Dance in World Cultures Unit 1

Agem

asymmetrical basic stance for all Balinese dance

Cak

all male chorus that replaced female chorus in Sanghyang Dedari

Devadasi

Female devotee of God, married symbolically to a Hindu diety once they reached puberty

Ghunghru

musical anklets (Bharananatyam and Kathakali)

Kalaripayattu

martial arts practiced by warrior caste (Kathakali)

Kathakars

traditional storytellers (Kathak)

Kerawuhan

state of possession, to be in the trance, entered by the spirit in Dedari

Mudras

codified hand gestures, represent words (present in many dances)

Sadir

devotional dance performed in Hindu temples by Devadasis in Bharatanatyam

Samadhi

spiritual state of total meditative absorption

Tawaif

female professional entertainer (Kathak)

Wali

Most sacred, performed in the innermost courtyard (Balinese - Baris and Dedari)

Where is Bharatanatyam from?

Tamil Nadu (Southern India)

Where is Kathak from?

Northern India

Where is Kathakali from?

Kerala (Southern India)

Where is Baris from?

Bali and Java (Indonesia)

Where is Sanghyang Dedari from?

Bali (Indonesia)

Where is Bedhaya from?

Java (Indonesia)

What music does Kathakali use?

Carnatic

What music does Bharatanatyam use?

Carnatic

What music does Kathak use?

Hindustani, Vachika

What music does Dedari use?

Cak

What country colonized India from 185-1947?

The United Kingdom

List the levels of the caste system in India from top to bottom

Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, Dalits

Explain the anti-nautch campaign

The UK wanted to abolish temple dance forms, they though the Devadasis were prostitutes

What is the difference between nritta and abhinaya?

Nritta is the more technical form, more abstract, and Abhinaya communicates the narrative and tells the story and emotions

What are the four different types of abhinaya?

Anghika - movement of the body

Aharya - decorative elements (costume, hair, jewelry)

Satuika - psychic conditions/emotions of the character

Vachikai - expression through music, poetry, spoken syllables

What Kathakali character types did we discuss and how are they distinguished?

Chutti ball - shows character is flawed (Katti)

Pacca - green face

Kari - demonesses (red and black bearded)

Minukku - yellow faces represent gentle nature

Teppu - (special) masked characters

What is the name for “eye dancing” that Kathakali dancers train in?

Drishti

Bali and Java are part of which country?

Indonesia

What is the difference between baris gede and baris tunggal?

Baris gede: large group of men with weapons

Baris tunggal: solo dance for young boy with no weapons

Who performs the sanghyang dedari? Is it considered a sacred or secular dance?

Young girls before puberty who are in a trance, and it is a sacred dance (Wali)

What are temple celebrations in Bali called?

Odalan

What is the bedhaya? Where is it performed, who performs it, and what is the theme or story?

In Java, 9 women, abstract love story between Sultan aging and sea goddess Ratu Kidul (spooky)

What is the significance of Kaja and kelod?

Both in Bali

Kaja = toward great mountain, sacred, positive

Kelod = toward the sea, dangerous + negative (demons live in the sea)

What happens in the Odalan ceremony?

Kaja and Kelod happen - Inviting the gods down, Baris dancers are the bodyguards, travel Kelod to the sea to cleanse them, then travel Kaja to the mountain