The following are some of my favorite dance related books. Each of these books had touched me, inspired me, or educated me on my journey with Indian dance. I recommend these whole heartedly.
Indian Mythology Hardcover – January 1, 2004, Veronica Ions
>Presents Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology of India and introduces early and Vedic deities.
The Hindus: An Alternative History Paperback – November 30, 2010, Wendy Doniger >An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth, The Hindus offers a new way of understanding one of the world’s oldest major religions. Hinduism does not lend itself easily to a strictly chronological account. Many of its central texts cannot be reliably dated within a century; its central tenets arise at particular moments in Indian history and often differ according to gender or caste; and the differences between groups of Hindus far outnumber the commonalities. Yet the greatness of Hinduism lies precisely in many of these idiosyncratic qualities that continues to inspire debate today. This groundbreaking work elucidates the relationship between recorded history and imaginary worlds, the inner life and the social history of Hindus
Odissi Dance Pathfinder Vol. 1 (Illustrated) Odissi Research Centre, Bhubaneswar. Third Edition, 2005. Paper Cover. >This book lays the fundamental principles of Odissi Dance, and it is an excellent resource for the beginner and advanced Odissi student.
Odissi Dance Path Finder Vol. 2 (Illustrated) Odissi Research Centre, Bhubaneswar. First Edition, 2005. Paper Cover.
>This book lays the fundamental principles of Odissi Dance, and it is an excellent resource for the beginner and advanced Odissi student.
The mirror of gesture, being the Abhinaya darpana of Nandikeśvara (1917) Paperback (Oct. 21, 2009) by Nandikesvara
> A treatise written in third or fourth century ce by Nandikeshvara. This text’s main focus is the techniques of communication in dance, and is widely followed by South Indian dance forms. It is a small book that includes many of the key aspects of Odissi technique, such as hands, eye, neck, and head movements.
The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva, Love Song of the Dark Lord [Paperback] Barbara Stoler Miller [Author]
>This is my favorite translation of the Gitagovind, the famous poetic work that is the subject of the majority of Odissi dance Choreographies. Studying the Gitegovind is instrumental in gaining a deeper understanding of Odissi dance.
Neo Classical Odissi Dance [Hardcover] Ratna Roy [Author], David J Capers [Illustrator]
>This book includes valuable, and rare to come by information about the history of Odissi, as well as other classical dances of India. It offers more insight into the tradition and roots of Odissi dance then any other book I read in the field.
A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini’s Mirror [Paperback] Roxanne Kamayani Gupta [Author]
>This book is the real life story of the author. Written as a fascinating documentary of the life of a Yogini – Dancer. Inspirational and captivating!
Indian Dance: The Ultimate Metaphor [Hardcover] Shanta Serbjeet Singh (Editor)
>Inspirational! Stunning photography. A great coffee-table book.
• Rethinking Odissi [Hardcover] Dinanmath Pathy [Author]
>Insightful collection of articles about various topics related to Odissi Dance.
Indian Classical Dance: Tradition in Transition [Hardcover] Leela Venkataraman [Author], Avinash Pasricha [Author]
>Inspirational! Stunning photography. A great coffee-table book.
ODISSI DANCE What, Why & How… MADUMITA RAUT [Author]
>Good coverage of the fundamentals of Odissi Dance.
Classical Dance (Eternal India) [Hardcover] Ashish Mohan Khokar [Author]
>This small book has concise and lovely descriptions of all the classical dances of India. Great introduction book for Indian Dance.
Mudras of India (paperback) Cain Carroll & Revital Carroll [Author]
>The most comprehensive volume currently available about Mudras of dance and yoga. 250 hand mudras with images and detailed description.