Natyashastra

Prescriptive manual (shastra) for the performing arts written during the second
century, whose authorship is ascribed to
the mythical sage Bharata. The text is
divided into thirty-seven sections, detailing every aspect of the three major performance forms: music, drama, and
dance (which combines both music and
drama). Some sections of the text are
devoted to aesthetics and poetics, helping to create and convey the correct
atmosphere for the appreciation of the
arts. Other parts of the text discuss concrete, practical issues, such as the construction of the stage. The text is still an
authority for these three performing arts,
but it is particularly important for dance.
Many of the positions and gestures found
in Indian dance were first codified in this
text; the Natyashastra remains the ultimate authority for any dance form that
claims to be “classical” dance, rather than
“folk” dance.