natya

Natya is a term in Indian performing arts that refers to theatre and performance, especially the dramatic arts as codified in ancient Sanskrit texts. In traditional usage, Natya denotes drama as a composite art that blends acting, dialogue, music, dance, and stagecraft to convey stories and themes. The concept is central to the Hindu dramaturgic tradition and is most fully developed in the Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit treatise attributed to Bharata Muni, dated roughly from the early centuries BCE to CE. The Natya Shastra treats theatre as a cohesive system for eliciting rasa, the essential emotional flavor felt by the audience, through a combination of narrative, gesture (abhinaya), voice, and movement.

Abhinaya, the expressive aspect, is central to Natya. It is traditionally analyzed into angika (body language), vachika (speech and sound), and satvika (inner feeling). The work also elevates rasa into a framework of nine emotions, including shringara (love), hasya (laughter), karuna (pity), raudra (anger), vira (valor), bhaya (fear), bibhatsa (disgust), adbhuta (wonder), and shanta (peace).

Within Indian dance and theatre, Natya is closely linked to other formal strata such as Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (expressive dance with abhinaya). In this framework, Natya covers the dramatic storytelling, while Nritta emphasizes rhythm and technique, and Nritya integrates mood and narrative through movement.

Natya has influenced classical Indian dance forms—Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Kathakali among them—and remains a foundational term in contemporary Indian theatre and film discourse. It continues to be used to describe the dramaturgic and performative arts in scholarly and cultural contexts.