Dance forms of Tamil Nadu
Dance forms of Tamil Nadu elaborates the various
Background and history
Classical dance
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam is a major genre of
Traditionally, Bharatanatyam was a solo dance that was performed exclusively by women.[19] The dancer may be accompanied by musicians and one or more singers.[20] In modern adaptations, Bharatanatyam dance troupes may involve multiple dancers who play specific characters in a story, creatively choreographed to ease the interpretation and expand the experience by the audience.[21] The dancer known as ekaharya, is usually dressed in a colorful silk sari with golden or silver zari embroidery on the borders, adorned with various jewelry with the sari, designed and draped in a specific way for the dance.[22] All dancers wear leather anklets on each foot, which are called salangai, made up of small bells.[23][24] A Bharatanatyam arangetram (literally "ascending the stage") is a solo debut performance that signifies the completion of initial formal training of a young dancer Arangetram translates to . This performance is typically done ten to twelve years after a dancer begins learning Bharatanatyam.[25][26]
A traditional Bharatanatyam dance performance follows a seven to eight-part order of presentation called Margams.[27] The dance is characterized by the fixed upper torso with bent legs or flexed out knees combined with various footwork and a number of gestures known as abhinaya using various hand mudras, expressions using the eyes and other face muscles.[12] The dance might be accompanied by music and a singer and typically a guru is present as the director and conductor of the performance and art.[8] The dance has traditionally been a form of an interpretive narration of mythical legends, religious and spiritual ideas from the Hindu texts.[19] The repertoire of the dance has developed into nrita (pure dance), nritya (solo expressive dance) and natya (group dramatic dance).[19][28] The accompanying music to Bharatanatyam is in the Carnatic style of South India, as is the recitation and chanting.[29]
Puppetry
Bommalattam
Bommalattam is a type of puppetry using inanimate objects, that originated in the region.[30] While the origin of the art is uncertain, it has existed as an art form for years.[31] It uses various doll marionettes which are 1–3 ft (0.30–0.91 m) tall and may weigh up to 10 kg (22 lb).[32] The puppets are manipulated by rods and strings attached to the heads, back, arms and legs.[31] The puppets are made of light weight wood and are dressed in crafted costumes bulked up by paper stuffings to give a more rounded appearance.[31] The puppets are carefully crafted with prominent jewellery so that the edges are visible in the shadows.[31]
Puppeteers stand overhead in an area 4 ft (1.2 m) high and 11 ft (3.4 m) wide and operate the puppets by using movements from hands and arms to control devices the rods or strings.[31] The puppet staging area is created by stretching a black cloth over a bench and the puppets are operated behind a white screen illuminated by a lantern or oil lamps.[31] The audience are seated in front of the screen with the screen literally separating the performers and audience, who are able to view the shadows of the puppets which are operated by the puppeteers.[30]
The puppeteers wear
Folk dance
Bhagavatha nadanam
The dance form narrates the life and stories of the
Chakkaiattam
Chakkaiaattam is a form of folk dance practiced majorly in South Central parts of the state.
Devaraattam
Devarattam is a folk dance form.
Kai silambattam
Silambu is a hollow anklet made up of a metal such as copper and filled with iron or silver beads that produce noise when the wearer moves or dances.[39][40] Silambu forms the basis of the Tamil Sangam epic Silappathikaram.[41] It is generally worn by women on the leg, termed as kālchilambu in Tamil in contrast to kāichilambu held in the hand.[42] For the dance, the dancers wear anklets and hold a silambu in their hands to make noises while dancing.[42] The dance is performed in temples during Amman festivals or Navaratri festival especially to praise female deities like Durga or Kali.[33]
Karakattam
Karakattam is a folk dance involving dancers balancing clay or metal pot(s) on the head while making movements with the body.
Kavadiattam
The dancers may also do a form of
Kolattam
Kolattam is an ancient folk dance usually performed by women with Kol meaning "stick" in Tamil[53][54] The dance uses two small sticks, one in each hand.[55] The dancers generally stand in a circular formation and beat the sticks to make specific rhythms while singing songs.[55] The dancers may beat the sticks in their own hands or with the sticks held by other dancers.[54] The dancers may form multiple circles with dancers changing pairs with the members of adjacent circles to make the beats.[56] The dance is usually dedicated to gods or goddesses.[55] The dance is performed during the harvest season and for a fortnight in the Karthigai month of Tamil calendar.[54] There are different variants such as pinnal kolattam and chakke kolattam.[55] Pinnal kolattam uses ropes instead of sticks.[54]
Kummiattam
Kummiattam is a folk dance similar to Kolattam, with the difference being that hands are used to make sounds while dancing in kummiattam instead of sticks used in the later.[57] The dancers form a rhythm by clapping the hands in different postures.[58] The dance is performed during religious ceremonies, functions and festivals such as Pongal, generally by women.[59][33] There are various types of the dance depending on the occasion or objects used such as poonthotti kummi, deepa kummi, kadir kummi and mulaipuri kummi.[60]
Kuravanji
Kuravanji attam was a dance form originated from the Kuravar people with six to eight women dance to different tunes in the form of a folk ballet.[61] The kuravanji originated as a form of Shaivism, dancing as a tribute to god Shiva though Kuravanjis for Vishnu also exist.[61] The earliest known kuravanji is the Thirukutrala kuravanji, dated to 1600-1700 CE.[62][61] The dance has become a blend of classic and folk dances performed by Devadasis in temples.[33] In the recent years, Kuravanji dancers are men who dress up as women, often as consorts of Shiva or Vishnu and try to out dance each other.[61]
