Eternal India Encyclopedia

DANCE

Eternal India encyclopedia

MANIPURI : Manipuri is the classical dance of Manipur in the north-east of India, hemmed in by the Himayalan foothills. The evolution of Manipuri dance has two phases. The earlier dealing with its native culture and the second with its link with Vaishnav- ism. While the dances of the early period centred around Shiva and Parvathi, those of the later period are woven around Krishna who became a favourite deity with the advent of the Bhakti- cult in

Raas Lila : Raas Lila is a form of drama with elaborate costumes. It recreates in poetic beauty the whole gamut of Lord Krishna’s sports in a series of songs and dances. There are varieties of Rasa performances corresponding" to the various seasons, like Basant Ras, Kunja Ras, Diva Ras, Nitya Ras and Maha Ras. The Raas Lila is performed inside the mandap, (a circular area with four openings). The programme starts with Raag or an invoca- tion by the organisers followed by Krishna Abhisar, Radha Abhisar, Bhangi Pareng, Brindavan Pareng-, Kurumba Pareng and Goshta Pareng. Throughout the Raas performance, the gopis sing Krishna’s praises, describing his beauty and the melodious sound of his flute. Other popular dances include Pung cholom (drum dance), Kartal cholom (dance with cymbals), which belongs to the Tandava cate- gory. They have sprung up from kirtan performances. They portray the dancers still in expressing a variety of time measures in vigor- ous movements while dancing with drums or cymbals. Besides these classical dances, Manipur has a treasure of folk dances, like Thabal Chongbi, Holi Kubhak cholom etc. Exponents : Guru Amubi Singh, Guru Atomba Singh, Pandit Atmbapu Sharma, Guru Bipin Singh have contributed largely to the popularisation of this art. R.K. Singhajit Singh, Charu Singh, Jhav- eri sisters and their disciples are some of the prominent exponents. The Sangeet Natak Academy has established a National Centre at Imphal, called ‘Jawaharlal Nehru Dance Academy’, for the propagation of Manipuri dance. ODISSI : Odissi is the classical dance form of Orissa. It origi- nated as a dance offering to Lord Jagannath at the temple in Puri, where the Maharis or Devadasis performed dance as a part of their daily service to the lord. The system of dedicating girls to the temple was prevalent in Orissa as in the south from very early times. Besides the Maharis there was a class of (Gotipuas), boy dancers dressed as girls, who continued the tradition of dance form, dancing outside the temples. There are references to Odissi in in- scriptions and early literary works besides sculptural evidences. Scholars claim that out of the four ‘vrttis’ or styles of presentation mentioned in the Natya Sastra, namely Avanti, Dakshinatya, Pan- chali and Odremagadha, which flourished in different regions of

Manipur.

Facial

expressions

and

mudras are very few. The emphasis of the dancer is on her body move- ments and the flow of arms and limbs but the face remains im- passive. The emotions and meaning are conveyed by the flowing movements of the gently swaying body and limbs. The dancer has to maintain fluidity and ease in his/her movements and the element of control is constant. Cymbals and drums lend support to the musical mode of the style. Manipuri has certain compositions that have been handed down by tradition. The (hand gestures)

Manipuri

whole gamut of Manipuri is divided into Jagoi, Cholom and Thang- ta. Jagoi is interpreted by dancers of both sexes. Cholom accompa- nied on the drums and cymbals can range from the very vigorous to the very gentle. The Thang-ta is an ancient martial art of Manipur. For a perfect performance, specialisation in some aspect of the art by each performer is vital. Dancer, singer, drummer, cymbal player or Pena Player - each has a special role and needs intensive training. The two well-known dance forms of Manipuri are the Lai Harouba and Raas Lila. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has estab- lished a national centre for Manipuri — Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy — in Imphal. OTHER FORMS Lai Harouba : Lai Harouba which means literally “to please the Gods” is a re-enactment of the creation of the world, performed annually by each village to propitiate the Gods and local deities. The whole village participates in it led by the Maiba and the Maibis (temple dancers) who are considered to be agents through whom the devotees can seek God. The Lai Harouba starts with an invocation after which ‘Lai Toi Mungai Jagoi”, Lai pov Jagoi’ are performed. The Lai pov is the dance of creation which is still performed in every Lai Harouba festival in its original form. Hicham hirao, the ceremony of the boat, is another important ritual which includes dance. A tantric dance (thengao) is also included in the Lai Harouba ceremony. In short, each phase of life is portrayed in detail, as the per- formance continues for a month. The programme ends with an offering to the gods. Khamba Thoibi is the most popular item in Lai Harouba depicting the story of a legendary pair of lovers. They are also considered as human representatives of Shiva and Parvathi.

India, Odre refers to Odissi. Hence they claim that the salient features of the Odissi style of dance closely conform to the precepts of Natya Sastra and Abhi- naya Darpana. But, owing to turmoil and strife which the region of Orissa underwent, the dance style suffered an eclipse for centuries. It was revived in the 19th C. by a few scholars and artists. In fact it is only a little more than three decades since Odissi dance has been recognised as a classical dance form meeting the demands of classicism. Thus both relig- ion and temple with its sculpture have played a significant role in perpetuating the tradition of dance in Orissa. Eminent : Kelu Charan Mohapatra (L), Pankaj Charan Das (L), Sanjukta