The art of Yoga dance can bring you a lot of benefits and the best thing about it that you can take part and learn it with out any restriction in age and physique. If you know how to walk, you can always get the very basics of Yoga dance to get yourself a lot of benefits. Yoga dance is somewhat the same as the Yoga Postures, however, here, you will be doing those postures in continuous ways and also these movements will be slow and sophisticated.

Balance is the key to perform the movements in the Yoga dance and you will get used to it as you will be devoting more and more time. As the spirituality is the basic objective of the Yoga, Yoga dance does no different and it actually helps us to recognize out inner self and inherent strengths and weakness. Once you would be able to know that you can certainly take some steps in a way to tackle those deficiencies.

The Yoga dance is actually used to stimulate the energy centers in your body. Although, there are diverse forms of the Yoga Dance, yet, you would really like some of them. For instance, you can enjoy Tree Goddess Dance, Maya - Dance of Illusion, Kundalini Rising and Kama Sutra are some of the dance styles.

Mohiniattam can be defined as “Dance of Enchantress”. If you have ever happened to come across this form of dance, you will certainly agree to the fact that it can enchant you in a big way. The enchanting sense of the dance has been derived from a whole legend story behind it as how an Apsara assisted the Gods to save the Amrit from the Demons by distracting them using her charm.

The costumes are the basic thing as they help to strengthen the mesmerizing feel that is the main objective of this form of dance. The costumes may be White or close to white, i.e. off-white, along with the gold coloring that create that typical south feel. Hairstyles are also something which is done with great care; all in all, it is basically the appearance that helps dancers to grip the imagination of the audience.

Talking specifically about the dance steps and movements, you will find them dancing in a swaying or kind of oscillating movement. Tanpura, Vina, Venu, Manjira, Mirdangam are some of the instruments which are the integral part of the dance.

Mohiniattam has gathered a lot of applause and the appreciation, recently and now claiming to be one of the most popular dance forms of India. That is the reason why you can easily experience this dance form in other parts of India, as well. However, the scholars and legend of this form of dance are reluctant to call it a classical dancer and persisting to rate it more of a traditional dance form.

However, after those Maharis Traditions, there was the emergence and evolution of Gotipua tradition. Gotipua were the young boys who were trained by the Maharis and these boys then perform the dancing after disguising themselves as girls. These were the boys who took this form of dance to the outside world.

The dance is really amazing and one striking difference can seen when you will see the dancers dancing on different lyrics, for one kind of lyrics, it can be tranquil, cool and calm, while for the other one, you can witness theses dancers taking some jerky movements. These lyrics were differentiated by the poets they were written. For instance, Maharis were used to perform on Jayadeva's Geet Govind and the Gotipua were used to dance on Oriya poets with some jerky movements.

Important thing to mention is that this dance form lost its subsistence that is the reason why you can now see the revived form of the Odissi dance. This dance form has been described by the scholars after performing an extensive search over the religious scriptures to define the ways and techniques of the dance. That is another reason why this dance form is exclusively religious in nature and specifically about the Lord Krishna. To present the dance you can see the use of different instruments, i.e. Sitar, Tanpura, Manjira etc.

Variation in music, compared to the other forms of classical music, is quite evident in the Manipuri dance. Also, you can feel, somewhat, difference in the raag and taals. Also, the body movements are graceful and the dance can be lyrical as well. The main consideration that is to be done in this form of dance is to avoid any jerky and jolty movement. Avoiding the jerky movements, the dancer has to make rounded movements. For this very purpose, the costumes also play a really important role. That is the reason why the costumes are designed in such a way that they make the whole dance to look much more exquisite and amazing. However, it actually looks simple but certainly not as the way it looks outwardly, it is actually the proficiency of the dancers that make it look simple.

One thing that you can said about the Manipuri dance is that it will remain devotional, although, there are some evolutions in this dance and it is now performed in modern way. But, the very basic of the Manipuri dance is devotional and that is also unlike many other dances, for instance, Kathak, was supposed to be a devotional and spiritual form of dance, but it evolved with time, until, it was used as an entertaining dance form. Manipuri dance, however, is still with its basic ingredients and contents. The main characters and the influential figures are the Hindu Lords Radha and Krishna, that is reason why it ought to stay in the way it was in past.

“Expressional” is the word for this form of dance. Along with this you will certainly be engrossed in the way these dancers take specified body movements; also, the balance is incredible. When you will see this dance with a critical and technical point of view, you will find out how difficult is it to perform and go through the whole dance.

Kuchipudi can be considered a bit of unique dance, especially when you will compare it to other classical dances of India. For instance, in Kuchipudi, you will enjoy more realistic acting and also another thing that keeps it apart from others is the occasional use of dialogues. Dialogues are something that no other classical dance form of India is based on. Performance can be a solo or group based, but, in both cases, you will certainly enjoy the whole thing.

Finally, you will be amazed to see the form of Kuchipudi that is called Tarangam. In Tarangam, the dancer stands on the edge of a brass plate, obviously, barefooted, and performs all the steps in its best of shape and form along with maintaining all the expressions. To create a whole atmosphere, you can also witness the use of different instruments such as Maridangam, Flute and violin. The music used is known as Carnatic music.

As a dramatic form of dance, it has been around for hundred of years and still going strong. Its popularity has not got affected by the introduction of those modern dances.

