Trance Folk Dances

Trance or spirit dances are different from ritual dances, although superficially it may appear same. In a trance dance the dancer becomes a temporary embodiment of either a spirit or a deity; whereas in a ritual dance the dancers are either worshippers or ritual objects. In a ritual, many kinds of inanimate materials like incense, joss stick, kusha grass, burning lamps, etc and inanimate objects like mask, idol, icon, etc are used. In a ritual dance the dancers are animate ritual objects. In a trance dance rituals are performed either by a priest or the dancer himself with the sole aim of invoking a spirit or a deity to possess the body of the dancer. Once possessed the dancer is transformed into the invoked spirit or deity. He also behaves and talks that way. One should not doubt that the dancer gets possessed or think that he just puts on an act. It is a kind of self-hypnosis under which the dancer goes into a deep trance. It is deeper than the Satvik-abhinaya which is nothing but an actor's total empathy with the portrayed character. For instance, in an intensely tragic dramatic situation actual tears come out from the eyes of an actor. This is called in Natyashastra as satvik-abhinaya. It can only happen when the actor totally identifies with the character he portrays. The difference between satvik-abhinaya and trance is that in the former case it is the inherent histrionic talent of the actor that brings about the total empathy, whereas in the case of trance it is most probably self-hypnosis. Again, the rural people, who have not been yet contaminated by the industrial civilization, look upon the everyday reality and mythological reality as the two sides of the same coin. For them such mythological characters as Rama and Krishna are like next door neighbor's. If history tells of things past, mythology tells simultaneously of past, present, and future. The psyche of the rural people is steeped with mythological reality. That is why neither the trance dancer nor the onlookers doubt the reality of a spirit or a deity taking possession of the trance dancer's body.

Bhoota

The Bhoota dance of Karnataka is one of the examples of trance dances. Bhoota means a spirit. In South Kanara, especially the Tula community, perform this dance. They believe that there are particular spirits who if invoked to enter into the body of the dancer, many evils and calamities that may befall on the community will be averted. Almost every village in the South Kanara district has a Bhoota Sana. Derived from the Sanskrit word sthaana, Sana means a place. Surrounded by thick bushes and trees, stands a small structure with tiled roof and without any windows. In front of the structure there are a few T-shaped poles. Inside there are a few brass images suggesting human and animal figures. This is the Bhoota Sana, the abode of the spirits. There are also swords and flywhisks. The images are worshipped with only kapala flowers.

The dance is performed on moonlit nights. The Bhoota dancer wears a highly stylized make-up and costume. There are quite a few variant forms of the Bhoota dance. In some variant styles the dancer, instead of stylized facial make-up, wears a wooden mask. The flowing skirt of the Bboota dancer is made of strips of palm leaf. The torso is covered with broad necklaces of nuts and beads. The dancer wears a conical headgear decorated with tinsel and tiny mirrors that dazzle when light falls on them. The face is given a mask like make up with lines that give the face a kind of weird look. The accompanying music is very loud and is provided by drums, pipes and brass clappers. The music is punctuated with prose passages. When the Bhoota dancer gets possessed by the invoked spirit, he tells many things of past, present and future. According to his advice even some village disputes are settled. The deified dancer promises prosperity for the villages and finally pronounces that the tradition will be continued for ever,

Jagar

In North India, Kumaon and Garhwal region has a variety of trance dances; the leading one is called Jagar. It is inspired by a local legend. The legend runs as follows :
Once upon a time, there was a very beautiful Brahmin girl by the name Bhana Joshi. The prince of the kingdom fell in love with her. Both loved each other so deeply that ignoring the caste barrier the prince wanted to marry her. When none of them could be dissuaded to part with, they were killed.
This tragic love story has inspired the Jagar trance dance. It is danced both by men and women, A vocalist sings the ballad when the dancers depict the story by gestures. The dance culminates in invoking the spirits of Bhana and her love-prince. The dancers then go into a trance. Finally, a priest performs some rituals to send the spirits back to their heavenly abode to rest in peace.

