Dances of Asia

About The Book

The book offers a veritable panorama of folk and classical dances of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Java, Bali, Thailand, Tibet, Korea, Philippines, China and Okinawa (Japan). Much field study has gone in to the making of this survey which is profoundly lavish in the background detail and treatment of numerous important dances, classical and folk. The celebrated Indian system of hand mudras, expressions, gestures and poses formalised by Bharata Muni in his famous Natya Sastra, later finding a way to other areas of the East is dealt with and compared with similar formalised practices elsewhere in Asia with remarkable clarity and precision.

The author reads an essential unity into the overall dance activity in Asia. The outcome is comprehensive and exclusive dance map of Asia framing the current dance scene in the East.

Written by Prof. Kiitsu Sakakibara, of Tokyo Dance School, a patriarch of Asian Dances, the book encyclopedic in approach and treatment has been profusely illustrated with colour and black & white photographs and sketches. DANCES OF ASIA rightfully earns a pride of place in the dance annals of the world.

About Author

Prof. Kiitsu Sakakibala was born in 1910. He graduated from Waseda University (Tokyo) in 1934 in Indian Philosophy. For a. term. he served as lecturer in Padagogy and religion at Nippon University (Japan). He travelled to India in 1952 and was much influenced by the Classical Indian Dance. A dance exponent by now, he made a number of trips to India and other Asian countries with his dance group. His performances won instant ovation. From then on he has been actively associated with the dance movement in his country and outside. He set up many dance academies in Japan and contributed richly to building friendship among the Asian peoples.

In 1987, he was conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta (India). At present he is running Sakakibara Dance Academy in Tokyo with more than 100 branches all over the world.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

1. DANCES OF INDIA

• Gods & Goddesses of Indian Myths

• Origin of Indian Dance

• Aesthetics of Indian Dance

• Use of Mudras in Indian Dance

• Classical Dances of India

• Folk dances of India

2. DANCES OF SRI LANKA

• Religious/ Classical dances

• Folk dances

3. DANCES OF PAKISTAN &. BANGLADESH

• Classical Dances

• Folk Dances

4. DANCES OF BURMA

• Characteristics of Burmese Dance

• Festivals

• Classical Dances

• Folk Dances

5. DANCES OF THAILAND

• Origin of Thai dance

• Themes & Kinds of Thai dances

• Mudras& Poses

• Musical Instruments

6. DANCES OF INDONESIA

• The world of Ancient Indonesian People

• Dance in Bali & Java

• Musical Instruments

7. DANCES OF PHILIPPINES

• Characteristics

• Classical/Folk dances

8. DANCES OF TIBET

• Lamaism

• Gar Hcham

• Folk dances

9. DANCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

• Background of Korean dance

• Mythological origin of Korean dance

• Classical dances

• Folk dances

10. DANCES OF CHINA

• Myths

• Classical dances, their poses, forms & expressions

• Dances with sleeves, Fans, Swords, Hossou, Handkerchief, Etc.

• Folk dances

• Dances of the various China Races

11. DANCES OF OKINAWA (JAPAN)

• Origin of Okinawan dance

• Myths in Okinawa (Japan)

• Folk dances

• Ancient dances

• Comparative study of Various myths and dances of Asia

Index