Folk Dance of India

PERFORMING ART – DRAMA/ FOLK DANCE

1.      BHAND PATHER(JASHIN) - KASHMIR

·      unique combination of dance, music and acting.

·      Satire, wit and parody are preferred for inducing laughter.

·      music is provided with surnai, nagaara and dhol.

·      Since the actors are mainly from the farming community, the impact of their way of living, ideals and sensitivity is noticable.

2.      SWANG - HARYANA

·      mainly music-based.

·      Gradually, prose too, played its role in the dialogues.

·      softness of emotions, accomplishment of rasa along with the development of character can be seen

·      two important styles are from Rohtak and Haathras.

·      In the style belonging to Rohtak, the language used is Haryanvi (Bangru) and in Haathras, it is Brajbhasha.

3.      NAUTANKI - UTTAR PRADESH

·      most popular centres -  Kanpur, Lucknow and Haathras.

·      The meters used in the verses are: Doha, Chaubola, Chhappai, Behar-e-tabeel.

·      nowadays, women have also started taking part

4.      RAASLEELA 

·      based exclusively on Lord Krishna legends

·      believed that Nand Das wrote the initial plays based on the life of Krishna.

·      dialogues in prose combined beautifully with songs and scenes from Krishna's pranks.

5.      BHAVAI - GUJARAT

·      Main centers of -  Kutch and Kathiawar.

·      instruments used are: bhungal, tabla, flute, pakhaawaj, rabaab, sarangi, manjeera, etc.

·      there is a rare synthesis of devotional and romantic sentiments.

6.      JATRA - BENGAL

·      Fairs in honour of gods, or religious rituals and ceremonies have within their framework musical plays are known as Jatra.

·      Krishna Jatra became popular due to Chaitanya prabhu's influence.

·      earlier form of Jatra has been musical & dialogues were added at later stage.

·      The actors themselves describe the change of scene, the place of action, etc.

7.      BHAONA(ANKIA NAAT) - ASSAM.

·      cultural glimpses of Assam, Bengal Orissa, Mathura and Brindavan can be seen.

·      The Sutradhaar, or narrator begins the story, first in Sanskrit and then in either Brajboli or Assamese.

8.      MAACH - MADHYA PRADESH

·      Maach is used for the stage itself as also for the play.

·      songs are given prominence in between the dialogues.

·      The term for dialogue in this form is bol and rhyme in narration is termed vanag.

·      The tunes of this theatre form are known as rangat.

9.      TAMAASHA - MAHARASHTRA

·      evolved from the folk forms such as Gondhal, Jagran and Kirtan.

·      female actress is the chief exponent of dance movements in the play. She is known as Murki.

·      Classical music, footwork at lightning-speed, and vivid gestures make it possible to portray all the emotions through dance.

10.  DASHAVATAR - KONKAN AND GOA

·      personify the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu-the god of preservation and creativity. The ten incarnations are Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narsimha (lion-man), Vaman (dwarf), Parashuram, Rama, Krishna (or Balram), Buddha and Kalki.

·      Apart from stylized make-up, the Dashavatar performers wear masks of wood and papier mache.

11.  KRISHNATTAM - KERALA

·      came into existence in the middle of 17th century A.D. under the patronage of King Manavada of Calicut.

·      Krishnattam is a cycle of eight plays performed for eight consecutive days.

·      The plays are Avataram, Kaliamandana, Rasa krida, kamasavadha, Swayamvaram, Bana Yudham, Vivida Vadham, and Swargarohana.

·      episodes are based on the theme of Lord Krishna - his birth, childhood pranks and various deeds depicting victory of good over evil.

12.  MUDIYETTU - KERALA

·      celebrated in the month of Vrischikam (November-December). performed only in the Kali temples of Kerala, as an oblation to the Goddess.

·      depicts the triumph of goddess Bhadrakali over the asura Darika.

·      seven characters in Mudiyettu-Shiva, Narada, Darika, Danavendra, Bhadrakali, Kooli and Koimbidar (Nandikeshvara) are all heavily made-up.

13.  THEYYAM - KERALA

·      'Theyyam' derived from the Sanskrit word 'Daivam' meaning God.

·      Hence it is called God's dance.

·      performed by various castes to appease and worship spirits.

·      distinguishing features -  colourful costume and awe-inspiring headgears (mudi) nearly 5 to 6 feet high made of arecanut splices, bamboos, leaf sheaths of arecanut and wooden planks and dyed into different strong colours using turmeric, wax and arac.

14.  KOODIYAATTAM - KERALA

·      based on Sanskrit theatre traditions.

·      characters of this theatre form are:

·      Chakyaar or actor,

·      Naambiyaar, the instrumentalists and

·      Naangyaar, those taking on women's roles.

·      The Sutradhar or narrator and the Vidushak or jesters are the protagonists.

·      Vidushak alone delivers the dialogues.

·      Emphasis on hand gestures and eye movements makes this dance and theatre form unique.

15.  YAKSHAGAANA - KARNATAKA

·      based on mythological stories and Puranas.

·      most popular episodes are from the Mahabharata i.e. Draupadi swayamvar, Subhadra vivah, Abhimanyu vadh, Karna-Arjun yuddh and from Ramayana i.e. Raajyaabhishek, Lav-kush Yuddh, Baali-Sugreeva yuddha and Panchavati.

16.  THERUKOOTHU - TAMIL NADU

·      literally means "street play".

·      mostly performed at the time of annual temple festivals of Mariamman (Rain goddess) to achieve rich harvest.

·      there is a cycle of eight plays based on the life of Draupadi.

·      Kattiakaran, the Sutradhara gives the gist of the play to the audience

·      Komali entertains the audience with his buffoonery.

17.  KARYALA- HIMACHAL PRADESH

·      deals with serious question of life & death briefly and with simplicity of expression & diction, all enveloped in humour.

·      Indeed, audience is given essence of our cultural heritage of viewing the world as a stage and as an unsubstantial pageant which is to be negotiated and lived by rising above it.

·      There is often stylistic diversity, which strengthens their identity from Swang, Nautanki, Bhagat, etc..