Abhinaya
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The meaning of lyrics of the song that the dancer dances to is conveyed to the audience with the help of hand gestures and facial expressions called Abhinaya. Abhinaya is a concept in Indian dance and drama derived from Bharatha’s Nātya Śhāstra. Although now, the word has come to mean ‘the art of expression’, etymologically it derives from Sanskrit abhi- ‘towards’ + nī- ‘leading/guide’, so literally it means a ‘leading towards’ (leading the audience towards a sentiment, a rasa).
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