Performing arts in India

thumb|Painting of Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindus performing kirtan in [[Bengal. Some traditions practice public kirtan.]] thumb|Sikhs|Sikh kirtan with [[Indian harmoniums and tabla drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s)]]

Koodiyattam (; IAST: kūṭiyāṭ���aṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of Koothu, an ancient performing art from the Sangam era. It is officially recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra, India. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the beats of dholki, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm. Lavani has contributed substantially to the development of Marathi folk theatre. In Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh it is performed by the female performers wearing nine-yard long sarees also called Lugade saree. The songs are sung in a quick tempo.

thumb|Dr. Devendra Sharma as Sultana Daku and Palak Joshi as Phoolkunwar in Sultana Daku Nautanki is one of the most popular folk performance forms of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood (the Hindi film industry), Nautanki was the biggest entertainment medium in the villages and towns of northern India. Nautanki's rich musical compositions and humorous, entertaining storylines hold a strong influence over rural people's imagination. Even after the spread of mass media (such as television, DVDs, and online streaming), a crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 can be see

thumb|Expression of Sringāra in BharatanatyamSringara (, ) is one of the nine rasas, usually translated as erotic love, romantic love, or as attraction or beauty. Rasa means "flavour", and the theory of rasa is the primary concept behind classical Indian arts including theatre, music, dance, poetry, and sculpture. Much of the content of traditional Indian arts revolves around the relationship between a man and a woman. The primary emotion thus generated is Sringara. The romantic relationship between lover and beloved is a metaphor for the relationship between the individual and the divine.

poetic artform in India

Cultural affairs organisation in India

thumb|Teejan Bai, noted exponent of Pandavani

pop music produced in India independent from film soundtracks

Hāsya (Sanskrit: हास्य) is a Sanskrit word for one of the nine rasas or bhava (mood) of Indian aesthetics, usually translated as humour or comedy. The colour associated with hasya is white and deity, Pramatha, and leads to exultation of the mind.

oral storytelling technique in the Katha tradition

thumb|A moritat singer in [[Basel depicted in a 19th-century drawing]] ' (; also spelled , or ') comes from Italian for "story-singer" and is known by many other names around the world. It is a theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be painted, printed or drawn on any sort of material.

dramatic tradition of India

storytelling format

collective name for eight types of nayikas or heroines as classified by Bharata in his Sanskrit treatise on performing arts - Natya Shastra.

thumb|right|Bhadragiri Achyuta Das performing Harikatha in Kannada. Harikatha (Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : Harikathe; Telugu: హరికథ : Harikatha; Marathi: हरीपाठ : Haripatha, ), also known as Harikatha Kaalakshepam in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam(), is a form of Hindu traditional discourse in which the storyteller explores a traditional theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic. The person telling the story through songs, music and narration is called a Haridasa.

thumb|Krishnanattam

building in Thrissur, India

autonomous multi-arts complex and museum in Bhopal, India

Bhānds (Devanagari: भांड; Urdu: بھانڈ, Gurmukhi: ਭੰਡ, Bengali: ভাঁড়) are the traditional folk entertainers of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In India and Nepal, the Bahand are now an endogamous Hindu and Muslim community, which is no longer involved in their traditional occupation of folk entertainment. They include actors, dancers, minstrels, storytellers and impressionists.

Abhimāna (Sanskrit:अभिमान) variously means – pride, false prestige, desire, an impression, the conception, by self-conception, from the misconception; in Hindu philosophy, it means – prideful attachment of "I-sense" i.e. man (to think) + māna (too much); it also means – identify or identification and also refers to selfish conviction, for abhimāna is the function of ahamkara (ego) as the state of mind which interprets experience as " mine ".

Abhinaya (Sanskrit abhi- 'towards' + nii- 'leading/guide') is the art of expression in Indian aesthetics. More accurately it means "leading an audience towards" the experience (') of a sentiment ('). The concept, derived from Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra, is used as an integral part of all Indian classical dance styles.

building in India

thumb|A Bahrupiya performer, impersonating Kāli A behrupiya or bahrupiya (Hindustani: बहरूपिया or بہروپیا) is an impressionist in the traditional performing arts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Once popular and widespread, the art form is now in decline with most practitioners living in poverty. It was once common for behrupiyas to make a dramatic entrance at wedding or other festivities dressed as a policeman, priest, or other figure and create a commotion. The social norm surrounding these appearances was that the behrupiya usually collected no money if he was detected as an impersonator. Ho

A jamoora or jamura (Hindustani: जमूरा or جمورا) is a performer who plays a specific type of sidekick role in the traditional folk theatre (such as bhand and tamasha) of India and Pakistan. In the course of the performance, the jamoora is supposed to comply with every command given by his master (usually called the ustad, but sometimes called the madari or jadoogar for magic shows), but often demonstrates subtle deviations from them to make satirical points or create a humorous effect.

tribal performing art in India