Gati in Theory and Practice
by Dr. Sujatha Mohan | 2015 | 88,445 words
This page relates ‘Nritya Nataka’ of the study on the Theory and Practice of Gati (“gait”) which refers to the “movement of a character on the stage”, commonly employed (as a Sanskrit technical term) in ancient Indian Theatrics and the Dramatic arts, also known as Natya-shastra. This thesis explores the history and evolution of Gati and also investigates how the various Gatis are employed in regional performance traditions.
Nṛtya Nāṭaka
[Full title: Desi forms of Tamilnadu (3): Nṛtya Nāṭaka]
The uparūpakas paved way for the geyanāṭakas and nṛtyanāṭakas. Its origin can be traced back to the Gita Govinda. These were combination of poetry, music, dance and mime. Abhinaya plays a greater part than nṛtta. In an nṛtya nāṭaka or dance-drama, dance is an integral part of the play, nṛtta and abhinaya are equally prominent.The Kṛṣṇlīlā taraṅgiṇī of Narayana Tirtha is an opera in the Sanskrit language consists of taraṅgas, ślokas, cūrṇikas, crisp musical dialogues and the darus interspersed with jatis are to be noted. The various kinds of daru songs such as samvādadaru, uttara-pratyuttaradaru, pātrapraveśadaru, svāgatadaru and varṇanadaru, which are similar to the dhruvas of the Nāṭyaśāstra, are seen in these nāṭakas. These had many varieties of song based on rhythm. The gati (rhythm) would change according to mood of the character and theme of the story. In the pallakīsevas, the dancers sung and danced in rhythmic steps holding the palanquin, which had a variety of movements and gaits. In the nṛtya nāṭaka, dancing is an integral part of the play. Each character has to keep on dancing and acting. In the dance drama, the sahitya, acting, music and dancing together combine to create the intended rasa.