Mayilattam
Mayilattam is a folk dance wherein dancers dressed as peacocks with peacock feathers, glittering head-dresses and beak perform to various folk songs and tunes.[33] It literally translates to "peacock dance".[63] The dance is usually dedicated to god Murugan and performed in Murugan temples as a tradition during festivals. The performers usually seat themselves upon a wooden peacock replica.[64][33] The peacock symbolizes the vahana or mount of the deity Murugan, who rides a peacock known as Paravani.[65][66] The dancers often stand on tall wooden pieces and the beaks can be opened. The dancers make movements emulating a peacock and operate the feathers similar to the bird using a thread or rope.[67]
There are other similar dances where the dancers dress up in animal costumes including Kaalaiattam where dancers dress up like a bull and Karadiattam where dancers dress up like a bear.[33]
Oyilattam
Oyilattam is a folk dance with origins from southern Tamil Nadu and practiced in southern and western Kongu Nadu regions.[68][69] Oyilattam literally means "dance of beauty".[60] It was traditionally a war dance where few men wearing ankle bells would stand in a line with pieces of colored cloth perform rhythmic steps to the accompanying music.[70] The dance is often performed to narrate the story of lord Murugan.[33] In the recent years, women have also started performing the dance.[71] Oyil Kummi is a fusion of oyilattam with kummi.[58]
Paampattam
Paampattam (literally meaning "snake dance") is performed by young girls, who wear specifically designed costumes emulating a snake skin.[33][72] Snakes are worshiped in many parts of the state and the dance is considered a tribute to the same.[72] The dancers often lie-down on their back and move along the ground, writhing, creeping and making quick biting movements, trying to emulate the movements of a snake and also use their hands to mimic the hood of a cobra snake and intimidate the viewers.[72]
Paraiattam
According to Hindu mythology and folk stories, it is believed that the notes for the dance originated from gods Shiva and Parvati.[80] It is used in the worship of traditional Tamil deities like Muneeswarar.[81] The dance was performed during festivals and in auspicious occasions.[82][83] In the last century, the dance had become increasingly associated with funerals rather than auspicious occasions and confined to Dalit communities.[84][85] Thappattam was a tribal dance played using a similar percussion instrument called Thappu, practiced along with other dances like Puliyattam. Since the later middle ages, thappattam and pariattam were started to be used interchangeably.[86] The dance might be accompanied by other instruments such as Tharai in Tamil festivals and folk arts.[73]<[87]
Puliyattam
Puliyattam is a folk dance usually performed by males.
Puraviattam
Poikkaal Kuthirai literally means "false foot horse" in Tamil and the dance uses a dummy horse.
Sevaiattam
Sevaiattam is a dance form devoted to lord Vishnu.[95] Historically, the dance was performed by the nataka community and was performed at the rear of a chariot procession either of a deity or a king.[95][96]
Urumiattam
Urumiattam (also called as Urumi komaliattam) is a dance associated with the playing of urumi, a two-faced drum.[97] It is a temple art practiced in few regions of the state and usually performed in Amman temples during the month of Adi.[95]
Theater
Koothu
Koothu refers to a play performance which consists of dance along with music, narration and singing.[98] The performers are usually males, who wear elaborate wooden headgear, special costumes with swirling skirts, ornaments such as heavy anklets along with prominent face painting and make-up.[99] The art is a form of street theater, performed during festivals in open public places such as temples or village squares.[99] It is usually dedicated to goddesses such as Mariamman or Draupadi. The stories are drawn from Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, mythology and folklore.[99] The dance is accompanied by music played from traditional instruments and a kattiyakaran narrates the story during the performance.[99]
Koothu generally means a performance and is used as a part of other performances such as Ottan koothu, a tribal dance form originated from Ottas, a tribal group in the state.[95] The ritual dance is performed by both men and women in a small group during festive occasions and depict episodes from Hindu epics and other ancient stories.[95]
Nondi natakam
Nondi natakam is a folk dance from the seventeenth century which is accompanied by simple narration and music.[33] The dancer dances on a single leg, portraying a one-legged man, his experience of love and achieving salvation.[33]
Martial dance
Silambattam
Silambattam is a martial dance using a silambam.[100] There are mentions of the art form in Tamil Sangam literature.[101][102] Silambam is a long staff of about 168 cm (66 in) in length, often made of wood such as bamboo.[103] It was used for self-defense and to ward off animals and later evolved into a martial art and dance form.[104]
See also
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Further reading
- Banham, Martin; Brandon, James R. (1997). The Cambridge guide to Asian theatre. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58822-7.
- Krishna Chaitanya (1990). Arts of India. Abhinav Pubns. ISBN 81-7017-209-8.
- Mills, Margaret H.; Claus, Peter J.; Diamond, Sarah (2003). South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93919-4.
- Ragini Devi (2002). Dance Dialects of India. Motilal Banarsidass Pub. ISBN 81-208-0674-3.
- Varadpande, Manohar Laxman (1990). History of Indian Theatre. Abhinav Pubns. ISBN 81-7017-278-0.
- Bhargava, Gopal K.; Shankarlal C. Bhatt (2006). Land and people of Indian states and union territories. 25. Tamil Nadu. Delhi: Kalpaz Publications. ISBN 81-7835-381-4.