Midterm Vocab Flashcards
sadir
a devotional folk dance form originating from South India (Tamil Nadu) and practiced by devadasis (also called dasiattam, translating to “dance of devadasis”). Traditionally taught by male instructors, or gurus, called nattuvanars.
devadasi
a hereditary female dancer and courtesan in southern and western India. Traditionally responsible for performing ritual duties in Hindu temple, presumed as early as the 6th century, professionally entertaining within the royal court system between the 16th to early 20th centuries. Sanskrit translation: servant of deva (god).
nautch
derivative of Hindi nach (dance); derogatory term implying folk dance as prostitution
Anti-Nautch Movement
a campaign against devadasis officially launched in 1892, condemning both their courtesan and ritual lifestyles/work
sringara
the expression of love in dance, as practiced
by devadasi in sadir
bharatanatyam
a form of Indian dance which came out of sanitizing sadir after the anti-nautch campaign, it removed sringara to make it socio-politically acceptable
nritta
pure dance; form aesthetic and abstraction
abhinaya
narrative dance
mudras
codified hand gestures used to communicate words, emotions, or concepts in conjunction with song lyrics and/or poetry (also known as “hastas”)
puja
salutation to Mother Earth performed both before and after dancing demarked by the dancer descending to
the ground, touching the floor, and raising palms to the eyes in a gesture of deference
kathak
traditional folk dance with a narrative foundation adapted by the court and best known for said practice by female performers called tawaifs, and in close accompaniment to male musicians known as Kathaks.
tawaif
highly sophisticated courtesan that professionally served Indian nobility, particularly in the northern regions during the Mughal Empire
mehfils
intimate performances of poetry, music, and dance in the concert rooms at court or at the homes of noble patrons
Akbar the Great
born 1542, reigned 1556-his death in 1605, Mughal Empire tripled in size, fascination led to being patron of indigenous performance arts in his court system, as well as the continued celebration of traditional North Indian Hindu celebrations and practices
chakkara
spins derivative of the Sufi dervishes in Turkey, Islamic influence seen here
kathakali
meaning “story-play,” is a classical dance drama that originated in the Kerala during the 17th century
kalaripayattu
a martial art form with origins in warrior caste; students
pursued one-on-one, or guru-shishya, tutorship, whereas training predominately occurs in institutions at present
nritta drishti
meaning ”dance of eyes”, is the vocabulary of facial expressions involving the eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, lips, chin, and neck
pura
Balinese temple; structurally including 3
courtyards that are devoted to 3 different categories of
dance and their performance: wali (sacred, innermost courtyard), bebali (semi-sacred, mid-section), bali-balihan (secular, outer courtyard)
odalan
pura ceremonies ritualizing the descent of deities from Mount Agung and their presence in pura, tribute to the gods via theatrical performance and dance offerings, such as the baris
baris gede
ancient devotional warrior dance for men ranging between 40 to 60 dancers, meaning “great line”
tunggal
secular solo dance derivative of baris gedes, often
taught to a young boy as his first formal dance
sanghyang
ancient, sacred dances involving ritual possession by either demonic or celestial deities for the purpose of exorcising illness and/or misfortune
sanghyang dedari
meaning “honored goddess nymph,” are pre-pubescent children possessed by divinities; it is believed that they are oracles of celestial entities when performing in trance
legong lasem
secular bali-balihan dance derivative of an ancient Javanese poem, in which the King of Lasem meets Langkesari, a beautiful princess, and her congdong (maidservant) in a forest. the king is already wed to a queen, but he desires the princess as his second wife and abducts her against her will. Her brother, the King of
Daha, declares war against Lasem. Just prior to their duel, a black crow attacks and kills Lasem. Traditionally, 3 girls enact this narrative; 2 dancers costumed in green and a soloist in red. The solo dancer plays the role of the congdong, while the pair will portray one character, at times switching between roles one at a time. Each of these characters is identified by specific facial expressions.
barong ket
magnificent four-legged creature performed by two baris dancers, dancer in rear must remain bent over and dancer at the head of the costume manually moves the jaw and eyes on the headdress, playful character; oftentimes teasing the musical accompaniment by stretching out onto instruments, etc.
Javanese bedhaya
Traditionally danced by 9 highly trained women in both the Surakarta and Yogyakarta palaces, pays
tribute to a ruler/royalty
General Suharto
in 1965-66, he waged against approximately one million suspected communists and thousands of female folk dancers (perceived as leftists for supporting working-class women) were incarcerated and/or murdered. to inflict the power of his autocratic New Order, Suharto exploited a rearrangement of selected traditional Javanese dances for export; sought to idealize Indonesia’s luhur, or noble culture, and chose to use female dancers as propaganda. Javanese court dances, including bedhaya, were taken out of the palace and taught to female civil servants that performed said dances on international cultural missions attempting to sell Indonesia’s cultural sophistication and bolster Suharto.
mele
poetry communicated in hula performance through the use of gestural vocabulary consisting of symbolic hand positions and movements; said hand gestures represent both tangible and abstract ideas
hula kahiko
”ancient” hula, often accompanied by traditional Hawai’ian instruments and performed to mele
hula ‘auana
“drifting” hula; i.e. what has come to define all contemporary hula performance, frequently consumed by local tourism
King Kalakaua (Merrie Monarch)
during his 1874-1891 reign, he revived the tradition of
hula and made many innovative alterations, Hula flourished under the “Merrie Monarch”, it had gone underground after 1820 arrival of European missionaries marked the start of religious conversion to Christianity and ban on indigenous hula
ami
the rotation of the hips (possibly one to the most defining features of hula)
lewa
rhythmic side-to-side sway in hula
haka
Māori dance of welcome and of war
kapa haka
Kapa meaning “to stand in a row or rank”, haka meaning the “dance and song” that accompanied said movement
mana (Maori)
spiritual essence from the divine, oftentimes thought to have ancestral lineage; authority, power
powhiri
welcoming ritual that incorporates the tenets of mana and tapu (sacred, spiritual, strong force)