Hindu Culture (Folk Dance) -2

Hindu  Culture – Folk Dance

Folk Dance:

 Bihu dance

The Bihu dance (Assamese: বিহু নৃত্য, Hindi: बिहू नृत्य) is a folk dance from the Indian state of Assam related to the festival of Bihu. This joyous dance is performed by both young men and women, and is characterized by brisk dance steps,and rapid hand movement. Dancers wear traditionally colorful Assamese clothing.
Though the origins of the Bihu dance is unknown, the first official endorsement is cited to be when Ahom king Rudra Singha invited Bihu dancers to perform at the Ranghar fields sometime around 1694  on the occasion of Rongali Bihu.

Description

The Bihu is a group dance in which males and females dance together but maintain different gender roles. In general, females follow stricter line or circle formations. The male dancers and musicians enter the dancing area first, and they maintain their lines and follow synchronized patterns. When the female dancers enter later the male dancers break up their lines to mingle with the female dancers, who maintain their stricter formations and order of the dance. The dance is usually characterized by definite postures; movements of the hips, arms, wrists; twirls, squats and bends but no jumps. Male and female dance movements are very similar, with only minor but subtle differences.

Performance

The dance is performed in accompaniment with traditional Bihu music. The most important musicians are the drummers (dhulia), who play a particular twin-faced drum, the dhol, slung from the neck and played with one stick and a palm. There are usually more than one dhulia in a performance, and they play different rhythms and compositions at different sections of the performance. These rhythmic compositions, called seus, are traditionally codified. Before entering the dancing area, the drummers play a short and brisk rhythm. The seu is changed and usually the drummers enter the dance area in line. The mohor xingor pepa is played generally in the beginning by a single player who lays out an initial plaintive motif and that sets the mood for the dance. The male dancers then enter the area in formation and perform accompanied by singing, in which all participate. Some other instruments that accompany this dance are the taal, a type of clash cymbal; the gogona, a reed and bamboo instrument; the toka^{[disambiguation needed]}, a bamboo clapper; and the xutuli, a clay whistle. Bamboo flutes are also often used. The songs (bihu geet) that accompany the dance have been handed down for many generations. The subject of the lyrics ranges from welcoming the Assamese new year to describing the daily life of a farmer, from historical references of invasions to Assam to contemporary socio-political commentary in a satirical way. Though both males & females perform Bihu dance, but female performed bihu dance has more variations. There are many stages in female performed Bihu dance — freehand, twisting, with rhythm pepa blowing, with Kahi (disk), with Jaapi (Assamese headgear) etc. The performance itself could be long, it is enlivened by rapid changes in rhythm, mood, movements, pace and improvisation; and dancers and musicians are given short opportunities to show their virtuosity.most of us we donot know real story of bihu dance it is an epitomic dance practice done by both male and female.

Forms of Bihu dance

The dance takes several forms among the different northeast Indian groups, e.g. "Deori Bihu dance", "Mising Bihu dance" etc. However, the underlying goal of the dance remains the same: to express the desire to feel both pain and happiness..

Rongali Bihu competitions

In mid April, along with the onset of spring, falls the new year in the local calendar with the month of Bohag. Nowadays, during this period, there are Bihu competitions all over the Assam (as well as throughout the major locations with Assamese diaspora. These competitions attract visitors and locals alike in huge throngs. Apart from Bihu dance, there are competitions held to select the Bihu Kunwori (Bihu Princess) and various singing talents.
At the end of the month of Bohag there is also the farewell to the month commemorated by numerous Bohagi Bidai functions

Folk Dance:

Bhangra (dance)

Bhaṅgṛā (Punjabi: ਭੰਗੜਾ (Gurmukhi), بھنگڑا (Perso-Arabic);    refers to several types of dance originating from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent . The earliest developed of these was a folk dance conducted by Punjabis in the central northern areas of the region to celebrate the harvest, and whose general practice had ended by the Partition, 1947.
In the 1950s, a new folk dance, representative of the state of Punjab and composed of glimpses of men's Punjabi dance styles, was created and eventually received the title of bhangra. First developed in India and attaining a rather standardized form by the 1980s, the folkloric bhangra was exported to other countries by Punjabi emigrants. By the 1990s, a still newer style of dance called bhangra was being staged in the Punjabi Diaspora, often characterized by a fusion with Western dance styles and the use of prerecorded audio mixes. Aside from these specific dance genres, Punjabi dancing in general, especially when done to popular bhangra music, is often casually called "bhangra"

