Dance, You and Creativity – Class 7 Arts Chapter 12 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 7ArtsChapter 12NCERT book: Kriti - Arts Class 7

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 12 of the NCERT Class 7 Arts book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 12: Dance, You and Creativity (Dance and Movement)

Introduction

After exploring the upper torso, lower torso, arms and legs, this chapter turns to the hips — the kati, another body part named in the Natyashastra. It then looks at how dance traditions go beyond boundaries (male dancers playing female roles), how dance changed during the national movement, and how Indian dance reached the cinema screen. Finally, you create your own dance.

Key Ideas

1. Movements of the hips

Hip movements in Indian dance express the rhythm and emotion of the song with grace, precision and fluidity. The book shows four kinds:

Twisting of the hip — Garba uses twisting in its style of turning.

Side to side — seen in many folk dances, for example Kalbelia.

Back and front — seen in dances like Bihu and Chhau.

Circular — think of rotating a hula hoop; could a snake dance have circular hip movements? The book shows the Sapera dance of Rajasthan.

2. Traditions and transformations: beyond boundaries

There was a strong tradition of female solo dancers across India who enacted stories and poems in many roles, while some male dancers performed in the garb of women.

Example: the famous Kuchipudi dancer Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, who performed in female costume.

In dance-drama traditions, male dancers often played women's roles, and the costume decided the character. Chhau uses masks.

Both traditions below now welcome women.

3. Bhagavata Mela Natakam — Melattur, Tamil Nadu

A dance-drama tradition of southern India. The book links its roots to the village of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh, with Tirtha Narayana Yati and Siddhendra Yogi as the main figures.

After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, some bhagavatars moved to Melattur, Thanjavur, patronised by the Nayaka kings.

Scholars Gopal Krishna Shastri and his son Venkatrama Shastri became disciples of Narayana Tirtha Yati. Patrons Achyutappa Nayak and Sevappa Nayak gifted the village, which became a centre of fine arts.

In the early 20th century the famous bhagavatar was Natesha Iyer; the troupe continued under G. Swaminathan. E. Krishna Iyer helped revive the tradition with the Madras Music Academy in 1950.

Main performance: Prahlada Charitam at the Varadaraja Perumal temple during Narasimha Jayanti (May or June). Traditionally men play the women's roles.

4. Ankiya Bhaona — Assam

Ankiya Nat is a dance-drama tradition of Assam that developed in the 15th century CE, following Vaishnava singing and dancing.

Namghars and sattras were set up where male monks performed stories from the Bhagavata Purana.

Bhaona is a presentation of ankiya nat combining live instruments, singers, dance and elaborate costumes. Masks are important props (for example, a Sita mask).

It begins with a Sanskrit benediction, and the songs are in Brajaboli.

The most important centre is the Kamalabari Sattra in Majuli, Assam.

5. Dance in transition — the national movement

Rabindranath Tagore founded Vishwabharati University at Shantiniketan in 1921, one of the first fine arts universities. It developed a new dance vocabulary from traditional dances, known as Rabindra Nritya, and he pioneered professional dance for women.

Uday Shankar, perhaps the pioneer of modern Indian dance, began his career in 1920 dancing with Anna Pavlova, with no formal training. He blended classical, folk, traditional and tribal dance into the Uday Shankar Style. His dance film Kalpana (1948) remains unparalleled.

6. Choreography: from stage to screen

Mughal-e-Azam — choreographed by Lacchu Maharaj

Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje — by Gopi Krishna

M S Subbulakshmi, a Bharat Ratna awardee, performed abhinaya sequences in her films; many south Indian actresses were accomplished Bharatanatyam dancers.

Kahe Ched Ched Mohe — choreographed by Birju Maharaj

Garba and many other folk forms appear in films across India.

Activities in the Chapter

Activity 12.1 – Dance with Hip Movements: observe hip movements in Indian dances, try them, and create a dance with characters and animals using suitable hip movements.

