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The Rhythms of Music and Dance
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. |