Varieties

Community dance

The origins of the community form of Bhangra are speculative and many. I.S. Dhillon believes Bhangra to be related to the Punjabi dance 'bagaa' which is a martial dance of Panjab.
A participatory community dance called Bhangra is attested since the 1880s in northern areas of the Punjab region. Bhangra was a seasonal dance, practiced in the month leading up to the festival of Vaisakhi. During this month, the harvest, especially wheat crop, was gradually reaped. Local fairs marked the festival of Vaisakhi. It was after days of harvesting and at Vaisakhi fairs that bhangra was performed, as a dance of men alone.
The 1947 Partition of the Punjab region, in which millions in population relocated between the new nations of Pakistan and India, disrupted the practice of these Vaisakhi fairs. Most of the area in which community bhangra had been practiced became contained within Pakistan, however the Sikh and Hindu participants were at this time compelled to move to areas in India. Bhangra as a "folk" dance of villages essentially ceased at this time.
The core areas of bhangra were Sialkot, Gujranwalla, Sheikhupur and Gurdaspur.
The 1947 Partition of the Punjab region, in which millions in population relocated between the new nations of Pakistan and India, disrupted the practice of these Vaisakhi fairs. Most of the area in which community bhangra had been practiced became contained within Pakistan, however the Sikh and Hindu participants were at this time compelled to move to areas in India. Bhangra as a "folk" dance of villages essentially ceased at this time.

Folkloric stage dance

The 1950s saw the development of a folkloric dance routine in the Indian side of Punjab. The first significant developers of this style were a dance troupe led by brothers from the Deepak family of Sunam.
Bhangra competitions have been held in Punjab for many decades. They are especially associated with college youth festivals.
The stage presentation of bhangra incorporates traditional folk moves and includes sequences from other Panjabi dances, namely, Luddi, Jhummar, Dhamaal, and Gham Luddi.

Diaspora teams

Since the 1990s , universities and other organizations have held annual bhangra dance competitions in many of the main cities of the United States, Canada, and England as well. At these competitions, young Punjabis, other South Asians, and people with no South Asian background compete for money and trophies.

North America

Bruin Bhangra in Los Angeles has become one of the biggest bhangra competitions in the U.S. Teams from all over United States and Canada come together to compete and show their talent. Every year, Bruin Bhangra also invites different well-known Punjabi singers.
2010 was the first year for Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational, in Washington, D.C. This event invited eight of the top teams from North America to showcase their routines and compete for the number one spot. Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, was crowned champion. Sonay Gabroo Punjab De (SGPD) from Toronto, Canada took the title in 2011. University of North Carolina (UNC) from Chapel Hill, North Carolina were the winners in 2012.
In the West, unlike in the Punjab, there is less emphasis on traditional songs and more focus on the flow of a mix; many teams mix traditional bhangra music with hip-hop or rock songs. This synergy of the bhangra dance with other cultures parallels the music's fusion with different genres. University competitions have experienced an explosion in popularity over the last five years and have helped to promote the dance and music in today's mainstream culture.

U.K.

In the UK, an early professional bhangra dance competition was held in 1989 at the Hummingbird, in Birmingham. There were over 10 teams across the UK competing and the winning team was Jugnu Bhangra (Gravesend) – the award-winning dancers who performed for Jugnu, went on to form 4x4 Bhangra Dancers in 1994. 4x4 Bhangra Dancers, are still known as UK's best bhangra dance troupe  and have performed with the likes of Diversity (Britain's Got Talent winners), Led Zepelin, Omarion (international RnB singer and dancer) and various TV and music videos. 4x4 Bhangra Dancers founder members Gurdish Sall, Gurvinder Sandher, Parwinder Dhinsa and Sukhdeep Randhawa were the pioneers of the Asian freestyle dance style, winning the 1992 UK Asian Freestyle competition at the Dome in Birmingham. 4x4 Dancers also introduced bhangra workshops to schools
In the UK, the first ever major university bhangra competition, The Bhangra Showdown,  was organised by students from Imperial College London and held on 1 December 2007. The competition was held at Indigo2 in the O2 in Greenwich and was attended by over 1,000 people. Kings College London won the inaugural Bhangra Showdown, followed by Brunel and Imperial College. All proceeds from this show were donated to two charities, Wateraid and The Child Welfare Trust, and the show looked to continue annually. The show was held once again on 31 January 2009 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, with proceeds going to the MND Association and The Child Welfare Trust, and was attended by around 1,500 people. Six universities took part: Imperial; Queen Mary's; Kingston; Brunel; Birmingham; and Leicester/DMU. Birmingham came in third place, Imperial came a very close second, and Queen Mary's took first place. This was followed by another sell-out show at London Palladium in January 2010, with crowds of around 2,400, where Imperial won, followed by Queen Mary and Barts in second place and Brunel in third.
Most recently, the 4th Bhangra Showdown was held at HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday, 5 February 2011, featuring 10 teams (Imperial College, Kings College, UCL & LSE, Manchester, Brunel, Kingston, Birmingham, Queen Mary and Barts, Leicester, and St Georges). The number one spot went to Birmingham, followed closely by Imperial in second place. They performed in front of another sell-out crowd of 3,500. In 2012, the 5th Bhangra Showdown was held, again at HMV Hammersmith Apollo, in front of a sold out crowd of 3,500. Leicester were awarded the title but, following controversy, they were retrospectively removed as champions and banned for five years from entering the competition. This was due to the team having overseas participants, from Canada, who could not prove that they were studying at Leicester University. Subsequently, Queen Mary's were instated as the winners and University of Birmingham came second.
Following the success of The Bhangra Showdown, 2011 saw the introduction of a new UK bhangra competition – Bhangra Wars – hosted in Leicester where university and non-university teams competed. A second university-only competition was launched in 2012 by Naujawani.com (a previous sponsor of The Bhangra Showdown and Bhangra Wars ). The competition is called Capital Bhangra and has been hosted twice at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London.  The first competition was won by UCL-LSE and was hosted by Youtube star Superwoman. The most recent competition saw seven teams compete and was won by DMU/UoL Bhangra team (Leicester). A further invitational competition, Folk Stars launched in 2012 for bhangra teams who perform to music that is played live and was won by Vasda Punjab.