Kanchani Nritya

Another variant of Jagar dance is called Kanchani Nritya. It is inspired by the legend of Ramola, a version of Krishna. This dance is performed by women only. The dancers wear colorful skirts and they take very fast pirouettes to convey a feeling of great ecstasy that puts them into a trance.

Bhaktas

The trance dance connected with the Chaitra Parba, as celebrated in Mayurbhanj of Orissa and in Seraikela of Bihar, is totally different from the trance dances so far discussed. The well known Chhau dances are also performed as another part of the Chaitra Parba. In the lunar calendar Chaitra, corresponding to March/April, is the last month of the year. The last day of the month falls on 13th April. The Indian New Year begins from 14th April. The last 15 days of the month of Chaitra is celebrated as the Chaiira Parba both by the tribal as well as the non-tribal communities. The tribal celebrate it in a different way. The celebration of non-tribal communities has several components,. The performance of Chhau dances on the last two days of the month is one of the components. The way the Bhaktas, a special kind of Shaivite devotees, observe the Parba is another component. The Bhakas belong to the caste of Teli (oilman) which is a lower rung of the caste ladder. Thirteen hereditary members of the Teli caste observe the Parba in quite austere manner for about 15 days. On the first day they perform a ritual to belong to the Shiva gotra (Lineage). From that day they wear sacred threads like the Brahmins till the end of the Parba. They take only one meal a day and perform some rituals daily in the afternoon after taking ritual bath in a river. The rituals of the last four days are extremely arduous. After taking the ritual bath the Bhaktas go to the temple of mother goddess and from there to the place of the ritual. Their leader goes into trance and shakes his head rhythmically to the beat of the drums. Then they roll on tough thorns but their bodies do not show any prick mark of the thorns. This is called Kanta-paat. The next day they do the same rituals but lastly they walk on burning coke. It is called nian-patt. Next day the last ritual is called jhoola-paat in which the Bhaktas, one after another, hang themselves upside down over burning fire. The last day ritual is called udaa-paat. in which the devotees gyrate high above the ground tied to a T-shaped pole. The leader while gyrating releases a pigeon which he would be holding with both hands. This release of the pigeon is the symbol of the release of the soul from the Maya.

There is yet another trance dance connected with the Chaittra Parva. On the 26th Day of the month of Chaitra an earthen pot filled with water is brought out in a procession. The pitcher is called Jatra-ghata. The bearer of ghata (pitcher) goes into a trance and dances to the music provided by Dhols, the barrel-shaped drums, and Mahuris, reeled wind instruments. There is yet another pitcher that the Bhaktas bring at midnight to the arena where chhau dances are being presented. This pitcher is called Nishi (night) or Kamana (desire) ghata. The symbolism of pitcher filled with water has been discussed under the ritual dance named Karagam. Here also the symbolism is the same. When the Bhakfas with the Nishi-ghata come to the Chhau stage, the orchestra plays a particular tune and the Bhaktas dance with simple typical stepping for a while. It is believed that the Nishi ghata sanctities the Chhau stage. Both the ghata and the face of its bearer are painted red with vermilion mixed with oil. In Tantrik rituals while vermilion represents the menstrual blood which is the symbol of the creative energy of the female principle, the sandalwood paste represents semen the symbol of male force that makes the creative energy functional. The creative energy is spread from procreative to artistic creativity. The Nishi ghata painted red with vermilion symbolizes the blessing of the mother goddess for richer artistic activity.

