The first one Sandhya Tandavam described in Shiva Pradosha stotra as follows:- After seating the Divine mother of the three worlds-Gouri on a golden throne, Lord Shiva dances on the Kailash Mountain surrounded by all the Gods and Goddesses. Saraswati plays the Veena, Indra plays his Flute, Laxmi sings with her beautiful voice, Vishnu plays the Mridangam and Brahma plays the Cymbals.

What a galaxy of divine musicians and what a superb exquisite Dance. But has any human being seen this? None; Not even the blessed sages and the miracle men of India. But the Gandarva-s, Yaksha-s, Pataga-s, Uraga-s, Siddha-s, Vidyadhara-s, Amara-s, Apsara-s and such others witnessed this wondrous Dance and were blessed by this Dance. The second well-known dance of Shiva is called the Tandava wherein, his Tamasic aspect as Bhairava or Vira Bhadra is exhibited. It performed in burning grounds and cemeteries or in the ‘Rudra Bhoomi’.

In this lord Shiva, with ten hands and accompanied by Devi, dances with ecstasy along with his Bhootagana-s. This dancing figure is sculpted in Ellora, Elephanta and Bhubaneshwar. This has a pre-aryan origin in which Shiva as half God and Half-Demon dances in the barren burning Chats. In Shaiva and Shakta literature, there is a profound meaning given to this dance.