Nāṭyaśāstra’s Influence on the Genres of Modern Dance and Contemporary Ballet

Abstract

More than 2000 years ago, dance, music and drama flourished in the Indian subcontinent not just as a form of artistic expression but as highly technical yet spiritually transcending sacred aesthetics derived directly from the Veda-s. The Nāṭyaśāstra is not just a theoretical treatise, its author Bharata elucidates the principle of Rasa. The principle of Rasa provides insight into the human condition, explaining why art is enjoyable. The Nāṭyaśāstra was the authoritative text on art for millennia. However, the text of the Nāṭyaśāstra was translated into English and mined for its rich insight into art and the human consciousness and, for the first time to the Western mind, linked art with the human consciousness.

Professional dancer Ruth St. Denis studied Hindu philosophy, itihāsas, purāṇas, learned Indian dance and visited India. She incorporated Indian Hindu dance and metaphysics into her own dance techniques and influenced her students and others who were important innovators in the Modern Dance movement such as Martha Graham and Ted Shawn. She influenced George Balanchine who innovated Contemporary Ballet. .