Three types of Dance

Amarakośa (I. 6.10; p. 50) discusses the three types of dance namely naṭana, nāṭya and nṛtya.

(a) Naṭana:

Naṭana is represented by tāṇḍava and Kṣīrasvāmin explains it as that type of dance created by sage taṇḍu which is full of vigorous movements, set in ārabhaṭi vṛtti with suitable music–

tatroddhatakaraṇāṅga—
hāranirvartyamārabhaṭīvṛttipradhānaṃ gītakānusāritvādādau taṇḍunā praṇītaṃ tāṇḍavam |

(b) Lāsya

Lāsya which is nṛtya, is full of delicate movements representing soft emotions like śṛṅgāra, set in kaiśikī vṛtti and presents the story of heroines like Vāsavasajjikā.

He adds, in consonance with Nāṭyaśāstra (IV. 269) that it is allowable to be performed on the occasions of marriages, child-birth and such prosperous times–

lalitāṅgahārābhinayaṃ kaiśikīvṛttipradhānaṃ vāsaka—
sajjādināyikācaritaṃ ḍocilikādinibaddhaṃ śliṣṭatvāllāsyam |
nṛtyaṃ tvaṅgavikṣepamātraṃ vivāhābhyudayādau |

(c) Nāṭya:

Amarakośa while defining nāṭya says that it is tauryatrika^[1] meaning that it is formed by the combination of nṛtya-gīta-vādya.

Kṣīrasvāmin adds that nāṭya or drama comprises of all the rasas, the pañcasandhis, the four vṛttis and of actions related to ten types of drama—

nāṭyaṃ tu sarvarasaṃ pañcasandhi caturvṛtti daśarūpakāśrayaṃ naṭakarma |
tadāha—nṛtyadi trayaṃ samuditaṃ—
tūryasyedaṃ tripramāṇaṃ tauryatrikaṃ nāṭyaṃ ca |

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

tauryatrikaṃ nṛtya—gīta—vādhyaṃ nāṭyamidaṃ trayam |