‖ nritta
(nˈrɪtə)
Also nrtta.
[Skr. nṛitta dance.]
A type of ‘pure’, abstract Indian dance (quot. 1967).
| 1917 Coomaraswamy & Duggirala tr. Mirror of Gesture 14 Nṛtta is here dismissed with a merely negative definition, as the object of the Abhinaya Darpaṇa is to explain how to express by gesture definite themes. 1953 F. Bowers Dance in India 24 Sanskrit has no single word for dance in our sense... Nritta..refers to dance pure and simple, unadulterated by meaning, interpretation gesture, or language. 1967 Singha & Massey Indian Dances 24 Nritta is the rhythmic movement of the body in dance... It visualizes and reproduces music and rhythm by means of abstract gestures of the body and hands... Nritta..is concerned solely with rhythmic movement in dancing and is therefore loosely termed ‘pure dance’. 1967 Chujoy & Manchester Dance Encycl. 457/2 The repertoire of the Bharata Natya dancer includes nrtta, nrtya, and nautch. Nrtta is an abstact dance of pure lyricism; nrtya is an expressive dance, pantomimic in content; nautch is a combination of song and dance. 1971 Femina (Bombay) 30 Apr. 49/1 Kuchipudi is the regional variation of Bharata Natyam. Both share classical Carnatic music and the Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (expressional dance) aspects. |