Innovation, Inclusivity and Inspiring Change – Class 8 Arts Chapter 13 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 8ArtsChapter 13NCERT book: Kriti - Arts Class 8

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 13 of the NCERT Class 8 Arts book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 13: Innovation, Inclusivity and Inspiring Change (Dance)

Introduction

The deeper the roots of a tree, the higher the branches reach.

The more deeply you know your dance traditions, the more you can create and innovate. This chapter looks at how dancers innovate (including by using martial arts), how dance includes everyone, and how dance can inspire social change.

Key Ideas

1. Innovation in Dance

Movement and rhythm are everywhere — birds fluttering, leaves quivering, grass swaying, sweeping with a broom, picking tea leaves. Any of these can become a dance movement.

A strong foundation + observation + experience + original thought = unique dance.

2. Integrating Allied Forms — Martial Arts

Chhau developed with the martial traditions of phari khanda.

Kalaripayattu (Kerala): one of the oldest martial arts in the world. Legend links it to the sage Parashurama, said to have created Kerala; research connects it to the Sangam period (600–300 BCE). Developed for self-defence; training is based on the marma knowledge of Ayurveda; movements are based on animal stances.

Thang-Ta (Manipur): means the 'Art of Sword and Spear'. It harmonises inner energy with outer action through rhythmic breath control, is ritualistic, and all movements of the Meitei people are believed to come from it.

Chandralekha pioneered combining kalaripayattu and yoga with Bharatanatyam.

3. Pioneers of Creative Choreography

All received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for creative choreography.

Narendra Sharma — senior student of Uday Shankar; socially relevant dance dramas; free dance movement for children; over 40 works including Kamayani (1970), Wolf-Boy (1977), Antim Adhyaya (1985) and Gandhi (2007).

Acharya Parvatikumar — dance dramas Discovery of India, Rhythm of Culture, Dekh Teri Bambai; showed dabbawalas with Kathak footwork and a police–thief chase using hu-tu-tu; the only Guru to research and choreograph Raja Sarfoji II's Marathi compositions in Bharatanatyam; turned the Abhinaya Darpaṇam into an audio-visual form.

Chandralekha — Angika (Bharatanatyam vocabulary from the Abhinaya Darpaṇa + kalaripayattu), Lilavati (based on Bhaskaracharya's mathematics), Prana (yoga and breath); films The Myth of Woman (1976) and Hasta (1984).

Kumudini Lakhia — Kathak pioneer who changed the solo format into group choreography with contemporary themes. Asking "Where do I go from here?" led to Atah Kim; other works: Dhabkar (Pulse), The Coat, Feathered Cloth (Hagoromo).

4. Inclusivity in Dance

More dancers now create work accessible to all, including the differently-abled; teachers work with people of all ages and abilities.

Dance is beyond gender — traditions once mostly male have opened to women; most folk traditions have men and women dancing together.

On 26 January 2025, India's 76th Republic Day, the Ministry of Culture set a Guinness World Record with over 5,000 folk and tribal artists performing on Kartavya Path, New Delhi — the largest ensemble of folk and tribal artists at a single venue, symbolising unity in diversity.

5. Inspiring Change

During the freedom movement, song and dance inspired everyone; dance still addresses issues from gender discrimination to climate change.

JNMDA, Imphal (the premier Manipuri institution) premiered *Keibul Lamjao* in 1985, based on M. K. Binodini Devi's script, about conserving the Sangai deer.

Activities in the Chapter

13.1 Watch and Learn — practise one or two martial-arts movements with a practitioner or teacher.

13.2 Dance the Now — choreograph a dance on a social issue (e.g. the environment, cleanliness — Swachh Bharat song).

13.3 Dance for All — find ways to make dance accessible to differently-abled people.

13.4 Inspiring Change — what change can your dance prompt?

13.5 Dance Beyond Gender — research a transgender dance artist and present it in a journal.

Key Terms

Innovation — bringing in something new (नवाचार)

Inclusivity — including everyone (समावेशिता)

Allied forms — related arts such as martial arts (संबद्ध कलाएँ)

Kalaripayattu — martial art of Kerala (कलरीपयट्टु)

Thang-Ta — Manipuri art of sword and spear (थांग-ता)

Marma — vital points in Ayurveda (मर्म)

Choreography — designing dance (नृत्य-संरचना)

Ensemble — a group performing together (समूह)

Differently-abled — people with disabilities (दिव्यांग)

Conservation — protection (संरक्षण)

Connect to Your Life

Pick an everyday action you see at home — kneading dough, folding clothes — and turn it into a dance movement. Can a dance at your school carry a message about cleanliness or saving water?

Common Mistakes

Thinking innovation means dropping tradition — the chapter says deep roots make new growth possible.

Mixing up Kalaripayattu (Kerala) and Thang-Ta (Manipur).

Confusing the choreographers: Kumudini Lakhia (Kathak group work, Atah Kim) vs Chandralekha (kalaripayattu + Bharatanatyam, Angika).

Wrong details for the record: it was the 76th Republic Day, 26 January 2025, with over 5,000 artists.

Let's Reflect

What does inclusivity mean to you?

Which social issue would you choose for your dance, and which movements would show it?

💡 Key Learning Points

✓A strong foundation in tradition plus observation and original ideas leads to innovation in dance.
✓Martial arts like Kalaripayattu (Kerala) and Thang-Ta (Manipur) have been integrated into dance.
✓Pioneers — Narendra Sharma, Acharya Parvatikumar, Chandralekha, Kumudini Lakhia — created new choreography with contemporary themes.
✓Dance is inclusive: accessible to the differently-abled and beyond gender.
✓Dance can inspire change — from the freedom movement to environmental messages like Keibul Lamjao.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Start with a 'movement from everyday life' game: students mime a daily action, then stylise it into dance.
→Show short clips of Kalaripayattu and Thang-Ta, then a choreography that uses them.
→Assign each group one pioneer to research and present with one work and its theme.
→For Activity 13.2, let groups pick issues relevant to your school or town.
→Discuss inclusivity respectfully; invite students to suggest how the school's dance events could include everyone.
→Show photos of the 2025 Republic Day ensemble and discuss unity in diversity.
→Handle Activity 13.5 with care and sensitivity, focusing on the artists' contributions.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the student explain how martial arts have been integrated into dance, with examples?
Can the student name two pioneering choreographers and one work of each?
Can the student explain what inclusivity in dance means with an example?
Does the student's group choreography communicate a clear social message?
Can the student recall the Keibul Lamjao production and its message?

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← Previous: Chapter 12Dance for Well-being Next: Chapter 14 →A Presentation of Dance and Choreography