Abhinaya (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''abhi-'' 'towards' + ''nii-'' 'leading/guide') is the art of expression in

Indian aesthetics Indian art evolved with an emphasis on inducing special spiritual or philosophical states in the audience, or with representing them symbolically. Rasas in the performing arts The theory of rasas still forms the aesthetic underpinning of a ...

. More accurately it means "leading an audience towards" the experience (') of a sentiment ('). The concept, derived from Bharata Muni's ''

Natya Shastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary ...

'', is used as an integral part of all Indian classical dance styles. ''Abhinaya'' can be divided into four, according to the ''

''. pp. 131–186

Expression of the limbs (''Āṅgika Abhinaya'')

Angika Abhinaya denotes the movements of angas like head, hands, waist and face. Pratyangas like shoulder, shoulder arm's, thighs, knees and elbows and upangas like eyes, eyelid, cheeks, nose, lips and teeth. Additional hastas (hand gestures) have always played a significant role in conveyance of the emotion and through of a soul. Many of the natural gestures are found common to mankind and their meaning easily understood.

Expression of speech (''Vāchika Abhinaya'')

Speech is used in drama and also in music when the singer expresses the emotion through his or her singing. In the

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

and

Melattur style {{Use Indian English, date=July 2020 The Melattur style of Bharatanatyam dance was developed largely out of the devadasi traditions and Melattur Bhagavata Mela by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer (1900–1980), a sanyasi following Srividya Upasana. He ...

s of Indian classical dance the dancers often mouth the words of the songs (''padartha abhinaya''). Kerala still has stage art forms that have ''Vāchika Abhinaya'' as a dominant component - Koodiyattam, Nangyar Kooothu, Ottan, Seetangan & Parayan - the three types of Thullal, Mudiyettu are the most popular.

Costume and scene (''Āhārya Abhinaya'')

Another means of representation of the play is indeed the costumes and physical decorations of the actors and the theatre. In dramas and dance dramas, costume and making are distinguished by the sex, race, sect or class, or the social position of the characters, giving the production of the presentation some semblance of reality. The decorations of the stage theatre including lights and accessories are related to the scene of the depiction in which enhances the rasa between the audience and artists also comes under this category.

In kathakali there are totally different dresses and makeup for 4 different characters; the good characters have green makeup while the demons have Kati vesham in which the nose is painted red. But in

solo dance A solo dance is a dance done by an individual dancing alone, as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any, and as opposed to groups of people dancing simultaneously in a coordinated manner. ...

performances ''aharya abhinaya'' is a convention to it.

True expression (''Sāttvika Abhinaya'')

''Sāttvika Abhinaya'' is the mental message, emotion or image communicated with the audience through the performer's own inner emotions. The dancer or actor has to use experience, something authentic, to capture the audience and to elicit an empathetic response. The human activity in other words, is traditionally classified as belonging to the mind, voice and body. Bharatha Muni in Natyashastra mentioned that is something originated in mind.

Lokadharmi and Natyadharmi Abhinaya

A principal division is that between ''natyadharmi abhinaya'' and ''lokadharmi abhinaya''. The former is poetic and stylistic in nature, following a codified manner of presenting emotion and expression which pertains to the conventions of the stage, which appear to have greater 'artistry' by virtue of taking something from natural life and rendering it in a suitably stylised way. ''Lokadharmi abhinaya'' is the opposite: realistic and un-stylised, involving very natural expression and movement, as occurs in daily life. Often this is the more difficult as the possibilities for interpretation of an emotion or a line of poetry are endless.

Expression of the limbs (''Āṅgika Abhinaya'')

Expression of speech (''Vāchika Abhinaya'')

Costume and scene (''Āhārya Abhinaya'')

True expression (''Sāttvika Abhinaya'')

Lokadharmi and Natyadharmi Abhinaya

See also

Notes

Further reading