Dances of Modern Times :

Today we are living in a fast moving machine era replete with both the benefits and the marauding influences of modern science, and these are reflected in the works of most of the modern writers, poets, painters, sculptors and even in the designs of the architects. One should therefore find such modernistic tendencies even in Indian music and Dance. Some of the great artistes of the bygone era should certainly turn in their graves if they were to listen to the modern innovations in musical traditions. However in classical dance such modernistic tendencies are creeping in but slowly. In our classical dances we find a dance literature full of mythology, ancient lore,

'Sringara Bhava' of bygone ages, narrations of anecdotes of mythological personages. If one were to witness a Bharatanatyam performance one evening, one sees the same routine of items starting from the invocational dance Alarippu, followed by Jathiswaram, Shabdam, Varnam, Padam-s and Tillana. 

This pattern is no doubt well balanced, giving the dancers scope to develop and exhibit their talents and at the same time giving comparative respite in between the strenuous and exhausting rhythmic dances. Such a pattern came into existence nearly a century and a half ago. Today, thanks to the popularity of dance, these patterns are suffering superficial changes at the hands of individual dance tutors.