Game and Martial Folk Dances
War and dance now appear antithetical, but it was not so in
ancient days when there were no airplanes, no bombs, no
ballistic missiles and even no guns. The weapons like sword,
club, spear, etc. were quite heavy and to wield them with
consummate artistry required such pliability of the body as a
dancer only could have. That is why probably in the
Mahabharata, Vyasa advised Yudhisthira to learn the art of
dancing, and Arjuna, the greatest of the heroes of that time,
was a dancer of considerable caliber. While he, with his four
brothers and wife; had to remain incognito for a year, under
the name of Brihannala, he was teaching dance to Uttata, the
princess of the Virat kingdom. At the time of that antiquated
past, men at arms used to parade the artistry of wielding the
weapons to the beat of drums. Out of this practice originated
several forms of dance which are still surviving in many parts
of this country. Every game has an inherent rhythm of its own.
In most of the cases it is so covert that unless very carefully
observed it is not perceptible. In India several traditional
games evolved in which rhythm was taken as the base. They are,
therefore, both game and dance.
Thang-Ta
Among the martial dances some are not much
stylized and their martial character is obvious. Some are
so stylized that careful analysis only reveals their
martial character. One of the martial dance of former kind
is Thang-Ta of Manipur. Thang means sword and Ta means
spear. The dance is performed with other weapons also. It
is basically a mock fight of attack and defense.
Traditionally various kinds of martial dances are
performed on the concluding day of the Lai Haroba (covered
at page Ritual Folk Dances) festival. The tradition is
very ancient and its reference is found in many myths
peculiar to Manipur. The myth connected with the martial
crafts is as follows: A progeny of Teen Sidaba, who is the
progenitor of the ancient Manipuri race called Mata, was
lost having been caught in the ancient fish trap of
Thongnang and the various parts of his body became
different kinds of sword, knives, other weapons and tools.
Teen Sidaba is an aspect of Pakhangba, the God. When
Pakhangba springs into the core of the sun and remains
there inside the golden casket, he is known as Teen
Sidaba. It is Pakhangba who originated the Thang Ta.
There are two kinds of swordplay : the make-believe kind is
called Leiteng Thang, and the actual fight is called Yanna
Thang. Generally, the former kind is performed as dance.
Kalaripayettu
In Kerala the basic martial art is called
Kalaripayettu. The influence and elements of this martial
tradition are found in many dances and theatre forms of
Kerala. In some forms of dance and theatre the elements of
Kalaripayettu is obvious, in others though not so evident,
it is not also totally transformed. Kerala had a very long
and rich martial tradition. The heroic warrior displayed
prowess, heroism, courage and other traits display the
ethos that shaped Kalaripayettu and it became a dominant
aspect of medieval Kerala culture. The main aspects of
this martial art are: (a) A distinctive kind of oil
massage of the whole body to make it supple and extremely
pliable. (b) Typical exercises to make the body stronger
and pliable. (c) Practicing some yoga - like postures
named after animals like horse, cat, elephants etc (d)
Wielding of weapons like sword, shield, spear, etc,
together with the techniques of attack and defense with
appropriate stepping, jump, turn etc.
These aspects, either all of them or partly, are found in
several forms of dance and theatre including Kathakali, the
classical theatre form of Kerala. Some of the main dances that
evolved out of Kalaripayettu are : Kolkali, Parichhamuttumkali,
Velakali, Oachirakali and Yatrakali.
Kolkali
It is interesting to note that not only Hindus,
but Muslims and Christians also learn and perform
Kalaripayettu as well as some of the dances mentioned
above. For instance, the Kolkali dance is performed by
both Hindus and Muslims. It is a vigorous dance in which
dancers wield two feet long sticks and move in circular
formation attacking and defending with the sticks. While
dancing they sing particular songs in a lusty folk style.
The songs are called Bhadarmuni Pattukal, ie. Sword
fighting Songs. Generally, middle aged men, who have
perfected the techniques participate in the dance. The
group consists of twelve to twenty dancers. Small cymbals
and smaller kind of Chenda, the drum provide the
percussion music for the dance.
Parichhamuttumkali
Parichhamuttumkali (shield-hitting dance) is
another dance which is performed by both the Hindus and
the Muslims. The dancers hold a stick and a shield in
their hands. Most probably in earlier days dancers used
sticks in the dance instead of swords. The training of
this dance is much similar to that of the Kalaripayettu.
