Dance as a Form of Worship

Dance is an exquisite art portrayed through music and movement. It is a very involved form of expression which uses the heart, mind, body, and senses; and in the case of Vedic dance- the soul.
In India dance is a way of worshipping God. The dance is treated like an offering to God and the movements are like prayers to please the Lord. There are other dances that are more like dance-dramas, where the actors or dancers re-enact the pastimes and stories of the various gods.

There are several types of traditional dance offerings that come from different parts of India, such as Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Sattriya, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, and Kathakali.


Odissi

Odissi (oh-di-see) comes from the state of Orissa, in eastern India by the Bay of Bengal. It is a very ancient dance form that was traditionally performed in the temples of Vishnu by the devdasis (women who would spend their entire lives in the temple serving the Lord with devotional dance offerings). There is evidence of the antiquity of Odissi on the ancient temples in Orissa, where many carvings depict the dancers in various traditional Odissi poses.
The costume is unique to other Indian dances in that the jewellery is almost always silver, instead of gold, and the female dancers wear crowns of white flowers in their hair, and the sarees are cotton handloom in the traditional Orissan style. This dance is gorgeously graceful. A good Odissi performance will take the audience's breath away with it's beauty and elegance.
Watch an Odissi performance.

Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam (ba-raat-nat-yum) comes from the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. This dance is characterized by elaborate hand gestures called mudras, fast-pace movement, and stamping of the feet. The costumes are traditionally made of colourful silk sarees with elaborate borders. This dance is performed by both men and women, although women tend to dominate it.
Like Odissi, Bharatanatyam is a dance of devotion and it was originally performed exclusively in the temples as an offering to Vishnu. Over time the dance moved out of the temple halls and into the stages of the wealthy upper class of India.
Watch a Bharatanatyam performance.

Manipuri

Manipuri (maa-nee-poo-ree) comes from the state of Manipur in far east India. Manipuri dance is very sweet and graceful, and because Manipur is so close to China the dance has a hint of oriental style to it. The dancers wear elaborate costumes which are famous for the wide tube-like skirts and white veils. Most of the movement is in the hands and it is graceful like a flowing river.
Manipuri dance usually depicts Krishna and the gopis dancing together in the moonlight. This dance is called the Rasa Leela and is the most popular piece in Manipuri dance theatre.
See Manipuri dancing.

Sattriya

Sattriya is a dance from the state of Assam, in far east India. I don't know much about this dance form, in fact I only heard of it when I started writing this article! But I had to include it because it is one of the 8 classical Indian dances, and after watching a few videos I decided I like it.
Sattriya dancers wear traditional Assamese outfits with colourful prints and designs. The movement of the dance is soft and graceful, with many hand gestures and no stamping. It is a very elegant and gentle form of dance.
Watch a Sattriya performance.

Kathak

Kathak (kaa-tuck) comes from northern India. Kathak dance is different from the other types of dance beacause it has both Hindu and Muslim influences. Some say that the style of dance was a fusion of Indian and Persian culture and this is evident in the costume. Female Kathak dancers generally wear long flowing skirts over trousers and kamis tops, which are typical of Muslim outfits. The style of this dance has a lot of stamping with loud bells on the feet and and many pirouettes and spins. Kathak is especially famous for its spins. The dance is very fast pace and energetic. When the dancers spin their skirts flare out beautifully. A good Kathak dance is quite a spectacle.
Watch a Kathak performance.


Mohiniattam

Mohiniattam (mo-hee-nee-ah-tum) comes from the state of Kerala in south-west India. This dance is traditionally performed by women wearing beautiful white sarees with ornate gold borders. The costume is unique in that the women always wear their hair in a large bun to the side of their head.
Mohiniattam means "dance of the enchantress". It is given this name because the dance is inspired by the goddess Mohini, an avatar of Vishnu, who used her charms to enchant the demons and keep them away from the nectar of immortality. Therefore, the Mohiniattam style is identified by the slow, seductive movement of the hips and upper body, sweet smiling, and coy movements of the eyes.
Watch a Mohiniattam performance.

