Abhinaya-darpana (English)
by Ananda Coomaraswamy | 1917 | 16,981 words | ISBN-13: 9788121500210
The English translation of the Abhinaya-darpana (“the mirror of gesture”) by Nandikeshvara: an encyclopedic manual of the art of gesticulation. It belongs to a wide range of literature known as Natya-shastra: the ancient Indian art of dramatic performance, theatrics, dance and music. The Abhinaya Darpana is an abridgement of the Bharatarnava, a m...
Chapter 10 - Four Necks
Knowers of mood (bhāva) have declared that there are four Necks:
Sundari: moving to and fro horizontally (tiryak pracalita).[1] Usage: the beginning of affection, making trial, saying “Well done!”, recollection, badinage, sympathetic pleasure.
Tirascīna: an upward movement on both sides, like the gliding of a snake. Usage: brandishing a sword, serpentine progression.
Parivartita: moving to right and left, like a half-moon. Usage: Sṛṇgara naṭana (erotic dances), when kissing the cheeks.
Prakampita: moving the head backwards and forwards like a pigeon. Usage: saying “You and I”, especially in Deśīya naṭa (folk-dances), swings, counting.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
This is one of the most characteristic, and at the same time most peculiar, movements of Indian dancing.