When you will first come in touch with the people performing this dance-drama, you will be amazed about the makeup. People, in this dance, pay a real attention to the makeup as half of their work will be done by the expressions that will come out with the makeup. You can understand how well they would be doing it. Along with the makeup, the costumes are also a feast to watch, for sure. As a whole, you can easily experience the five main elements on which the whole drama is based. Expressions, Dance Enactment vocal accompaniment and last but certainly not the least is Instrument accompaniment. These are the main things that comprise a Kathakali dance drama.

In its earlier days, the story was performed for the whole night, however, now, you can participate in a drama that only last for three to four hours. The most of the stories are based on the religious incidents, for instance, stories from Mahabharata is still quite popular in this sort of dance drama. However, to cater the needs of present times, people are now endeavoring to take it to another level and you can also fancy watching the stories from Bible and also from the English literature, for instance stories of Shakespeare are quite in.

Whole of the dance-drama is performed in the dance enactment along with the music that compliments the whole theme. However, the commendable thing about the whole thing is the stamina and the effort that the actors put in. They really do it with dedication otherwise it would not be possible for them to carry on.

As it is a really old Art, so you can clearly see the amalgamation of different cultures that it passed through. There have been colors of devotion and bhagti that has been merged with the colors that it acquired from the Mughal era. When talk about Mughal era, the main thing that brought a change in the whole facet of this dance was the Persian dancers which danced in the Mughal courtyards.

As it is a traditional and old dance, hence, there are some of the ways to learn this form of dance which is classified in the Gharanas. There are three main gharanas for Kathak which are the Jaipur gharana, the Lucknow gharana and the Banaras gharana.

Story told in Kathak in those old times were more of a religious one; however, today it has gained a more of a recreational aspect. You can also experience a lot of musical instruments which are used to create a feel in the Kathak. For instance, Bansuri, Dilruba, Ghungroo, Sitar, Tabla, Tanpura and many of this kind.

The combination of these instruments along with the exotic steps and movements taken by the Kathak dancers, develop a great atmosphere that really needs to be felt by oneself as it is different reading about them compared to be a part of one such performance. The whole thing about his dance form is delicacy, whatever move you take with your hands and feet, it has to look graceful and that is the very soul of the dance. It has regained its popularity in India as now people are getting training for this form of dance from their childhood.

Also, there was a time, when this dance form was performed on a festival that is called the “Sun Festival”. However, now, it is adopted for many other occasions and festival, as well. Herein, you can view the religious aspect as the basic thing on which they perform is the episodes of Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The whole of the dancing is based on music and Dhol, Dhumba, Nagara, Dhansa are the important ways to achieve the task. The dance can also be further classified in the different subtypes which are developed pertaining to the origin they are done in.

Seraikella Chau is the form that you can witness in the district of Jharkhand and it is named after the place Seraikella. Here, you can see an extensive use of masks while dancing along with some seriously difficult and flexible steps.

Purulia Chau is from the West Bengal and it is based on idea that the good will come out to be a victorious in its battle with evil. Different sorts of masks are also used in here, which actually is the specialty of the region.

Mayurbhanj Chau is the more advanced form and done in the region of Orissa. The basic thing that you can experience is that there are no masks to go with the dance.
As a whole, this dance form is certainly a complicated one with the embellishment of Folk and classical aspect.

All sorts of ways and all sorts of forms can be seen in India and you can also fancy meeting those people who are the very best in their fields. Bharata Natyam is the form of dance that is extremely popular in India. It is basically the face emotions that say it all. Different dancers do different dance movements with the different facial emotions. This form of classical dance is basically originated in an India state named as Tamil Nadu.

When you happen to visit India and specifically Belur Temple, you will find out the carved images of the dancers performing this dance, the posture they have are called karanas. Also, it is the dance form that is supposed to done by the “Apsaras” who are the celestial dancers and they are the one who you will see carved on many temples across India. This is actually a testimonial as how important is this dance form in India. The religious aspect is quite evident in this form of the dance as it was originally introduced by a Hindu sage, named Bharata Muni.

There are different styles of classical dances, Bharata Natyam is the one that is predominantly associated with the fire element and supposed to be a fire-dance. That is the reason why these dancers take their steps like a flame that might be dancing. Another important fact is that, this dance form was used by the “devadasis” who come to the court of the kings; however, there have been an evolution in the concept as when these dancers dance in a way that is spiritual then they are called devadasis. But, if they are dancing just to entertain, they are termed as Rajanarthakis.

It is because of these cultural norms that you will come across a lot of festivals and religious occasions that are celebrated throughout the India. In all those traditions and norms, you will find something that is really distinctive in India. It is a form of art that is known as dancing. Dancing is known as Narith and that is the main terminology from where the word Narthaki has evolved. Narthaki is the girl that performs dance. There is not restriction as which form of the dance is presented, however, most of the classical dancers are called this way. Also, when you take this word with regard to the religious aspect, the Narthaki is someone who is to serve the God and the service of her include, singing and dancing.

When you throw some light and look to explore about the dance forms in India, you will certainly be surprised to see the variety and the range of the dances that are separated by people and culture along with the regions and states. There are some specific dances which are only meant for the girls and females in general. For instance, Mohiniattam is the dance form a South Western state of Kerala which is basically for the women and female dancers. When a girl performs some sort of dance, she is called Narthaki in its typical sense. However, when some women perform the typical classical India dance that is known as Bharata Natyam then the lady who is performing this dance is also know as the Narthaki.