Kuchipudi

Kuchipudi (koo-chee-pu-dee) comes from the state of Andhra Pradesh in south-east India. The dance costume is very similar to that of Bharatanatyam, and the dancers are usually tall and slender (compared to Odissi dancers). The movements are quick and rounded. Kuchipudi is very unique in that the dancers sometimes dance on brass plates, balancing on the raised edges.
Kuchipudi also has devotional roots and is something of a dance-drama. The dancers perform tales of Shiva, Krishna, etc. with dramatic expressions and movements.
Watch a Kuchipudi performance.

Kathakali

Kathakali (kaa-ta-kaa-lee) also comes from Kerala in south-west India. Kathakali is more of a drama than a dance, but is performed to music and rhythm. The Kathakali costume is very colourful; the actors paint their faces in bright colours, wear large heavy headresses, and huge fluffy dresses. The actors are usually men.
Kathakali performances re-enact stories like the Ramayana, Krishna Leela, and tales of various gods and goddesses.
Watch a Kathakali performance.


There are other types of dance that sprout from India, many having roots from vedic literature.

Apsaras

Apsaras are celestial nymphs who dance in the court Indra, the King of Heaven. They are famous for their talent and extraordinary beauty.
In Cambodia and parts of Indonesia there are women called Apsaras who are trained to dance gracefully and beautifully. They wear gorgeous crowns and slim, body-fitting dresses with gorgeous ornaments and flowers in their hair. This type of dance is very soft and gentle, most of the movement is in the hands. There is absolutely no stamping feet and jumping around, the girls remain poised throughout the dance.
Watch the Apsaras performing.


The Rasa Leela

The Rasa Leela is a dance which was originally performed by Krishna and the beautiful gopis of Vraja about 3000 years BC. This is the most famous dance in all of India and different variations of it are performed by the different schools of dance. Folk dancers generally perform the Rasa Leela using wooden sticks and tapping them together. This is a very sweet and simple dance, and became famous worldwide due to the film Lagaan, which has a Rasa Leela stick dance scene.
Watch the Kuchipudi version of Rasa Leela.


One of my drawings, the painting of the dancer above is also done by me.

Dancer in Vrindavan

*All photos are taken by Sanatan John Howchin.

Music Divine

Today I spent nearly the whole day at the temple, listening to the beautiful bhajans sung by the very talented singers and musicians. I've always appreciated how important music is to me, and to the world. I think music is so moving because it goes beyond this material existence and reaches deeper into our souls. A chord from a musical instrument can make one feel happy, sad, thoughtful, or elated. It seems as if it comes from a higher place. It is said that in the spiritual world every word is a song and every step is a dance.


I always listen to music when I am painting or drawing, it really helps me to focus on what I am doing and set the mood of the picture. Depending on the subject I’ll listen to different kinds of music. For example, if I’m painting something related to India I’ll listen to Indian music (usually classical). If I’m painting a landscape I’ll listen to classical Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. I find that this really helps me to be patient and precise. If I want to get the mood of a painting of Radha and Krishna right I will usually listen to artists like Prem Joshua, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Karnamrita, Ramya, As Kindred Spirits, Kishori Mohan, and A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada…to name a few.

Prem Joshua is a musician who artfully blends the eastern and western styles of music. For some of his albums he collaborates with another musician names Manish Vyas. I think the two of them work fantastically together, and two of my all-time favourite albums they have produced together are Water Down the Ganges and Sky Kisses Earth. I never ever get tired of listening to the music on these two albums, and I often listen to them when I am drawing Radha and Krishna. Something about this music gives me so much inspiration that I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with it.

Hariprasad Chaurasia is a renowned musician whose primary instrument is the bamboo flute. He is such an expert flute player. His music is incredibly beautiful and well composed, I listen to it every time I’m painting Krishna and pretend that the sound of the flute is coming from Krishna Himself. Chaurasia’s music is mostly in raga style, but he also has some creative albums. My favourite album since childhood is Music of the Rivers, which uses the flute and other instruments to tell the story of how the river makes it’s journey from the snowy mountain peaks to the delta into the sea. I swear when I hear this album I can actually visualize the turbulent springs in the mountains, the steady flow of the river in the plains, and the magnificence of it’s arrival to the sea.

