ABSTRACT
It is not easy to pin-point when people first discovered the thrill of rhythm and its manifestation through dance. Dance may well have been present from the beginning of man's conscious development. In India, however, there is evidence from rock art that can help us to reconstruct some pathways in the evolution of Indian dance from prehistory to the present. The most significant shelters with paintings of dance have been found at Pachmarhi, Hoshangabad, Adamgarh, Bhopal, Bhimbetka, Kabrapahara (Singhanapura), Abchand (Sagar), Modi (Chambal), and Zhiri (Raisen). The aim of this chapter is to analyse the way in which dance is represented in Indian rock art and to consider what forms of dance can be identifipd and what information this provides about the development of dance in India.
