Storytelling and dance are closely connected. From ancient times, people have used dance to tell stories about gods, heroes, love, suffering, and everyday life. In dance, stories are told not only through words but mainly through body movements, facial expressions, gestures, rhythm, music, and space. Even without spoken language, dance can clearly communicate emotions and events.
How Dance Tells a Story
Dance tells stories in many ways:
- Gestures and expressions show emotions and actions.
- Repeated movements help the audience remember characters or ideas.
- Music and rhythm guide the story’s mood.
- Costume and makeup help identify characters.
- Movement in space reveals relationships such as conflict, love, or separation.
There are generally two types of storytelling through dance
- Narrative dance, where there is a clear story with characters and events.
Examples:
- Russian Swan Lake (Ballet)
This ballet tells the story of Princess Odette, who is turned into a swan by a curse, and Prince Siegfried, who tries to save her. The dancers use movement, music, and costumes to show the story from beginning to end. - Kathak – Story of Krishna and Radha
In Kathak, dancers narrate stories from the Bhagavata Purana. Through spins, gestures, and facial expressions, the dancer shows Krishna teasing Radha, Radha’s emotions, and their relationship. - Kathakali – Kalyanasougandhikam
This Kathakali play tells the story of Bhima searching for the divine flower for Draupadi. Each character is shown clearly through makeup, costume, hand gestures, and facial expressions, making it a strong narrative dance form.
2. Expressive or embodied dance, where movement shows feelings, memories, or social ideas rather than a fixed plot.
Examples:
Pina Bausch’s Dance Theatre in Germany
Her works show human emotions like loneliness, love, fear, and social pressure. The dance does not follow a clear story but allows the audience to feel and interpret emotions through movement.
Contemporary Indian Dance (e.g., Aditi Mangaldas)
Her choreographies often explore themes like identity, womanhood, and inner conflict. The movements express lived experiences rather than telling a mythological story.
Contemporary dance movement in Keralam based on Kalaripayattu:
Modern dancers in Keralam use Kalaripayattu movements to express strength, trauma, resistance, or memory. The dance may not tell a story with characters, but the body itself becomes the story
Storytelling through dance is a universal art form. Whether it is ballet in the West, classical dance in India, or Kathakali in Kerala, dance allows stories to be felt and understood through the body. Even without words, dance can strongly communicate human experiences, traditions, and cultural values.
STORYTELLING AND DANCE: NARRATIVES WITHOUT WORDS- MCQ’S
WORKS CITED
Foster, Susan Leigh. Choreography and Narrative: Ballet’s Staging of Story and Desire. Indiana University Press, 1998.
“Kathakali – the classical dance drama of Kerala.” Kerala Tourism, Government of Kerala, https://www.keralatourism.org/artforms/kathakali-kerala-theatre/15/.
Loots, Lliane. “Embodied Storytelling: Using Narrative in Choreographic Practice.” South African Theatre Journal, vol. 31, no. 1, 2018, pp. 58–71.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ1G_tvk59Q&list=PPSV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CUOEgK9zUk&list=PPSV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8VWwGVAPO0&list=PPSV
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
Discover more from ashlit.in
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Comments on “STORYTELLING AND DANCE: NARRATIVES WITHOUT WORDS”