Dance Bollywood: Hand Gestures

In the world of dance, Bollywood hand gestures occupy a unique niche between the ancient Hindu traditions and the immensely popular Indian film industry.

The term "Bollywood" was coined as the West slowly woke up to the fact that there was not only a vibrant film culture in India, it rivaled and in some cases surpassed the Hollywood film machine. The demand for new films keeps the production schedule intense and constant, with popular stars often working on several different films simultaneously.

Dance has always been a staple of Indian culture as well, with forms such as bharatnatyam and kathak having traditions and movements dating back centuries. Unlike the U.S., where dance numbers fell out of favor as the cinema matured, Bollywood has embraced the dance tradition with many group numbers as well as solos by their stars. This form of dance has been termed filmi.

With the pressure of production schedules, choreographers of filmi dances have drawn on the movement vocabulary of the rich Hindu dance traditions to enable them to teach and create dances quickly and efficiently. Most actors in Bollywood have some classical dance training, and so familiarity with many forms of dance, Bollywood hand gestures included, is very common. It also lends a particularly Indian flavor to any film (many of which are making their way to the West).

This is not to say that there are not contemporary dance moves put into the choreography as well. Jazz, ballet, even hip-hop have become common, all infused with traditional Indian dance. These dance numbers give the Bollywood actresses, usually very demure and prim, a chance to really "vamp it up" and strut their stuff on the dance floor. Much choreography for women focuses on the hips and torso, whereas men are usually given fancy footwork solos; both sexes use their hands in the traditional hastas or hand gestures.

There are two types of hand gestures: single (asamayukta hastas) and double (samyuta hastas). They come from classical dance as well as being described in classical Sanskrit poetry, such as the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeshvara. Each has its own name, which can be quite a mouthful for English speakers: Mayurakhyordhacandrashca aralah shukatundakaha is one, for example, and there are many others.

The names are not necessarily the same as the meanings ascribed to the gestures, but make no mistake, these are not just aesthetic moves – every hasta has a meaning, and the use of them in choreography tells a story or carries on a conversation between the dancers. According to Love Bollywood, an English fan site, there are twenty-three double hand gestures and thirty-two single hand gestures, which gives a fairly wide vocabulary for the choreographers to use.

For example, in the movie Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham, during a dance number, Daijaan, one of the dancers, waves her hand over the bride's head. Then she turns her hand into a fist and presses her knuckles into the side of her own head. The translation of this action is: this bride is so beautiful, and her wedding so wonderful, that it's certain to bring down the evil spirits ("evil eye", jealousy, etc) and Daijaan is warding them off and taking the ill will onto her own head.

That's a lot of meaning put into only two gestures, and there are many other hastas used not only in dance but also in everyday conversations. Sticking the thumb up and wagging it back and forth can mean "shame on you", whereas wagging a pinky means usually that the character has to go to the bathroom (or just did).

The hastas lend an extra level of meaning to the dance in Bollywood films, as well as highlighting an extra level of skill among the performers. As the films come over to western audiences, becoming more familiar with the dance vocabulary can only add to the enjoyment of the films..

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