said "Where the hands go eyes follow, where the eye goes, there the mood follows and where the mind goes there arises the sentiment".

The essence of Dance

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