World Dance Day: Lesser-known dance traditions from Eastern India that have influenced the present classical dance forms | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

World Dance Day: Lesser-known dance traditions from Eastern India that have influenced the present classical dance forms | Lifestyle News, The Indian Express

By Lifestyle Desk |New Delhi |Updated: April 29, 2019 4:41:12 pm

World Dance Day: Lesser-known dance traditions from Eastern India that have influenced the present classical dance forms

Every region of the country has some kind of dance, folk theatre and music to call its own. On this World Dance Day, let's revisit some of Eastern India's classical traditions.

Odissi is a classical dance form from Odisha that has roots in the Mahari and Gotipua dance traditions. (Source: iStock / Getty Images Plus)

At the time of independence, the country had four major recognised dance forms; namely Kathak from the Indo-Gangetic belt, Bharatanatyam from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali from Kerala and Manipuri from Manipur. By the sixties, the number had increased to seven.