Teaching India

Through the Music of "Lagaan"

Bollywood

Bollywood refers to Hindi cinema, that is movies made in India that use the Hindi language. The word "Bollywood" comes from combining "Bombay" with "Hollywood". There is a characteristic style of dance in Bollywood films that encorporates traditional Indian dance and folk dance along with newer styles. Often dancers use hand gestures, called mudras, to help convey the message of the song.

Think you're ready to learn some Bollywod dance steps? Try it here!

Questions:

1. Identify the mudras used in the dances of Lagaan.

2. How do the mudras help to communicate the meaning of the songs?

3. Create your own Bollywood inspired dance using appriate mudras.

This site was created by Era Pope at the NEH Summer Institute "Literatures, Religions, and Arts of the Himalayan Region," held at the College of the Holy Cross, Summer 2011.