The dance is similar to Kolkali, but the songs are
different and are sung to the rhythm provided only by the
cymbals. The performers strike stick against stick or
stick against shield. The deep bends and body extension
required in the performance, as also the leaps and turns,
have great similarity with those of Kalaripayettu.
Velakali
In the Alleppey district of southern Kerala,
the Nair community traditionally perform the Velakali
dance. It is generally performed at the time of temple
festivals held from March to May. But the most important
and impressive performance of the dance is presented at
the time of the ten-day Utsavam festival held in honor of
Lord Padmanabhaswami of Thiruvantapuram. Some hereditary
families of the Nair community have exclusive rights to
perform in front of the temple at the time of Utsavam
which is held in the lunar month of Phalguna corresponding
to March/April. Velakali is customarily danced under the
supervision of Mathu Pamkkar. Before the dancing begins, a
flourish of trumpets and kettle-drums gives the call. The
dance has elements of theatre, since it depicts the fight
between the Kauravas and Pandavas of the epic poem
Mahabharata. The dancers represent the Kauravas. The
Pandavas are represented not by men but by dummy figures.
The dancers dance around these dummies flourishing the
sword and shield held in their hands. The symbolic fight
lasts for about an hour during which the dancers dance and
jump vigorously around the dummies. Since the Pandavas
were the victors, the dancers at the end of the dance
retreat hastily to the steps of the temple. This kind of
enactment is riot done in front of smaller temples in the
district of Alleppy. There, the dance does not have the
grandeur of the Velakali performed in Thiruvantapuram.
Oachirakali
Oachirakali is another dance in which mass mock
combat is performed. The dance is named after the village
named Oachira which has the temple of Lord Parabrahma. A
five-day festival is is held every yeari around the middle
of June. The festival is quite popular and thousands
attend it either as spectators or as worshippers. It is
believed that if worship is done here childlessness and a
score of diseases will be cured. Several troupes of
Oachirakali come to perform during the festival. Each
troupe has a leader and the dance is performed to the
leader's verbal commands called Vayttari. The commands are
in the form of nonsensical syllables which the dancers
repeat loudly and perform the set movements. The group
mock fight is the enactment of a legendary war. According
to a local legend Kayamkulam Raja, a medieaval ruler of
the kingdom in which Oachira village is located, fought a
battle with the then king of Tranvancore. The dance is
re-enactment of that battle.
Yatrakali
Yatrakali is performed by some of the
sub-groups of Brahmins who are slightly lower in rank in
the hierarchy of caste system. The dance is known through
various other names like Sanghakah, Shastrakali,
Chattirakali, Panankali etc. Many kinds of martial
movements and exercises of Kalaripayettu are performed in
this dance.
Silambattam
The martial dance of Tamil Nadu is called
Silambattam. The dancers do mock combat with various
weapons, such as sticks, clubs, sword, horns, daggers etc,
one kind of weapon at a time. The mock combat is done in
pairs. In fact, a kind of competition takes place between
the combating pairs. The dancer who outsmarts the opponent
dancer is lustily cheered by the audience. The drum music
for the dance is provided by Sendai Melam, i.e. group of
three to four drummers playing the drum Sendai in
unison.
Paika Nacha and Paikali
In Orissa two kinds of martial dances are prevalent. In the
Khurdha region of Puri district Paika Nacha is performed. In
Oriya, Paika means a soldier. Paika Nacha is not much stylized.
The dancers perform various kinds of physical feats
rhythmically to the beats of the drums. Some of the dance
movements have acrobatic elements. On the other hand the
Paikali dance which now survives in northern Orissa, especially
in the districts of Mayrubhanj and Keonjhar, is a much stylized
form of dance. It is marked for its leg extensions and stylized
gaits which are very much similar to those of the widely known
Chhau dances. Each of the Paikali dancers hold a sword in the
right and a shield in the left hand. While dancing they also
sing in a recitative style. They smear their bodies with a
whitish kind of earth called Kaimati. A major segment of the
dance is mock attack-and-defense called Ruk-maar-nacha which is
the foundation of the Chhau dances. The orchestral music that
accompanies Paikali is as rich as appealing. The orchestra
consists of three kinds of drum, such as Dhol, a barrel shaped
drum that dominates the music, Dhumsa, a huge kettledrum made
of wood and Chadchadi, somewhat like snare drum. The melodic
music is provided by Mahuri, a reeded wind instrument like
Shehnai but with a sharper timber. The much evolved Chhau (see
our Recreational Folk Dances) comprises the same musical
instruments. Watching Paikali one will be convinced that it is
the precursor of Chhau dances.
