# My Body in Motion

## Overview
This chapter introduces students to the fundamentals of movement and dance through awareness of body parts, everyday activities, classical Indian dance forms, emotions, hand gestures (hastamudras), and the creation of basic choreographic sequences. It helps students explore body coordination, expression, and cultural appreciation.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Understanding Movement
- **Movement Defined**: Any change in body position, place, or posture. Examples include exercising, cycling, or petting a dog.
- **Body Awareness**: Introduction to major body parts—head, neck, torso, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, thighs, and feet.

### 2. Activity: Routine Body Movements
- **Self-observation Exercise**: Recognizing and enacting daily movements performed at home or school.
- **Demonstration**: Students perform routine actions using all body parts to understand body movement better.

### 3. Indian Classical Dance Forms and Postures
- **Dance Forms and Origins**:
- Bharatanatyam – Tamil Nadu
- Kathak – Northern India
- Kathakali – Kerala
- Odissi – Odisha
- Mohiniyattam – Kerala
- Sattriya – Assam
- Manipuri – Manipur
- Kuchipudi – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

- **Body Bends (Bhangas)**:
- Samabhanga – Equal balance
- Tribhanga – Three bends (neck, waist, and knee)
- Dwibhanga – Two bends
- Abhanga – Slight curve
- Atibhanga – Extreme bend

### 4. Activity: Spinal Bents and Steps
- **Practice Movements**: Use postures like Samabhanga, Tribhanga, etc., in everyday actions.
- **Breath Coordination**: Inhale while stretching and exhale while bending.
- **Basic Rhythmic Steps**: Create sequences using simple counts like 1-2 or 1-2-3-4.
- **Thematic Movement Examples**:
- Picking up a heavy bag
- Swaying like a tree
- Playing in the rain
- River flowing or school preparation


### 5. Expressions and Emotions (Bhavas)

- **Enactment: Abhinaya**
Abhinaya means expression in dance. Emotions are conveyed through facial expressions and body language.

- **Nine Emotions (Navarasas)**:
- **Shringara** (Love/Beauty)
- **Hasya** (Laughter)
- **Karuna** (Compassion)
- **Veera** (Bravery)
- **Raudra** (Anger)
- **Bhayanaka** (Fear)
- **Veebhatsa** (Disgust)
- **Adbhuta** (Wonder)
- **Shanta** (Peace)

- **Activity**:
Students observe and note emotions from friends and family, then act them out in class using facial expressions.

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### 6. Hand Gestures (Hastamudras)

- **What Are Hastamudras?**
Hand gestures used in Indian classical dance for storytelling and decoration. They come from the **Natyashastra** and **Abhinaya Darpana** texts.

- **Types of Hastamudras**:
- **Asamyukta Hastas** (Single-hand gestures) – e.g., Pataka, Tripataka, Mushti, Shikhara, Suchi
- **Samyukta Hastas** (Double-hand gestures) – e.g., Anjali, Kapota, Chakra, Garuda, Kartariswastika

- **Examples of Usage**:
- Pataka: Blessings, denial, stop
- Tripataka: Crown, tree
- Katakamukha: Eating, plucking flowers
- Sarpashirsha: Snake, holding things
- Aalapadma: Blooming flower, asking "Why?"
- Trishula: Trident, marking tika on forehead

- **Activity**:
Forming short sentences using hand gestures like:
- “I am going home.”
- “Where are you going?”
- “You drink water.”

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### 7. Creating a Dance Sequence

- **Activity 5: Dance to a Song**
Students combine steps, body bends, and hand gestures to choreograph a small dance phrase for a song line.

- **Activity 6: Sequencing a Dance**
- Work in groups.
- Select two lines of a song learned in music class.
- Arrange movements in order and connect different group phrases.
- Learn about choreography: joining steps and actions to complete a dance.

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## New Terms and Simple Definitions

| Term | Definition |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Movement | Changing position or place of the body |
| Posture | Way of holding the body when standing or sitting |
| Bhava | Expression or emotion in dance |
| Rasa | The feeling or mood evoked by an artistic performance |
| Navarasas | Nine emotions expressed in Indian classical dance |
| Hastamudra | Specific hand gesture used in Indian classical dance |
| Asamyukta Hasta | Hand gesture using one hand |
| Samyukta Hasta | Hand gesture using both hands |
| Abhinaya | Art of expression in dance |
| Choreography | Arranging steps and actions to create a full dance |

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## Practice Questions

### Easy (3)

1. **What is meant by ‘movement’?**
*Answer*: Movement means change in position, place, or posture.

2. **Name two body parts involved in dancing.**
*Answer*: Legs and arms.

3. **Where does Kathakali originate from?**
*Answer*: Kerala.

### Medium (2)

4. **What is the use of hastamudras in dance?**
*Answer*: Hastamudras are hand gestures used for expression and storytelling in dance.

5. **Name any three navarasas.**
*Answer*: Hasya (laughter), Raudra (anger), Shanta (peace).

### Difficult (3)

6. **What is the difference between Samabhanga and Tribhanga postures?**
*Answer*: Samabhanga is a straight posture with equal balance; Tribhanga has three bends—neck, waist, and knee.

7. **How does breathing help in dancing?**
*Answer*: Inhaling during expansion and exhaling during contraction helps control movement and energy.

8. **List two dance forms from South India and their postures.**
*Answer*: Bharatanatyam (Dwibhanga) and Kuchipudi (Tribhanga for female dancer).

### Very Difficult (2)

9. **Explain how you would use facial expression to show fear in a dance.**
*Answer*: By widening eyes, opening the mouth slightly, and showing a tense body posture to express Bhayanaka rasa (fear).

10. **Design a two-line dance choreography using one facial expression and two hastamudras. Describe it.**
*Answer*: Line 1: Use Aalapadma (flower) with Shringara expression for showing beauty.
Line 2: Use Sarpashirsha to show a snake moving with Bhayanaka (fear) expression.

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