Bollywood is a dance style which originated in Bombay, now Mumbai, India and has made Indian culture famous for its cinema. Its evolution has been influenced by various historical and cultural factors as well as changing trends in Indian society. Bollywood dance can be traced back to various traditional Indian and folk-dance styles. Indian conductor Zubin Mehta describes that each traditional Indian dance is about “gods and deities, the sun and the moon reflect that. They are a thank you, or a tribute to them." (Bollywood dance explained, 2012)
Bollywood began with the language of hand movements known as ‘Mudras’. Aasamyukta Hasta Mudras, also known as single hand gestures, are used in Bharatanatyam (a classical Indian dance style). These are performed using only one hand, while the other hand is held in a different position. These Mudras convey a wide range of emotions. An example of an Aasamyukta Hasta Mudra is Kataka Hasta. This gesture represents an opening in a bracelet. It is made by folding the fingers of the hand, except for the index and little finger. The combined hand gestures are called ‘Samyukta hasta mudras’. These mudras are used in Indian classical dance and require two or more fingers/hands. For example, Kapota Hasta which is created by slightly bulging the knuckles of the palms to touch at the tips and base, with the centre of the hands being cupped. (Bharatanatyam Mudras: How many mudras are there in Bharatanatyam? 2023).
Using these Mudras, Bollywood evolved into what we know to be the classical Indian styles. Kathak, known as the ‘storytelling dance’ is both Hindu and Islamic. It contains bursts of rhythmic movement as well as delicate depictions of romantic poetry (Kathak: Does every gesture have a meaning? 2023). Kathak dancers have at least 100 bells tied and wrapped around their ankles. Another classical Indian dance style is Bharatanatyam which expresses Hindu themes and devotions. It was originally performed exclusively by female temple dancers and was not brought to the stage for public performance until the 1930’s (Bharata Natyam 2023). The feet in Bharatanatyam beat out complicated counter rhythms, the legs are bent, and the shoulders are a large part of the movement. In the pure dance the hands are restricted to 11 mudras (Bharata Natyam 2023). Bharatnatyam is performed with bells tied around the ankles fixed on to straps which add sound to the feet banging on the floor.
These traditional styles, among others, weren’t adapted until the 1970’s when Bollywood began to be noticed by different countries. The Cabaret scene in America largely influenced Bollywood films. The cabaret style is characterized by its bold and lively dance movements which became popular in Bollywood due to its ability to bring excitement and glamour to the big screen. Helen Khan sung famous cabaret songs like ‘aye Mere Paas’ and ‘Is Duniya Mein’ which made cabaret songs an integral part of 70’s Bollywood films. Disco then took the world by storm during the 1980’s. It caught the attention of India through 15-year-old Pakistani singer Nazia Hussain. She lent her voice to the classic ‘Disco Deewane’. This led to Bollywood incorporating many disco elements such as, colourful dance floors, flared bell bottoms and sparkly headbands in their films (Mukherjee, 2023).
More recently, the 2000’s saw the rise of the Hip-Hop influence on Bollywood. Indian dancers loved the energy and rhythm aspect of Hip-Hop (Indiamap, n.d). Mumbai is known for its vibrant Gully Rap scene, which emerged in the late 2000s. Gully Rap is the term for the street rapping style that captures the hardships and everyday realities of living in Mumbai's urban slums. The music is primarily in Hindi, and the lyrics connect social and political subjects (HalfTimeOnline, 2023). Later, infamous Bollywood film star Sunny Leone made a music video to promote her film ‘Ragini MMS 2’ in 2014. The video was controversial due to her partial nudity as it was a very dramatic change from wearing a traditional saree (T-Series, 2014). Music videos continued to push the Bollywood costume boundary and still do today.
Now, in 2023 Bollywood has been more accessible than ever due to technology and the spotlight on social media. This globalisation has allowed Bollywood to reach new audiences. However, it has also meant that Bollywood has had to adapt to be enjoyed by so many. In early Bollywood films, Pure Hindi language was used but now it has been reduced and mostly Hinglish is used in today’s films (Kumar, 2018). The themes of these films have also changed greatly over time. Originally, Bollywood films were only about romances between a man and a woman. Bollywood films now represent the female character as an educated, professional woman who is independent and enjoys her sexuality (Delaney-Bhattacharya, 2020). The future of Bollywood dance in the future will likely see greater exchange between Indian and Western artists, leading to the development of hybrid dance styles. This will further break down cultural barriers and continue the vitality as well as authenticity of Bollywood dance.
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