Chholia
The Chholia martial dance is prevalent in the
Kumaon region of Uttar Pradesh. Although it is
unmistakably a martial dance, now it is performed usually
as part of marriage procession, especially of the Rajputs.
They dance in pairs holding sword and shield. With
complicated steppings the dancers perform a mock combat of
attack and defense. It requires great skill and practice
to perform the dance with proficiency. The dancers are all
male, but when it is performed at the time of Kriji-Kumbh
festival women also participate in the dance. Because,
according to a legend the kingdom named Swarnagotra, of
which this region was a part, was ruled only by women and
the festival is held in remembrance of that golden era.
Kirji is an extremely poisonous flower that blossoms once
in twelve years. As soon as the flower blossoms villagers
go in a procession to destroy the flower so that its
pollen or petals do not make the water sources poisonous.
The Chholia dance is performed as part of this procession.
Drumming is the main accompanying music embellished with
the sounding of Trurhi, the U-shaped trumpet and
Ransingha, a kind of horn.
Teri Chha
The Rengma Naga tribal community of Kohima district in
Nagaland perform the martial dance called Teri Chha. Actually
it is a kind of training to prepare the young men of the
village for a war. It is performed on important festive
occasions so that the trained ones do not forget the techniques
of war. The dance has three phases. In the first phase the
dancers depict the war preparations. In the second phase the
techniques of attack and defense are executed. The third phase
depicts victory over the enemy and the dance ends with a ritual
ceremony.
There are several martial dances prevalent in almost all the
regions of the country. All these dances have in common the
following aspects : (a) Rhythmic display of the techniques of
wielding weapons in a skillful manner (b) Mock combat in pairs
or a group divided into two and when one group attacks the
other defends and vice versa; (c) Incorporation of acrobatic
elements; (d) In the accompanying music drums dominate.
Lezim
As said earlier when a game is played to the rhythm of
accompanying music, which may be only vocal or only
instrumental or both, it acquires the character of a dance.
Such a dance is Lezim prevalent in Maharashtra. The dance is
named after a wooden idiophone to which is loosely fitted thin
metal pieces that produces a sonorous sound when shaken by the
dancers while dancing. It is a vigorous dance performed
traditionally by men only. Various kinds of physical feats are
performed in the dance. Since the dance is good for body
building, it is not only practiced in gymnasiums but also in
many schools of Maharashtra as drill. Earlier no song
accompanied the dance and a Dholaki was providing the
percussion music. Nowadays, at times, Ranbalgi, a kind of frame
drum, with other kinds of indigenous drums like Varandi, and
Ghumke, are being used with the dance. Specially written songs
are also accompanying it.
Puchi
The game dance of Orissa is known as Puchi. It
is also a kind of artistic drill performed by girls,
especially by those who are unmarried. This dance helps
shape the waistline, legs, and hips. There is no
choreography for the dance. A group of girls squat on the
ground and begin singing particular kind of songs. To the
rhythm of the song the girls stretch out alternatively the
right and the left foot while maintaining the squatting
position. The girls perform Puchi with a competitive
spirit to see which girl can outdo everyone in the group.
No musical instrument is used with this dance. Although
the girls perform Puchi any day and at any time,
customarily it is performed on the full moon night of the
lunar month of Ashwin. In Orissa this night is celebrated
as Kumar Poornima. All the unmarried boys and girls wear
new clothes and worship the rising moon. It is believed
that if the moon is worshipped later than the time of
rising, the marriage will be delayed. The unmarried boys
and girls generally do not sleep at night and enjoy
themselves by playing different kinds of traditional
games. The girls on this night play Puchi, in batches,
almost all throughout the night.
Kikli, Phugadi and Jimma
There are many game dances in different parts of this
country. In Punjab and Kashmir the girls perform Kikli which is
somewhat similar to the Phugadi and Jimma of Maharastra. In
fact, there are different kinds of Phugadi dances.
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