Vageesh Express

August 2006 Edition

Samarpanam

Samarpanam: Dances in detail

The dance forms that we will explore in this article are the traditional dance forms of the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. Two of the main dance forms are Manipuri and Odissi.

Manipuri

Manipuri dance is from the northeastern state of Manipur. Though there are many myths and legends associated with Manipuri, it is widely believed that Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha were the original authors of this dance.

Manipuri dances are intensely devotional in nature and are performed as group. The dancers wear colourful costumes and mesmerize everyone with their rhythm and grace. The unique feature of this dance is its emphasis on Sarvanga Abhinaya (use of entire body) rather than Mukha Abhinaya (facial expressions). Emotions are conveyed through the entire body.

Ras Lila depicting the transcendental love between love between Radha and Krishna is the essence of Manipuri dance. The dance requires tremendous control over the body to achieve the graceful movements. Ras Lila is generally performed in an enclosure in front of temple throughout the night. Another vital feature of Manipuri dance is the Pung Cholam or drum dance in which the dancers play on a drum known as Pung while dancing with thrilling leaps and fast rhythm.

Manipuri dance has become an integral part of the rituals of daily life, such as festivals and weddings.

Odissi

Odissi is the classical dance form of Orissa that originated in serene ambience of temples. Traditionally, the Devadasis used to perform it in the honor of Lord Jagannath - the temple deity of Puri. Due to political and social changes in the society and suppression of Devadasi system during British rule, Odissi moved out of the temples and acquired a place in the wider Indian society.

Odissi is a lyrical form of dance with subtlety as its keynote. It is a `sculpturesque' style of dance with a harmony of line and movement. The major difference between Odissi and Bharatanatyam is that Odissi emphasizes on curves of the body, which makes it more graceful as compared to the athleticism, and angular nature of Bharatanatyam.

The music accompanying Odissi is a mix of Hindustani and Carnatic. The instruments traditionally used are drums, flute and small cymbals. The dancers adorn themselves with the traditional silver jewellery and wear a stitched costume.

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