A Presentation of Dance and Choreography – Class 8 Arts Chapter 14 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 8ArtsChapter 14NCERT book: Kriti - Arts Class 8

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 14 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 14: A Presentation of Dance and Choreography (Dance)

Introduction

In ancient texts like the Nāṭyaśhāstra and Abhinaya Darpaṇam, dance was called nr̥tta and nr̥tya (or nartana), and dance-drama was called nāṭya. This final Dance chapter tells the legend of how dance came to Earth, and then guides you through creating your own full dance production.

Key Ideas

1. The Birth of Dance (from the Abhinaya Darpaṇam)

Brahma Deva, drawing from all four Vedas, created the Nāṭya Veda — often called the fifth Veda.

He gave it to Bharata Muni, who mastered nr̥tta, nr̥tya and nāṭya.

Bharata Muni, with Gandharvas (heavenly musicians) and Apsarās (heavenly dancers), gave the first performance.

Mahadeva, watching, was pleased and had his gana Tandu teach the vigorous tandava; the sages then taught it to humans.

Devi Parvati taught Bharata Muni the graceful lasya. She also taught lasya to Usha, daughter of King Bana; Usha taught the gopis of Dwarka, who taught the women of Saurashtra. That is how dance reached the Earth.

2. Stories for Dance

Legends from the Puranas, Jataka Tales and Panchatantra make beautiful visual spectacles with deep moral messages, and can be reinterpreted for today.

Example — the descent of Ganga: the strength and resolve of Devi Ganga; nature and the gods working together (Mahadeva controlling her force); King Bhagirath's faith and perseverance; and a modern link — rivers are polluted today and must be kept clean.

3. Creating Your Dance Production

Phase 1: Planning and Pre-Production

Theme and storyline — choose a myth, legend or historical story and give it a twist for today; decide on a script, how many dances, and what each tells.

Style of dance and groups — styles that fit the theme; number of groups and people; props.

Music selection — recorded, composed, or live music by students.

Roles and responsibilities — Director/Co-ordinator, Choreographer, Performers, Script writer, Music director, Set and prop designer, Lighting and tech crew, Costume and make-up designer, Marketing team.

Use other subjects — Theatre (script, acting), Visual Arts (sets, costume, make-up, props), Music (instruments, songs, score), Maths and Computing (budgets, timing, lighting cues).

Venue and dates — hall, stage or outdoors; rehearsal schedule and performance date.

Phase 2: Choreography and Rehearsals

Break the story into scenes; explore movements and emotions for each character.

Use sthānas, chāris, hastas, plus breath, rhythm and silence.

Regular rehearsals with clear goals; teach group by group; try interesting formations; smooth entrances and exits; review and tweak.

Production design: finalise props, costumes, lights and sound; dress rehearsal; technical rehearsal.

Like building a house, planning is the deep foundation — it must come first.

Phase 3: Performance

Grand rehearsal — a full show on the main stage with a few invited viewers giving feedback.

Final performance — enjoy the show!

Reflections — post-show feedback.

Assessment (Summative) Examples

Individual: perform one nṛtta and one nṛtya sequence; express two bhāvas with suitable hastas and explain your thinking; demonstrate a sequence with posture, movement and breath; complete a dance project.

Group of 3–4: choreograph a sequence on a current social issue; develop and present a story-based performance.

Criteria include clarity of movement and breath, sequencing and rhythm, accurate hastas with emotion, originality, and teamwork.

Key Terms

Nr̥tta — pure dance (नृत्त)

Nr̥tya / nartana — expressive dance (नृत्य / नर्तन)

Nāṭya — dance-drama (नाट्य)

Nāṭya Veda — the fifth Veda (नाट्यवेद)

Tandava — vigorous dance (तांडव)

Lasya — graceful dance (लास्य)

Gandharva — heavenly musician (गंधर्व)

Apsarā — heavenly dancer (अप्सरा)

Choreographer — designer of dances (नृत्य-निर्देशक)

Dress rehearsal — practice in full costume (पूर्वाभ्यास)

Pre-production — planning before creating (पूर्व-निर्माण)

Connect to Your Life

Plan a short production for a school event: choose a local legend, link it to a problem your town faces today, and list who will do each job.

Common Mistakes

Jumping into choreography without planning — planning is the foundation.

Mixing up tandava (vigorous, via Tandu) and lasya (graceful, via Devi Parvati).

Skipping the technical rehearsal, then facing lighting or sound problems on the day.

Forgetting to reflect and take feedback after the show.

Let's Reflect

Which role would you choose in a production and why?

How would you retell a legend so it speaks to today's audience?

💡 Key Learning Points

✓Ancient texts call dance nr̥tta and nr̥tya (nartana) and dance-drama nāṭya.
✓In the legend, Brahma created the Nāṭya Veda, Bharata Muni performed it, Tandu taught tandava and Devi Parvati taught lasya.
✓Legends like the descent of Ganga can be reinterpreted to carry messages for today.
✓A dance production has three phases: planning and pre-production, choreography and rehearsals, and performance.
✓A production needs many roles and draws on theatre, visual arts, music and maths.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Tell the legend of the birth of dance as a story, then let students act it out briefly.
→Give each group a legend and ask them to find a modern message in it, as with Ganga.
→Use a production planning chart with the three phases and deadlines.
→Let students choose roles based on their strengths; rotate so everyone tries more than one.
→Hold a real dress rehearsal and technical rehearsal before the final show.
→Invite another class to the grand rehearsal to give feedback.
→Use the summative assessment criteria as a rubric shared with students in advance.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the student narrate the legend of how dance reached the Earth?
Can the student explain the difference between nr̥tta, nr̥tya and nāṭya?
Can the student list the three phases of a production and key tasks in each?
Does the student participate actively and collaboratively in their production role?
Does the final performance use movement, music, costume, space and expression creatively?

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