The desert comes alive when the
performers take centre stage.
Though the ghoomar is a dance
that is performed in the privacy
of homes, and was once
restricted to the zenanas,
almost all others are folk forms
that are either linked to a
particular region, or a
particular festival. In recent
years, however, these
performances have become more
widespred, so theat the regional
distinction is beginning to wear
off. Vistitors to the state can
request specific entertainments,
or simply choose to be swept
away by the rhythms and nuances
of Rajasthan as it celebrates.
BHAVAI: One of the
state's most spectacular
performances, it consists of
veiled women dancers balancing
up to seven or nine brass
pitchers as they dance nimbly,
pirouetting, and then swaying
with the soles of their feet
perched on top of a glass, or on
the edge of a sword. There is a
sense of cutting edge suspense
to the performance, and even
though some of the hotel
performers use only papier pots
that are stuck together, the
feat is still one of amazing
dexterity.
CHARI:
Dancers choreograph deft
patterns with their hands while
balancing brass pots on their
hands. The performance is made
more picturesque with the flames
from cotton seeds set alight, so
that the bobbing heads create
streaks of illuminated patterns
as they move effortlessly around
the floor.
DRUM DANCE: Put a naked
sword in the mouth of a man, and
give him three swords to juggle
with his hands while avoiding
causing an injury to himself.
This to the accompainiment of
his troupe that consists of
musicians holding aloft drums
around their necks and cymbals
in their hands. A stirring
performance from a martial race.
FIRE DANCE: It there is
divine protection to be offered,
the Jasnaiths of Bikaner and
Churu must be responsible for
cornering most of it. These
dancers perform on a large bed
of flaming coals, their steps
moving to the beat of drums that
rises in crescendo till the
dancers appear to be in a
nearhypnotic state. And no,
they're not likely to have any
blisters to show for it. These
devotional performances are
usually to be seen late on a
winter's night.
GAIR: There are several
variations to this picturesque
dance form that is performed by
both men and women. The men wear
long, pleated tunics that open
out into full-length skirts as
they move first in clockwise
then in anti-clockwise
direction, beating their sticks
to create the rhythm when they
turn. Originally a Bhil dance,
and performed at the time of
Holi, its variations are the
Dandia Gair in the Marwar region
and Geended in the Shekhawati
region.
GHOOMAR:
A community dance of the Rajputs,
performed by the women of the
house and traditionally out of
bounds for men, it uses simple,
swaying movements to convey the
spirit of any auspicious
occasion. There is, however, an
amazing grace as the skirts
flare slowly while the women
twirl in circles, their faces
covered by the veil.
Traditionally, all women,
whether old or young,
participate in the dance, which
can continue for hours into the
night. A new bride, on being
welcomed to the home of her
husband, too is expected to
dance the ghoomar as one of the
rituals of the new marriage.
KACHHI GHODI: Originated
from the bandit regions of
Shekhawati, the dance is
performed for the entertainment
of a bridegroom's party. Dancers
wear elaborate costumes that
resemble them riding on dummy
horses. A vigorous dance, it
uses mock-fights and the
brandishing of swords, nimble
sidestepping and pirouetting to
the music of fifes and drums. A
ballad singer usually sings the
exploits of the bandit Robin
Hoods.
KATHAK: This formal,
clssical dance evolved as a
gharana in the courts of Jaipur
where it reached a scale that
established it as distinct from
the other centre of kathak,
Luchknow in Uttar Pradesh. Even
today, the Jaipur gharana is
well established, though
performances occur in other
centres rather than in the state
where the opportunity for
classical dance forms has been
on thedecline for a while.
KATHPUTLI: A tradition of
puppeteering has long existed in
Rajasthan. A travelling form of
entertainment, it uses the
ballads, retold in the voice of
the puppeteer who is assisted by
his family in erecting a
make-shift stage. Puppets are
strung on the stage and recount
historic anecdotes, replay tales
of love, and include much
screeching and high-pitched
sound as the puppets twirl and
move frenetically.
MAAND: A form of court
music, the maand is a raga
formation that developed in
Marwar, and includes a complex
inflexion of voices, sung in a
deep bass. This sophisticated
form of music percolated down to
folk forms and professional
singers use it to sing ballads
that have a haunting quality as
their voices rangs over the
desert. The maand has also been
used to sing the praises of
their ruller-patrons. A festival
is now exclusively dedicated to
the event in Jodhpur.
SAPERA DANCE: One of the
most sensuous dance forms of
Rajasthan, performed by the
Kalbeliya snake-charmers'
community, the sapera dancers
wear long, black skirts
embroidered with silver ribbons.
As they spin in a circle, their
body sways acrobatically, so
that it is impossible to believe
that they are made of anything
other than rubber. As the beat
increases in tempo, the pace
increases to such a pitch that
it leaves the viewer as
exhausted as the dancer.
TERAH TAALI: Another
devotional form of dance
practiced by the Kamad community
of Pokhran and Deedwana, to
honour their folk hero, Baba
Ramdeo, it consists of women
sitting on the floor before his
image. Tied to various parts of
their body are thirteen cymbals
which they strike with the ones
they hold in their hand. Their
hands perform various arabesques
while they do this, and pots on
their hands and hold a sword in
their mouth. |