Activity 12.2 – My Character Determines Costume and Movement: choose a character (for example, a lady's movement with side-to-side hips, or a peacock with front-and-back hips), and use a hip movement and/or a mask to portray it.

Rabindra Nritya / Uday Shankar: try two lines of Rabindra Nritya and a few phrases from Kalpana.

Activity 12.3 – My Creative Dance: work in groups of 1, 2, 3 and 4 to create movement phrases, then join them into one complete choreography with music, rhythm, character and emotion.

Key Terms

Kati — hip / waist (कटि)

Choreography — composing and arranging a dance (नृत्य-संयोजन)

Dance-drama — a story performed through dance (नृत्य-नाटिका)

Bhagavatar — a performer in the Bhagavata Mela tradition (भागवतार)

Namghar — prayer/community hall in Assam (नामघर)

Sattra — Vaishnava monastery in Assam (सत्र)

Bhaona — Assamese dance-drama presentation (भाओना)

Brajaboli — the language of Ankiya Nat songs (ब्रजबुलि)

Mask — face covering for a character (मुखौटा)

Rabindra Nritya — Tagore's dance style (रवीन्द्र नृत्य)

Contemporary dance — modern dance style (समकालीन नृत्य)

Abhinaya — expressive acting (अभिनय)

Artists & Traditions Mentioned

Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, Natesha Iyer, G. Swaminathan, E. Krishna Iyer, Rabindranath Tagore, Uday Shankar, Anna Pavlova, Lacchu Maharaj, Gopi Krishna, M S Subbulakshmi, Birju Maharaj; Garba, Kalbelia, Bihu, Chhau, Sapera dance, Bhagavata Mela, Ankiya Bhaona.

Connect to Your Life

Watch a dance song from a film with your family and look for classical or folk movements in it. Can you tell which hip movement a dancer uses?

Common Mistakes

Thinking only women performed female roles — in Bhagavata Mela and Ankiya Bhaona, men traditionally played them.

Mixing up the two founders: Tagore founded Vishwabharati (1921); Uday Shankar began dancing with Anna Pavlova (1920).

Placing Ankiya Bhaona outside Assam or Bhagavata Mela outside Tamil Nadu.

Let's Reflect

Which hip movement felt most natural to you?

How did a mask or costume change the way you moved as a character?

What did you learn from composing a dance as a group?

💡 Key Learning Points

✓Hip (kati) movements include twisting (Garba), side to side (Kalbelia), back and front (Bihu, Chhau) and circular
✓In Bhagavata Mela (Melattur) and Ankiya Bhaona (Assam), men traditionally played women's roles
✓Ankiya Bhaona uses masks, a Sanskrit benediction and Brajaboli songs; its main centre is Kamalabari Sattra, Majuli
✓Tagore (Vishwabharati, 1921, Rabindra Nritya) and Uday Shankar (from 1920; film Kalpana, 1948) shaped modern Indian dance
✓Indian dance reached cinema through choreographers like Lacchu Maharaj, Gopi Krishna and Birju Maharaj

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Warm up with a hula hoop to show circular hip movement, then compare with side-to-side and front-and-back
→Show short clips of Garba, Kalbelia, Bihu, Chhau and the Sapera dance for Activity 12.1
→Use mask-making skills from the theatre section for Activity 12.2
→Discuss gender roles openly: let every student try any character, as the book encourages
→Show clips of Rabindra Nritya and Uday Shankar's Kalpana and have students copy a few phrases
→Let students watch film dance songs named in the book (the teacher chooses suitable ones)
→For Activity 12.3, give each group a clear phrase to compose, then join them in a class rehearsal

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the student demonstrate the four hip movements and name a dance for each?
Can the student explain where Bhagavata Mela and Ankiya Bhaona come from and who traditionally played female roles?
Can the student state Tagore's and Uday Shankar's contributions with dates?
Does the student creatively use a mask or prop to portray a character?
Can the student contribute a phrase to a group choreography?

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