dance drama
Quick Summary
Dance drama is a form of drama conveyed through dance movements, sometimes incorporating dialogue. It can express emotion, character, and narrative action, distinguishing it from purely formal dance that emphasizes movement patterns.12
Throughout history, dance drama has taken various forms, including full-length theatrical works that tell stories and present characters. Movements can imitate actions, like hunting dances, or convey emotions through gestures, such as stamping for aggression or jumping for exhilaration. Dance drama often utilizes mime, or narrative gesture, which can be realistic or symbolic. Elements like masks, costumes, music, acting, singing, recitation, and film can also accompany dance to enhance its dramatic content.2
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- South Asian arts14th–19th century
…to native Kannada and Telugu dance drama on mythological themes, called yakṣagāna. The form is comparable to kathākali in the Malayalam area and to terukkūttu (“street drama”) and kuṟavañci (“gypsy drama”) in the Tamil area. The earliest Telugu yakṣagāna text is Sugrīva Vijayam (c. 1570), by Kandukuru Rudra Kavi; the…
Read More…to native Kannada and Telugu dance drama on mythological themes, called yakṣagāna. The form is comparable to kathākali in the Malayalam area and to terukkūttu (“street drama”) and kuṟavañci (“gypsy drama”) in the Tamil area. The earliest Telugu yakṣagāna text is Sugrīva Vijayam (c. 1570), by Kandukuru Rudra Kavi; the…
Read More - South Asian artsThe dance-drama
…folk traditions a type of dance drama that is a form of total theatre. The actor dances out the story through a complex gesture language, a form that, in its universal appeal, cuts across the multilanguage barrier of the subcontinent. Some of the classical dance-drama forms (e.g., kathakali, kuchipudi, bhagavatha…
Read More…folk traditions a type of dance drama that is a form of total theatre. The actor dances out the story through a complex gesture language, a form that, in its universal appeal, cuts across the multilanguage barrier of the subcontinent. Some of the classical dance-drama forms (e.g., kathakali, kuchipudi, bhagavatha…
Read More