DANCE & MUSIC

Foremost among the performing arts are India’s classical dances. In a spectacular solo or group display of swirling clour, gold ornaments and fluid movements, every dance form can be appreciated entirely for its visual appeal. However, underlying the graceful performances are rigid rules which change for every form.

Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam – these as well as the several forms of classical dance that have their origins in various states across the country – all are a form of religious worship. Every dance form has a precise vocabulary of emotions – love, yearning, sorrow etc – and these are displayed by gestures that involve the body, arms, fingers, face and eyes. Thus, every movement that a dancer makes in the course of an hour longrecital has a specific meaning. Obviously, it takes years to master the entire vocabulary while simultaneously installing grace into the movements.

Most major hotels offer live programmes of music or dance in their Indian restaurant. The most often encountered form of music is the ghazal, sung in chaste Urdu to the accompaniment ofan accordion.

Classical music in India traditionally has one soloist playing the main theme, be it on the sitar, sarod or shehnai, accompanied by three or four other instrumentalists. Vocal performances, too, are almost always solo with accompanying artists providing the background music.

Western music is extremely popular in India. Every major hotel has a restaurant with a live band and a dance floor. These range from informal coffee shops to sophisticated night clubs. Discotheques are a feature in most major hotels. Recorded, rather than live music and exclusive, ritzy settings make them perfect for an evening’s entertainment.

For physical fitness, some hotels have squash and tennis courts, and every major hotel has a swimming pool and a health club, open only to guests. Health clubs offer such facilities as sauna, steam and Jacuzzi baths, and the use of the gymnasium.

Herbal cosmetic products, tonics and oils are widely used in India and a massage with herbal oils after a hectic day to marvelously relaxing.

Yoga, which can be briefly described as India’s ancient keep fit system is soothing and imbibes beneficial properties to the mind as well as the body. To master all the intricacies of this system requires years of specialized training but a ‘crash course’ if offered as part of the services at many health clubs. In these, certain simple exercises are taught, which when carried out regularly, tone the system, correct posture and cure minor ailments.

Beauty parlours at all major hotels that once catered exclusively to women, now have a men’s section offering hari cuts and shaves. Today, there is a comprehensive range of skin and hair treatments for both men and women – har massageswith herbal oil, herbal face packs, manicures and pedicures – in fact everything that would be available in London or New york, as most beauticians are usually trained there.

Health Clubs in hotels feature the latest facilities allowing you to tone up in sauna and steam rooms, Jacuzzis, chill-pools and modern multi-station gyms.