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General Knowledge · Class 6 · Culture, art and sport

Classical dance and music

A dancer can tell a whole story without a single word. How?

Small test at the end: scroll down to the end of this page for five short questions that check what you have learnt. Tap an answer, then press Check answer. Go to the questions ↓

Jump to: Read first · Try it away from the screen · Check it yourself · Check yourself · For teachers

Read first

6 facts. The questions below make you use them, not just remember them.

  1. India has eight dance forms recognised as classical, including Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (north India), Kathakali (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odissi (Odisha), Manipuri, Mohiniyattam (Kerala) and Sattriya (Assam).
  2. Classical dancers tell stories with mudras (hand gestures), eye movements and facial expressions. Kathakali dancers wear large painted faces and costumes.
  3. Indian classical music has two main traditions: Hindustani in the north and Carnatic in the south.
  4. A raga is a set of notes with rules for how a melody moves. Some ragas are meant for a particular time of day or season. The seven basic notes are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.
  5. Tala is the rhythm cycle. Teentaal, common in Hindustani music, has 16 beats in each cycle.
  6. M. S. Subbulakshmi, a Carnatic singer, was the first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna, India's highest award, in 1998.

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Try it away from the screen

Clap a rhythm of 16 beats: clap on beats 1, 5 and 13, and wave your hand on beat 9. Repeat it with a friend or family member until you can do it together.

Make it on paper. Keep it with you. Nothing to upload.

Check it yourself

Many online videos say "the oldest dance" or "the oldest raga". Ask how anyone could know. Look for what a museum, an Akademi or a music scholar says.

Check yourself

Five questions about what this page teaches. Choose an answer and press Check answer, or open "See the answer and why". Nothing is saved or sent: your choices stay on this screen and disappear when you leave or reload the page.

  1. Question 1 of 5Which classical dance from Kerala is known for its large painted faces?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Odissi Not this one. Odissi comes from Odisha.
    • B. Bharatanatyam Not this one. Bharatanatyam comes from Tamil Nadu, and its dancers do not paint their faces like that.
    • C. Kathak Not this one. Kathak has a similar name, but it comes from north India and is known for fast footwork and spins.
    • D. Kathakali Correct. Yes. Kathakali dancers use bold face paint and big costumes.
  2. Question 2 of 5Teentaal has 16 beats in each cycle. A tabla player plays 5 full cycles. How many beats is that?

    See the answer and why
    • A. 21 Not this one. That adds 16 and 5. Five cycles of 16 means multiply.
    • B. 80 Correct. Yes. 16 × 5 = 80 beats.
    • C. 60 Not this one. That would be 5 cycles of 12 beats.
    • D. 85 Not this one. Check: 16 × 5 is 80, not 85.
  3. Question 3 of 5Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha... which note comes next?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Sa, sung lower than the first one Not this one. After Ni, Sa comes again, higher, not lower.
    • B. Ga Not this one. Ga is the third note. It already came.
    • C. Ni Correct. Yes. Ni completes the seven notes, and then Sa comes again, higher.
    • D. Do Not this one. Do is the first note in the Western scale, not part of the sargam.
  4. Question 4 of 5How are Hindustani and Carnatic music mainly different?

    See the answer and why
    • A. One uses ragas and the other does not use ragas at all Not this one. Both traditions are built on ragas.
    • B. One is sung, and the other is only played Not this one. Both traditions have singers and instruments.
    • C. One is new and the other is old Not this one. Both are centuries old.
    • D. They are traditions of north and south India Correct. Yes. Both use ragas and talas, in their own ways.
  5. Question 5 of 5Who was the first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna?

    See the answer and why
    • A. M. S. Subbulakshmi Correct. Yes. She received it in 1998.
    • B. Bismillah Khan Not this one. The shehnai player Bismillah Khan received it in 2001.
    • C. Lata Mangeshkar Not this one. Lata Mangeshkar received it in 2001, after Subbulakshmi.
    • D. Ravi Shankar Not this one. The sitar player Ravi Shankar received it in 1999.

For teachers and grown-upsWhere the facts come from, and how to use this round.

Sources and notes
  • The Sangeet Natak Akademi lists eight classical dance forms; the Ministry of Culture also lists Chhau, making nine in some lists.
  • Teentaal: 16 beats in four groups of 4, with claps on 1, 5 and 13 and a wave (khali) on 9.
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