Odissi - Sujata Mohapatra, Madhavi Mudgal, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Surendra Nath Jena, Shobana Sahajananan.Satyanarayana Sarma, Deepa Shashindran, etc. Kathakali - Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Ramanakutty Nair, etc.Kathak - Birju Maharaj, Nahid Siddiqui, Sambhu Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj, Gopi Krishna, Saswati Sen, etc.Bharatanatyam - Rukmini Devi, Padma Subrahmanyam, Vyjayanthimala, Sheema Kermani, Hema Malini, etc.There have been many famous dancers in each Indian classical Dance form. The classical dance forms recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Ministry of Culture are: įamous Dancers of Indian Classical Dance Forms Scholars such as Drid Williams and others include Chhau, Yaksagana and Bhagavata Mela to the eight classical Indian dances in the Sangeet Natak Akademi list. The Indian government's Ministry of Culture includes eleven dance forms. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has given recognition to nine Indian dances. Encyclopædia Britannica mentions six dances. Sources differ in their list of Indian classical dance forms. The Natya Shastra mentions four Pravrittis (traditions, genres) of ancient dance-drama in vogue when it was composed – Avanti (Ujjain, central), Dakshinatya (south), Panchali (north, west) and Odra-Magadhi (east). Folksy entertainment may also be performed in temple grounds or any fairground, typically in a rural setting by travelling troupes of artists alternatively, they have been performed inside the halls of royal courts or public squares during festivals. As a religious art, they are either performed inside the sanctum of a temple, or near it. Odissi, Manipuri and Sattiya use languages of the regions they belong to as well as Sanskrit or Hindi. Kathak, which is from northern India, mainly uses compositions in Sanskrit or Hindi and its related languages. This is true mostly for the Southern peninsular Dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, and Kathakkali. Indian classical dances are traditionally performed as an expressive drama-dance form of religious performance art, related to Vaishnavam, Saivam Epic and the folksy entertainment that includes story-telling from Tamil or other Dravidian language plays. Dance and performance arts, states this ancient text, are a form of expression of spiritual ideas, virtues and the essence of scriptures. The text, states Natalia Lidova, describes the theory of Tāṇḍava dance ( Shiva), the theory of raBaavangal, bhāva, expression, gestures, acting techniques, basic steps, standing postures – all of which are part of Indian classical dances. The most studied version of the Natyashastra text consists of about 6000 verses structured into 36 chapters. Its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary between 500 BCE and 500 CE. The Natyasashtra is the foundational treatise for classical dances of India, and this text is attributed to the ancient Sanskrit scholar Bharata Muni. 3 Famous Dancers of Indian Classical Dance Forms.