INDIAN DANCE

the dance traditions and styles of India. Indian dance can be divided into classical, folk, and modern types. The classical tradition is at least 2,000 years old, and in the course of history its influence has diffused throughout much of Southeast Asia. India evolved a type of classical dance drama that combines movement, gesture, singing, music, and costumes. The dancer dances out the story by using stylized gestures that are both highly symbolic and emotionally suggestive. The stories that are enacted are based on Hindu religion and mythology. The classical dance drama is both aesthetically appealing and highly psychological in its approach. It has attained world recognition as one of the most exquisite forms of classical dance. Indian folk dancing is highly varied, differing as it does from region to region and from one ethnolinguistic group to another. Dance is also an integral, even an indispensable, element in many of the productions of India's vast motion-picture industry.