UPSC Prelims 2012·GS1·art-and-culture·performing arts

How do you distinguish between Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dances? 1. Dancers occasionally speaking dialogues is found in Kuchipudi dance but not in Bharatanatyam. 2. Dancing on the brass plate by keeping the feet on its edges is a feature of Bharatanatyam but Kuchipudi dance does not have such a form of movements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Dalvoy logo
Reviewed by Dalvoy
UPSC Civil Services preparation
Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. A1 onlyCorrect
  2. B2 only
  3. CBoth 1 and 2
  4. DNeither 1 nor 2

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct because Kuchipudi originated as a dance drama and retains theatrical elements where dancers may involve spoken dialogues. Bharatanatyam is purely a dance form focused on expression and movement without speech. Statement 2 is incorrect because the specific feat of dancing on the edges of a brass plate, known as Tarangam, is a hallmark feature of Kuchipudi. Bharatanatyam does not typically involve this practice. Therefore, only the first statement is true, making A the correct option.
art-and-culture: How do you distinguish between Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dances? 1. Dancers occasionally speaking dialogues is found i

Related questions

More UPSC Prelims practice from the same subject and topic.