NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 26, 2016 (The Peninsula Qatar): Students elegantly curve their hands before breaking into synchronized footwork at a class in New Delhi, where growing numbers are signing up for Indian traditional dance classes rooted in Hindu mythology. Class participants range from from pre-teens to surgeons and marketing managers — but they have all chosen to learn traditional Indian dance, which emerged from the country’s temples centuries ago, over Western options such as ballet, jazz and hip hop.
“Tradition is becoming popular now,” said Nitya Pant, a Mumbai-based marketing executive who practices Odissi — an ancient temple-based dance that honors Hindu Lord Jagannath, Lord of the Universe. “No other form can give you the satisfaction that classical dance gives you,” added the 29-year-old. “You feel like you’re one with God.”
India is home to eight major classical dance styles including Odissi and Bharatnatyam — a genre originating in the country’s southern temples more than 2,000 years ago — that tell stories of gods through facial expressions, hand gestures and rapid footwork. Once performed in temples and royal courts, India’s classical dance has found international resonance with troupes performing around the world. Thanks to a mushrooming Indian diaspora, traditional dance schools have popped up globally, piquing the interest of other nationalities too.