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.
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