Over time, India has changed economically, politcally, and socially. One major focus on the Indian culture is both traditional and modern dance. Two major forms of dance exsit in India: Classical and Folk. There is another subform under classical, known as semi-classical. The classical form of dance includes a style known as Bharatnatyam and the semi- classical form includes a style known as kathak. Both styles are closely related, but classical focuses more on expression than semi-classical, which is a more 'stiff' form of dance. The classical form of dance goes way back in history, as it was performed by females of all ages in front of kings, to entertain them. This mostly took place during the moghul ruling. Now a days, Bharatnatyam and Kathak both take up to ten years of rigorous training, and require a guru, or dance teacher. At the end of your training, one performes an "arengetaram," which is a three hour long performance that the individual dancer puts on to show the audience of her friends and family what she has learned throughout her training. As a cultural "tug-of-war" society has influenced classical Indian dance in that it was performed for the nobility as a form of entertainment, but now it is performed for all friends and family to show what you enjoy doing.
On the other hand, folk dance is its own category because it is considered a form of regional dance. There are many different forms of folk dance for that reason. A few examples are Garba, Raas, and Bhangra. Garba and Raas both originated in the state of Gujarat, and Bhangra originated in the state of Punjab. Unlike Classical dances, folk dances do not usually require an instructor because it is a more creative style of dancing. It is done for purely fun purposes. In the old days, folk dances were done for fun in entire communities, but now a days, folk dances like garba, raas, and bhangra are performed for recitals, and competitions. Below are videos of each dance:
Garba/Raas-
This is a dance competition, "FOGANA," which boys and girls only perform folk dances from Gujarat, including Raas and Garba
Bhangra:
This is anther competition, "Bhangra Fusion," where boys and girls compete against one another in bhangra
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