SHILPAKALA ACADEMY

The overall direction for the functioning of the academy is provided by an Executive Council (Shilpakala Academy Parishad) headed by the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The Director General of the academy is responsible for its administration. He is also responsible for the implementation of decisions taken by the council. He is assisted in his work by an executive committee which is elected by the Council.

The duties and responsibilities of the academy include promotion of the arts and national culture and creation of necessary facilities for their development. The activities of the academy also include organizing workshops, seminars, discussion meetings, short-term specialized trainings, providing scholarships and financial grants for talented artists, organizing competitions in the various field of fine and performing arts.

Music of Bangladesh and Performing arts of Bangladesh

The music and dance styles of Bangladesh may be divided into three categories: classical, folk, and modern.

Bangladesh was once part of Pakistan, and it was called east Pakistan

The classical style has been influenced by other prevalent classical forms of music and dances of the Indian subcontinent and, accordingly, show some influenced dance forms like Bharatnatyam and Kathak.

Several dancing styles in vogue in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, like Manipuri and Santhali dances, are practised, but Bangladesh has developed its own distinct dancing styles. Bangladesh has a rich tradition of folk songs, with lyrics rooted in vibrant tradition and spirituality, mysticism, and devotion. Such folk songs revolve around other themes, including love. The most prevalent folk songs and music traditions include Bhatiali, Baul, Marfati, Murshidi, and Bhawaiya. Lyricists like Lalon Shah, Hason Raja, Kangal Harinath, Romesh Shill, Abbas Uddin, and many unknown anonymous lyricists have enriched the tradition of folk songs of Bangladesh.

In a relatively modern context, Robindro Shongit and Nazrul Giti form precious cultural heritage of Bangladesh. Recently, western influences have given rise to quality rock bands, particularly in urban centres like Dhaka. Several musical instruments, some of them indigenous, are used in Bangladesh, and major musical instruments used are the bamboo flute (bashi), drums (tabla,dhol), a single stringed instrument named ektara, a four-stringed instrument called dotara, and a pair of metal bawls used for rhythm effect called mandira, are important in the culture of Bangladesh. Currently,musical instruments of western origin like guitars, drums, and the saxophone are used, sometimes along with traditional instruments (Muajj).

Performing Arts

Bengali traditional dance, performed on a famous stage in Dhaka. In Bengali literature there is a special drama based on music and dance, called Ghitinatto. The great poet Tagore was a pioneer of Ghitinatto. This drama is popular to urban middle-class people.
There are four forms of classical dance in Bangladesh; Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Monipuri and Kathakali. All these classical forms of dance are rooted in the subcontinent for many years. Nowadays, dancers mainly originate from the urban middle-class. Bulbul Lalitkala Academy is the pioneer institution for teaching dance

Manipuri dance:

It is originated from Manipur, India. It is greatly influenced byHinduism, the love of Radha-Krishna being its principal theme. Manipuri dance isusually accompanied by Kirtan. Manipuri dances are of two kinds: virile,performed by men, and lasya, performed by women. Here men perform robust physical   movements   resembling   kung   fu   &   acrobatics.

Kathakali dance:

It is a South-Indian dance form, chiefly associated with Kerala.Its themes are drawn from epics like the Ramayana & the Mahabharata. Dancerswear masks or heavy make-up. Formerly, women did not dance the Kathakali,and female roles were performed by men, but this is changing.

Dances of Bangladesh

The dance styles of Bangladesh may be divided into three categories, classical,folk and modern. For many Bangladeshi people, dance is one of the crucialthreads that bind past, present & future. Institutions like the Chhayanat, BulhulAcademy' of Fine Arts & the Shilpakala Academy have helped popularize dance inBangladesh.Unlike other Indian provinces, Bengal had no particular dance styles of its own.Bengali artistes learned classical dancing from teachers coming from south India,Madhya Pradesh & Manipur. During British rule, classical dancing was patronizedby rajas, maharajas, nawabs & zamindars as well as by British sahibs who held'nautches' in their private chambers.

List of basic dance topics

Dance is a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. This movement has aesthetic and symbolic value, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particular culture.[nb 1] Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by its historical period or place of origin.

An important distinction is to be drawn between the contexts of theatrical and participatory dance,[4] although these two categories are not always completely separate; both may have special functions, whether social, ceremonial, competitive, erotic, martial, or sacred/liturgical. Other forms of human movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, cheerleading, figure skating, synchronized swimming, marching bands, and many other forms of athletics.