Description

Movements

Musical accompaniment

Bhangra dance is based on music from a dhol, folk singing, and the chimta. The accompanying songs are small couplets written in the Punjabi language called bolis.
Bhangra singers employ a high, energetic tone of voice. Singing fiercely and with great pride, they typically add nonsensical, random noises to their singing. Likewise, often people dancing to Bhangra will yell phrases such as hoi, hoi, hoi; balle balle; chak de; oye hoi; bruah (for an extended length of about 2–5 seconds); haripa; or ch-ch (mostly used as slow beats called Jhummar) to the music.

Dress

Traditional men wear a chaadra while doing bhangra. A chaadra is a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist. Men also wear a kurta, which is a long shirt. In addition, men wear pagri (turban) to cover their heads.
In modern times, men also wear turla, the fan attached to the pagri. Colorful vests are worn above the kurta. Phummans (small balls attached to ropes) are worn on each arm.
Women wear a traditional Punjabi dress known as a salwar kameez, long baggy pants tight at the ankle (salwar) and a long colorful shirt (kameez). Women also wear chunnis, colorful pieces of cloth wrapped around the neck.
These items are all very colorful and vibrant, representing the rich rural colors of Punjab.  Besides the above, the bhangra dress has different parts that are listed below in detail:

• Pag (turban, a sign of pride/honor in Punjab). This is tied differently than the traditional turban one sees Sikhs wearing in the street. This turban has to be tied before each show.
• Kurta, similar to a silk shirt, with about four buttons, very loose with embroidered hipatterns
• Lungi or chadar, a loose loincloth tied around the dancer's waist, which is usually very decorated
• Jugi, a waistcoat with no buttons
• Rumāl, small "scarves" worn on the fingers. They look very elegant and are effective when the hands move during the course of bhangra performance.

Impact in mainstream Western culture

Bhangra dance has expanded into the world of fitness. Fitness instructors like television host Sarina Jain have developed fitness routines based on bhangra dance moves for their workout programs.
As of 2013, namely in Australia, the Bhangra dance become synonymous as a dance that is done once someone is made a job offer.
Bhangra Empire, a bhangra dance group from California, has appeared on America's Got Talent and in Harper's Bazaar.
In the MMORPG, Guild Wars 2, the Sylvari's dance emote (activated by typing /dance) is the Bhangra Dance

Folk Dance:

Chhau dance

Chhau dance (Oriya: ଛଉ ନାଚ,Bengali: ছৌ নাচ) is a genre of Indian tribal martial dance which is popular in the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal. There are three subgenres of the dance, based on its places of origin and development, Seraikella Chhau, Mayurbhanj Chhau and Purulia Chhau.

Etymology

It is believed by some modern scholars that the word Chhau is derived from Sanskrit Chāya (shadow, image or mask), but according to Sitakant Mahapatra, it is derived from Chhauni (military camp).

