Glossary

Note: This section is a work in process; more terms will be added as and when I come across them. If you spot any errors or inaccuracies, or can offer additional info on any entry, feel free to email me. Thank you!


ABHINAYA – a dramatic piece where mudras, facial expressions and body language are used as tools to emote or describe. Essentially, it's like dance drama or "acting dances". In Odissi, abhinaya pieces are performed to both Sanskrit and Oriya songs.

ARANGETRAM ('ascending the stage') - An arangetram is the graduation from learning the essentials of the dance form and the beginning of the path towards the dancer's artistic maturity. After about 10-12 years of intense training, the guru or teacher decides when the disciple is ready both physically and emotionally to be presented to the public with a 2 1/2 hour solo performance marking the graduation or Arangetram.

ASHTAPADIS – poem of eight couplets

ATTAMMI / ATAMI - fluid 'head slides' to add emphasis (?) to movements.

BATU / STHAYI ('foundation') -

BOLS - this is derived from the word "bolna" which means "to speak". Strings of rhythmic syllables (which don’t mean anything literally, but are used to emphasize movement – I think). These mnemonic syllables are an important part of Indian rhythm. They are variously referred to as bol (North Indian), solkatu, or konnakkol, and correlate to the various strokes of the tabla, mridangam, and pakhawaj as well as other classical percussive instruments.

CHAUKHA – one of two main postures used in Odissi; chauka

GURU – teacher or dispeller of darkness/ignorance. The word guru, a noun, means "teacher" in Sanskrit. A notable esoteric etymology of the term "guru" is based on a metaphorical interplay between darkness and light, in which the Guru is seen as the dispeller of darkness. In some texts it is described that the syllables “gu” and “ru” stand for darkness and light, respectively.

The syllable gu means shadows
The syllable ru, he who disperses them,
Because of the power to disperse darkness
the guru is thus named.
– Advayataraka Upanishad 14—18, verse 5)

LASYA - femininity

LASYA - The feminine aspect of dance

MANGALACHARAN – the very first item a student of Odissi learns. This is an invocatory item in which one pays tribute to Mother Earth, Lord Jagannath and other Gods, also with stanzas to welcome the audience and to thank one's Gurus. "Mangala" means goodness, and "charan" mean wishing.

MINANANTHI - The "fish" walk (Note to self: is this the Odissi walk?)

MOKSHA ('liberation') – a pure-dance piece where the dancer tries to merge with the divine.

MRINDAGAM - drum

MUDRA - the term mudra means "stamp" and is a hand position which conveys various meanings.

NATYA – drama

NATTUVANAR - conductor of live music for a dance performance.

NATTUVANGAM - a set of small cymbals that a Nattuvanar uses while keeping the rhythm. It also refers to the art of conducting a classical Indian dance recital. Nattuvangam addresses the Laya or sense of rhythm which is a very important aspect of Indian classical dance.

NATYA - dramatisation

NRITTA - pure technical dance with no meaning

NRITYA – expressional dance with meaning; expression through the use of hand gestures and body movements

PADAM - narrative dance

PALLAVI ('flowering') - pure dance pieces performed to 'bols'

RAGA - melody

TALA - rhythm

TANDAVA - The masculine aspect of dance

TRIBHANGI (or tribhanga) – one of two main postures used in Odissi. Very feminine in nature, tribhangi is a thrice deflected posture, in which the body is bent in three places (head, bust and torso/hip), approximating the shape of a helix. This posture and the characteristic shifting of the torso from side to side, make Odissi a difficult style to execute. When mastered, it is the epitome of fluid grace and has a distinctively lyrical quality that is very appealing. Any posture which deals with these three elements is called tribhangi.