Abhinaya
Top
Acting in the classical Indian tradition. The prefix abhi means ‘towards’ and the root of naya is ni, which means ‘to lead’, thus abhinaya signifies leading the spectators towards theatrical pleasure. As delineated in Bharata's Natyasastra, the ancient Sanskrit text on Indian aesthetics and dramaturgy, the god Brahma combined the elements of acting from the four Veda (sacred scriptures): recitation from the Rigveda, music from the Samaveda, mimetic art from the Yajurveda, and sentiments from the Atharvaveda. Out of a combination of these Veda he created the fifth Veda, the Natyaveda or the Natyasastra, the scripture or canonical text for dramatic and musical art.
Abhinaya is made up of four components of acting: angika (the body), vacika (the voice), sattvika (mental states), and aharya (costumes, make-up, scenery). The interrelationship of these four elements constitutes the Indian concept of acting. Acting with the body is delineated in many chapters of the Natyasastra, dealing with karanas and angaharas. Karanas refer to movements in space from one static posture to another, including angas (major parts, like the head, hands, chest, and feet) and upangas (minor parts, notably the eyes, eyebrows, and nose). There are 108 karanas enumerated in the text. Angaharas are combinations of five or six karanas forming a sequence of movements. There are 32 such combinations. Hastabhinaya is acting with hand gestures (hastas), which are classified as asamyuta when they are shown with one palm of the hand and samyuta when both hands are used. Bharata has codified 24 single hand gestures and thirteen gestures with both the hands. There are also 29 nritta hastas used in dance.
Two distinct modes of acting described in the Natyasastra are lokadharmi and natyadharmi, by which the style of representation and the delivery of movement and speech are identified. Lokadharmi, which draws its inspiration from loukik (worldly) situations, is found in diverse forms of folk theatre incorporating movements, gestures, speech, music, and costumes that relate to real life. Acting in the natyadharmi mode, however, is extraordinary, stylized, suggestive, abstract, and graceful, with embellishments of ideas drawn from the dramatic text. Lokadharmi and natyadharmi are not contradictory, as their difference in representational acting is merely one of degree. Sattvika abhinaya refers to the subtle dimensions of acting that relate to the mind. The ability of the actor to identify with the character and internalize his or her state of consciousness plays a part in the combining of the psychophysical aspects of acting.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Abhinaya
For the film actress, see Abhinaya (actress).
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
Abhinaya is a concept in Indian dance and drama derived from Bharata's Natya Shastra. Although now, the word has come to mean 'the art of expression', etymologically it derives from Sanskrit abhi- 'towards' + nii- 'leading/guide', so literally it means a 'leading towards' (leading the audience towards a sentiment, a rasa)
Aside from its clear impact on dramatic tradition, it is used as an integral part of all the Indian classical dance styles, which all feature some kind of mimetic aspect to certain compositions, for example in depictions of daily life or devotional pieces.
|
Contents
|
Lokadharmi and Natyadharmi Abhinaya
A principal division is that between natyadharmi abhinaya and lokadharmi abhinaya. The former is poetic and stylistic in nature, following a codified manner of presenting emotion and expression which pertains to the conventions of the stage, which appear to have greater 'artistry' by virtue of taking something from natural life and rendering it in a suitably stylised way. Lokadharmi abhinaya is the opposite: realistic and un-stylised, involving very natural expression and movement, as occurs in daily life. Often this is the more difficult as the possibilities for interpretation of an emotion or a line of poetry are endless.
The Four Ingredients of Abhinaya
Abhinaya can further be divided into four categories, as set down by the Natya Shastra.[1]
Āṅgika Abhinaya
This relates to the movement of the body, and how the thing to be expressed is portrayed by movement of the anga or limbs, which include facial expressions. There are different schools of Abhinaya, with the expressions ranging from the grotesque to the understated, from the crude to the refined. Āngika abhinaya forms either Padartha abhinaya (when the artiste delineates each word of the lyrics with gestures and expressions), or Vaakyartha abhinaya (where the dancer acts out an entire stanza or a sentence).
Vāchika Abhinaya
This relates to how expression is carried out through speech. It is obviously therefore more overtly used in drama, but also in music: in how the singer expresses the emotion through his or her singing. Traces of Vāchika Abhinaya are preserved in Kuchipudi and Melattur style of Bharatanatyam where the dancers often mouth the words of the songs to support Padartha abhinaya. Kerala still has on stage art forms (Naatya) whicn have Vāchika Abhinaya as a dominant component - Koodiyattam, Nangyar Kooothu, Ottan, Seetangan & Parayan - the tree types of Thullal, Mudiyettu are the most popular ones.
Āhārya Abhinaya
Another means of representation of the play is indeed the costumes and physical decorations of the actors and the theatre. in dramas, and dance dramas, costume and making distinguish the sex, race, sect or class or the social position of the characters, giving the production of the presentation some semblance of reality. the decoration of the stage theatre including lights and accessories related to the scene depicted which enchanes the rasa between the audience and artists also comes under this category.
Aharya Abhinaya is very prominent in kathakali where there are totally different dress and makeup for 4 different characters. for e.g.: The good characters have packha vesham (green makeup) untile the demons are evil characters have kati vesham in which the nose is painted red. but in solo dance performancs, aharya abhinaya is as per convention.
Sāttvika Abhinaya
Sāttvika Abhinaya is often confused with facial expressions, which belong to Āngika Abhinaya. Sāttvika Abhinaya is the mental message, emotion or image communicated to the spectators through eyes. The dancer or actor has to bring of their own experiences something which will be authentic and capture the audience and elicit an empathetic response in them.
Notes
- ^ Tarla Mehta (1995). Sanskrit Play Production. Motilal Banarsidass.pp.131-186
Further reading
See also
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance. © 2003
Oxford University Press.
All rights reserved.
Read more
