Previous Year Question
How do you distinguish between Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dances?
Dancers occasionally speaking dialogues is found in Kuchipudi dance, but not in Bharatanatyam.
Dancing on the brass plate by keeping the feet on its edges is a feature of Bharatanatyam, but Kuchipudi dance does not have such a form of movements.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct: Kuchipudi originated in Andhra Pradesh as a dance-drama tradition. It combines dance with acting, music and vachika abhinaya or verbal expression. Dancers may occasionally speak dialogues while introducing a character or advancing the narrative. In the standard Bharatanatyam performance, the dancer generally does not speak dialogues but communicates the story and emotions through hand gestures, facial expressions and bodily movements.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Dancing with the feet placed on the rim of a brass plate is a feature of Kuchipudi, not Bharatanatyam. This Kuchipudi presentation is known as Tarangam. The dancer balances on the edges of a brass plate and executes rhythmic foot movements. Sometimes the dancer also balances a pot filled with water on the head.
The songs used in Tarangam are generally taken from Narayana Tirtha’s Krishna Leela Tarangini, which narrates events from the life of Lord Krishna.
Thus, the statement has reversed the association of the brass-plate tradition by attributing it to Bharatanatyam.