Shiv Kumar Sharma is a contemporary of Chaurasia’s and has a very similar style. In fact the two have done many collaborative works together. Sharma’s primary instrument is the santoor, which is a very sweet folk instrument from Kashmir. There is one song of Sharma’s that has completely captivated my heart, called Balled from the album Music of the Mountains. This song is so sweet and beautiful that I never get tired of hearing it.

It reminds me of cool breezes, sparkling rivers, calm lakes filled with lotus flowers, palaces made of marble and gold, gorgeous men and women dressed in silk and singing and dancing in harmony, and blue sunny skies filled with puffy white clouds. It basically paints a picture of what heaven might be like, or a time on earth when everything was peaceful and golden, and Krishna walked gracefully through the forests of Vrindavan, enchanting all the creatures along the way.

Karnamrita is a female vocalist who was raised in the west but learned music in India. She has a wonderful album called Dasi: Prayers by Women, that is full of beautiful songs about Radha and Krishna. This is also a bit of an eastern/western blend with instruments like the piano put to Sanskrit verses and traditional Indian songs. The music is very well put together and her voice is pleasant and controlled. I have listened to it often and it really helps me to get into the mood of devotion and love for Radha and Krishna.

Ramya is another female vocalist with a very sweet voice. She has an album called Beloved of Krishna which is full of traditional Vrajabasi (from the land of Vraja) songs and hymns. This album is more folky than Karnamrita’s, but it also beautifully blends eastern and western music with the use of violins and bass guitar. I had an obsession with this album for a while. I found it excellent inspiration for painting Radha because of the folk tunes and rhythms.

As Kindred Spirits is an ensemble of different musicians and instruments that got together to make the album Nectar of Devotion. Now I really had an obsession with this album for a long, long time and I still haven’t completely gotten over it. Here the blend of east-meets-west is much more pronounced and bold. There are songs that sound really traditional and there are others where you can tell the group experimented with different styles (track two sounds a bit Russian at the beginning, but then changes into a gorgeous slow and soft love song). This album explodes with love and devotion for Radha and Krishna. It is so incredibly beautiful and touching it brings tears to my eyes. I heard that the group was coming out with a new album someday soon (their first album came out in 2003 and I’ve been waiting for their next one ever since). I hope so!

Kishori Mohan is a musician who sings in traditional bhajan style. His two albums Cry for Mercy and Hindi Bhajans are simply gorgeous and filled with love for Krishna. My favourite of the two is Hindi Bhajans because it’s a bit more upbeat and full of the folk songs of Vrindavan. It reminds me of Radha and Krishna dancing the the forest, surrounded by the beautiful gopis. I really never tire of it. I’ll often listen to this especially when I want inspiration for a painting of Radha, since tracks two and eight of this album is all about her sweetness and glory. I haven't been able to find the albums for sale online or any links to Kishori Mohan since he's really underground.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. In 1965, at the age of 69, he travelled by ship from Bombay to the U.S.A. with the mission to preach love of Krishna in the west. His movement became popular very quickly and spread all over the world. He translated vedic texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam into many languages. One of the things he stressed was that the best way to get closer to Krishna was by singing and chanting His glories. Prabhupada recorded many songs and albums with devotional prayers about Radha and Krishna. His music is very traditional, using Indian instruments and arranged in bhajan style. Whenever I need to hear what true devotion is, I listen to his albums. Nothing inspires the heart and mind like Srila Prabhupada’s voice.

There are many other musicians that inspire me to paint, and they’re not always Indian or classical. There is a certain instrumental song by John Renbourn called The Trees They Do Grow High from the album Sir John Alot Of Merrie England, which always reminds me of Krishna in the forest.

It’s so beautiful I can listen to it over and over again, and it has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. Maybe it’s the tune of the gorgeous flute, or the soft and steady guitar. Whatever it is, when I listen to that song it’s like my mind gets transported to the flowering groves of Vrindavan and I can actually see Krishna before me.


This is a sketch I did of Krishna playing His flute by the banks of the river Yamuna.