Kavadi

The Kavadi is the trance dance of Tamil Nadu. Kavadi is a wooden shaft with two triangular conical bamboo frames tied to both the ends. The pilgrims to the temple of Lord Muruga at Palani carry these Kavadis on their shoulder putting milk or scented water pots in the bamboo frames. They go in a procession, all the way singing and dancing to the music provided by Nadaswaram, the reeled wind instrument, and Thavil, the drum. A legend is associated with this pilgrimage. According to the legend, Idumban was a giant. He uprooted two hillocks and tied them to the two ends of a pole. He then lifted and slung it from his shoulder. Appreciating the great prowess of the giant, Lord Muruga (son of Shiva, also known as Subramanya, and in North India as Kartik) appointed him as chief assistant. Therefore, Idumban is first worshipped before the worship of Lord Muruga. The Kavadis represent Idumban's sling with two hillocks. Hundreds of pilgrims carrying these Kavadis go on pilgrimage to the Lord Muruga temple. The pilgrimage procession stops when one or more are seen dancing in a slower tempo. The pilgrim dances for some time shifting the Kavadi skillfully from one shoulder to another The tempo rises and when the dancers fall into a trance they put the Kavadis on ground and allow themselves to be tortured. It is believed that those who are in trance have been possessed by evil spirits. They are tortured for the purification of their bodies.

Maibi

The trance dance of maibi of Manipur in connection with the Lai Haroba festival is totally different as it is not only very graceful but aesthetically satisfying also. Maibis are a class of priestesses. Anyone can not be a maibi unless she shows definite signs of being spiritually predisposed. She may show the signs of spiritual predisposition at a tender age or when she is an adult. She is then selected to be a maibi and lead the rest of her life the way prescribed for a maibi.

The maibi dance begins from the kneeling position. Very slowly she rises holding die knees always close. She holds both her hands near the navel with both thumbs and forefingers touching each other. Between the forefinger and middle finger she holds a leaf of a sacred plant. The dance movements are all slow, controlled, and lyrical. Right from the beginning of the dance the maibi is in trance. Slowly rising while moving like a spiral when she comes to the erect position, with controlled and elegant stepping she moves like the figure of eight which symbolizes the Nagamandala, the Tantrik yantra. Although it is a dance in trance the aesthetic quality is no less than any classical dancing.

Teyyam

The Teyyam and Mudiettu of Kerala also come under the category of trance dance. The elements of theater are so pronounced in them that they are considered forms of ritual theatre. In Indian performing art traditions, theatre and dance are inseparable. Kathakali of Kerala is generally regarded as a form of classical dance, but if it is examined carefully one will come to the conclusion that it is basically a theatre. The difference between a group dance and theatre is that while the former may have narrative elements as theme, the latter has a definite plot and gradual development of character along the story line, which Kathakali has. Plays are specially written for Kathakali and they are called atta-kathas. In Manipuri Raasa dances Krishna while dancing with the Gopikas, suddenly vanish. Gopikas are heart broken. Krishna finally comes back and performs the raasa dances with the Gopikas. It is not a plot. It is a theme which is narrative in character. Considering from this perspective, one may say that Mudiettu has a plot of how the goddess Kali vanquishes the demon Darika in a fight. But the Teyyam does not have a definite plot. There are, of course, narrative elements which are quite dramatic. Therefore, we will consider Teyyam more a dance than a theatre.

Teyyam is derived from the word daivam meaning god. Each of the dancers is possessed either by a god or by an exalted legendary hero. Teyyam is widely in vogue in North Kerala, particularly in Cannanore district. When the dancer wears the full make-up and costume he is called a Teyyam. The make-up and costume, which are highly stylized, differ according to the Teyyam the dancer is required to represent. There are about 150 Teyyam in the traditional repertoire. The face of the dancer is given a mask like make-up with different bright colors. Each wear a towering and colorful headgear. At times, the headgear may be several feet high. The skirt is usually heavily pleated silk cloth. The dancers also wear many kinds of decorations made off tender fronds of coconut. The Teyyam with all these and heavy bangles and garlands appear much larger-than-life. After donning the costume the Teyyam goes through a ritual during which the invocatory chanting called Tottam is sung. This is for invoking the particular deity to enter into the body of the dancer. The dancer then executes some dance movements in slow tempo. Gradually the tempo becomes faster and faster and becomes a frenzied dancing leading to the trance.

Trance dances are becoming weaker day by day. It is so because the mind of the dancer at times is not that impression-able as the values of industrial civilization are creeping in to weaken the strength of the faith he had earlier for the deities. Keeping the dance movements and connected things quite authentic the dancer may, at times, feign the trance part of it.