An Enhanced Deep Convolutional Neural Network for Classifying Indian Classical Dance Forms

Indian classical dance (ICD) classification is an interesting subject because of its complex body posture. It provides a stage to experiment with various computer vision and deep learning concepts. With a change in learning styles, automated teaching solutions have become inevitable in every field, from traditional to online platforms. Additionally, ICD forms an essential part of a rich cultural and intangible heritage, which at all costs must be modernized and preserved. In this paper, we have attempted an exhaustive classification of dance forms into eight categories. For classification, we have proposed a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model using ResNet50, which outperforms various state-of-the-art approaches.Additionally, to our surprise, the proposed model also surpassed a few recently published works in terms of performance evaluation. The input to the proposed network is initially pre-processed using image thresholding and sampling. Next, a truncated DCNN based on ResNet50 is applied to the pre-processed samples. The proposed model gives an accuracy score of 0.911

Indian Classical Dance Action Identification and Classification with Convolutional Neural Networks

Extracting and recognizing complex human movements from unconstrained online/offline video sequence is a challenging task in computer vision. This paper proposes the classification of Indian classical dance actions using a powerful artificial intelligence tool: convolutional neural networks (CNN). In this work, human action recognition on Indian classical dance videos is performed on recordings from both offline (controlled recording) and online (live performances, YouTube) data. The offline data is created with ten different subjects performing 200 familiar dance mudras/poses from different Indian classical dance forms under various background environments. The online dance data is collected from YouTube for ten different subjects. Each dance pose is occupied for 60 frames or images in a video in both the cases. CNN training is performed with 8 different sample sizes, each consisting of multiple sets of subjects. The remaining 2 samples are used for testing the trained CNN. Different CNN architectures were designed and tested with our data to obtain a better accuracy in recognition. We achieved a 93.33% recognition rate compared to other classifier models reported on the same dataset

The Debaprasad Das Tradition: Reconsidering the Narrative of Classical Indian Odissi Dance History

This dissertation is dedicated to theorizing the Debaprasad Das stylistic lineage of Indian classical Odissi dance. Odissi is one of the seven classical Indian dance forms recognized by the Indian government. Each of these dance forms underwent a twentieth century “revival” whereby it was codified and recontextualized from pre-existing ritualistic and popular movement practices to a performance art form suitable for the proscenium stage. The 1950s revival of Odissi dance in India ultimately led to four stylistic lineage branches of Odissi, each named after the corresponding founding pioneer of the tradition. I argue that the theorization of a dance lineage should be inclusive of the history of the lineage, its stylistic vestiges and philosophies as embodied through its aesthetic characteristics, as well as its interpretation, and transmission by present-day practitioners. In my theorization of the Debaprasad Das lineage of Odissi, I draw upon Pierre Bourdieu's theory of the habitus, and argue that Guru Debaprasad Das's vision of Odissi dance was informed by the socio-political backdrop of Oriya nationalism, in the context of which he choreographed, but also resisted the heavy emphasis on coastal Oriya culture of the Oriya nationalist movement. My methodology for the project has been ethnographic, supported by original archival research. In the second chapter, I examine the twentieth century history of this stylistic lineage in the context of the Odissi revival of the 1950s, and in the third chapter, I examine the life and artistic work of its founder, the late Guru Debaprasad Das. The fourth chapter is dedicated to analyzing the stylistic characteristics distinct to this style of Odissi, and examining some of the underlying politics of representation, classicism, and regional affiliations which have informed the repertoire and movement lexicon of this lineage. I point to how this lineage has been historically marginalized in scholarship, discourse, and the international stage, and analyze some of the reasons for this marginalization. The fifth and sixth chapter are dedicated to the current practice of the lineage, including pedagogical practices by current teachers, as well as examination of the creation and performance of new repertoire pieces within this lineage, and the various contexts in which this style of Odissi is performed globally. Ultimately, I examine the divergent artistic voices from within the Debaprasad Das lineage itself and argue that the Debaprasad Das lineage of Odissi is itself marked by heterogeneity via multiple and often divergent understandings of the philosophies of the late Guru Debaprasad Das

Towards a dance technique for the secondary school

In recent years the approach to dance in education has undergone considerable change, generating a need to reappraise the role of technique within the educational context. In this thesis it is argued: (1) that when dance is taught as an art form, with a contribution to make to aesthetic education, greater attention must be paid to the technical aspect of performance; (2) that such technical aspects are best taught through the vehicle of an Educational Dance Technique rather than a professional training technique. It is further argued that an educational dance technique would act: (1) as a practical basis for the teaching of performance skills; (2) as a conceptual basis for the comparison of the style characteristics of theatre dance techniques. A core of basic performance skills is identified and proposals are made for teaching strategies appropriate to the eleven to fourteen age range and the fourteen to eighteen age range. Selected techniques, relevant to the major Western Theatre Dance Genres, are examined in order to elicit their style characteristics in terms of action vocabulary and spatial and dynamic qualities. These characteristics are then summarised and appropriate teaching strategies are proposed