Importance of dance personality

Subashini Pathmanathan

Body is the instrument of dance. Even in general life personality of an individual is considered as one of the most important calculative factors. For the dancing career body is the instrument. In other words the artistes through the body or by the body only performing the dance. Hence the role of personality in dance plays an important factor.

In any dance form, to a considerable extent of personality of the artiste plays an important role. Maintaining the body and the personality are utmost important factors for the dance. In any dance form, human body is the instrument. Hence maintaining the figure is an important factor for any dance form. Maintaining the figure is more or less a challenge for an artiste. Any artiste who is attached to any form of dance field tries their best to preserve their physical figure with maximum precaution. It is generally believed that maintaining the physical figure is really a most difficult task for a dancer or a dance teacher after a particular age and stage.

Social image

Any dancer or dance teacher must try to preserve their physical figure which gives an impression or image to the society. The dance teacher should be in a position to demonstrate the art while she is teaching. It is not at all necessary that the dance teacher should be a performing artiste, but it is a must that the dance teacher should be perfect demonstrator. The student community expects that the dance teacher should be a life model for them. The students are always very much attached to the dance teachers rather than any other teachers. The younger generation always expects and considers that the dance teacher is the mentor of their life.

Personality of the dancer emerges through dance

Hence the dance teacher should be pleasant active, attractive and intelligent. Above all in return the teacher also should guide them to a correct path and impart or cultivate good qualities among the student community.

Oriental dances

Natya Sastra gives some basic guidelines regarding the physical figure and features of the dancer as well as the dance teacher. To enhance the personality of the dancers are supposed to apply suitable and appropriate make up, despite their natural beauty.

Makeup is a part and partial of the oriental dancers. For any performing artiste especially whether it is a classical dancer, or a drama artiste, or a tele drama artiste, or silver screen artiste, the role of makeup plays an important place.

Each dance form has its unique make up, distinctive costumes and selective jewelry. Most of the oriental classical dance forms, folk dance forms, and ritual dance forms have their own long standing links with the tradition, with the historical cultural background and with the religious affiliation to certain extent.

Different type of makeup is always adopted or needed for different classical dances. These selective oriental classical dances, folk dances and ritual dance forms have their own distinctive makeup. The folk dance forms and the ritual dance forms, belong to Desi category in the dance division. That means it is confined to a particular limited Pradesh or area. Yet most of these ritual and folk dance forms do not gain the world recognition.

The folk dances and ritual dances are more or less performed in the open-air theatres. The role of personality of the artistes is not taken into account for the folk and the ritual dance forms. In any classical dance forms personality of the dancers are very much taken into account.

Generally the personality of the classical dancer is the first and foremost factor rather than other talents. It is quite often noted that all other outstanding talents of the dancers are often considered as secondary factors as compared to the personality in dance.

According to the ancient spiritual dance scripts describe the important qualities of the dancer. The dancer must have certain special qualities such as fair in complexion, the face must be beautiful like a lotus flower; besides these, it gives that the dancer should not be too fat, or too thin. These scripts also add that the dancer shouldn't be too short or too tall.

Intelligent wise the dancer should be very sharp, wise, punctual and must practice honesty in life. The ancient dance scripts also impart the excellent and exceptional qualities of the dancers. All these qualities further enhance the overall personality of the dancers.

The classical dancers also should have a thorough knowledge about the nuances of theory and the practical aspects of the dance. Hence for dance personality of a dancer adds more essence to the art.