Storytelling in dance

Story telling is a huge part of dance. When you are dancing you arent just swinging your arms around or turning and kicking your legs. You are incorporating all your moves into a personal story. Dancing is kind of like telling a story without talking. Your expression and the mood you set out with your choreography tells the audience how you are feeling, if youre scared or happy. You are never dancing just ecause, there has to e a reason. !f course everyone has their own way of expressing certain feelings. "ertain cultures use different kinds of movement to tell their life stories.

South #ndia does a dance called the $haratanatynm. #s a classical dance form originating in %amil &adu, nowadays practiced throughout South #ndia y predominantly young females and women. #t is held as the national dance of #ndia. %he dance is accompanied y the classical "arnatic music. #t has its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of "hidam aram %his certain type of dance uses your hands to descri e their stories. Specific, defined gestures can e an effective tool to tell a story. When used thoughtfully, gestures help the audience co'create the story in their imagination, y giving them a visual (and possi ly kinesthetic) suggestion from which they can expand upon.

*ime is another kind of dance. + little different than your usual movement ut it still falls into the same category. #n mime your reathing and emotion in movement is

very important. %ry for example, -ick up a ook and open it, first while reathing in, then while reathing out. %he whole feeling in the action changes from keen interest, to oredom or even anger. #n mime you use water, fire, earth, and air to create characters in your movement. .or example air, start moving around, try walking and talking like this air person and see what ideas this gives you. -ut yourself in its place and see what those elements do for you.

Dance is an art, a way of expression, and uni/ue to a culture. &orth #ndias classical and folk dances are world'renowned. 0athak, a classical dance form, uses ela orate footwork, *ogul costumes, and the defining accessory 1ghungroo. .olk dances are the creation of different socio'economic setups and traditions. -erformed on occasions like festivals and weddings, they are full of colors and energy, and express joy. %his kind of dance is a classical dance mostly used for entertainment. &ot so much for your own enefit.

%he words of 2ohanna 3ongell'Darsee,4 %o me the line is not really there. 5ven if you sit on a chair telling a story you are dancing... &o ig leaps and kicks, ut the minimalist kind of dance. %he glances, the reathing, hands gesturing, toes twitching. #n fact # find the toes of a storyteller are very important. #f you see and hear a very good storyteller you can e sure his or her toes are moving as the story unfolds. What # mean with this is, the whole ody, the whole eing of the storyteller is involved in the story. #n other words. *ovement in general is dance. #t doesnt matter what kind of dance, your

techni/ue, or what youre wearing. 6ife is just one ig story that we are trying to project in our dancing. 6ife is dance.

Dance "ompany 5ssay -aulina -edro7a 5njoy.