Features of the Chhau

The Chhau dance is mainly performed during regional festivals, especially the spring festival of Chaitra Parva which lasts for thirteen days and in which the whole community participates. The Chhau blends within it forms of both dance and martial practices employing mock combat techniques (called khel), stylized gaits of birds and animals (called chalis and topkas) and movements based on the chores of village housewives (called uflis). The dance is performed by male dancers from families of traditional artists or from local communities and is performed at night in an open space, called akhada or asar, to traditional and folk music, played on the reed pipes mohuri and shehnai. A variety of drums accompany the music ensemble including the dhol (a cylindrical drum), dhumsa (a large kettle drum) and kharka or chad-chadi. The themes for these dances include local legends, folklore and episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and other abstract themes.
The Chhau dance is mainly performed by the Munda, Mahato, Kalindi, Pattnaik, Samal, Daroga, Mohanty, Acharya, Bhol, Kar, Dubey, and Sahoo communities. The musical accompaniment for the dance is provided by people of communities known as Mukhis, Kalindis, Ghadheis and Dhadas who are also involved in the making of the instruments. Masks form an integral part of Chhau Dance in Purulia and Seraikella where the craft of mask-making is undertaken by communities of traditional painters known as Maharanas, Mohapatras and Sutradhars. The knowledge of dance, music and mask-making is transmitted orally.

Three styles of Chhau

The Seraikella Chhau developed in Seraikela, the present day administrative headquarters of the Seraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, the Purulia Chau in Purulia district of West Bengal and the Mayurbhanj Chhau  in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The most prominent difference among the three subgenres is regarding the use of masks. While, the Seraikela and Purulia subgenres of Chhau use masks, the Mayurbhanj Chhau uses none.
The Seraikella Chhau's technique and repertoire were developed by the erstwhile nobility of this region who were both its performers and choreographers. The Mayurbhanj Chhau is performed without masks and is technically similar to the Seraikella Chhau. The Purulia Chhau too uses masks and it exhibits the spontaneity of folk art. This is because unlike the Seraikella and Mayurbhanj Chhau, which enjoyed royal patronage, the Purulia Chhau was sustained and developed by the people themselves.
In 2010 the Chhau dance was inscribed in the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.^[8]

Measures to safeguard the dance

The Government of Odisha established a Government Chhau Dance Centre in 1960 in Seraikella and the Mayurbhanj Chhau Nritya Pratisthan at Baripada in 1962 since the abolition of princely states made it difficult for the local communities to sustain these traditions. These institutions engage in training involving local gurus, artists, patrons and representatives of Chhau institutions and sponsor performances. The Chaitra Parva festival, significant to the Chhau Dance, is also funded by the state government. It is the best form of mask dance. For safeguarding Chhau Dance the Sangeet Natak Akademi has taken up specific measures including grants to cultural institutions the establishment of a National Centre for Chhau Dance at Baripada, Odisha.

In popular culture

The Hindi film Barfi! has several scenes that features the Purulia Chhau in it.

Folk Dance:

Giddha

Giddha (Punjabi: ਗਿੱਧਾ, Pronounce: Gidhā) is a popular folk dance of women in Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The dance is often considered derived from the ancient dance known as the ring dance and is just as energetic as Bhangra; at the same time it manages to creatively display feminine grace, elegance and elasticity. It is a very colourful dance form which is now copied in all regions of the country. Women perform this dance mainly at festive or social occasions

Costumes

Giddha costumes consist of bright coloured clothes complemented by heavy jewellery. The Punjabi salwar kameez or ghagra in bright and rich colours are the typical costumes of the dance, Giddha. Women also wear ornaments like mathapati on the forehead.
Giddha is usually danced in harmony, swinging and twisting the body, shaking the shoulders while bending knees and clapping.

Music

Normally,there is no musical instruments are accompanied with Giddha, except (sometimes) a dholak (small two-headed drum) which provides the rhythm for the dance. Mostly women prefer clapping as the rhythm. The hand-claps of the dancers is a prominent feature of this art-form;

Performance and acts

Giddha is essentially danced in a circle.All of them clap their hands and sing small couplets called Boliyan These Boliaan are emotional, humorous, teasing, love, nature and various topics. Then, two of the dancers come to the centre and perform the dance. These boliyan cover themes from nature to the excesses committed by the husband or mother-in-law or other relatives, and love etc.
Mimicry is very popular in Giddha. Gidha incorporates village life scenes of woman spinning cotton, fetching water from the well, etc. This is accompanied with appropriate Boli songs.

Garba (dance)

Garba   in Gujarati) is a form of dance that originated in the state of Gujarat in India. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term Garbha ("womb") and Deep ("a small earthenware lamp"). Many traditional garbas are performed around a centrally lit lamp or a picture or statue of the Goddess Shakti. The circular and spiral figures of Garba have similarities to other spiritual dances, such as those of Sufi culture. Traditionally, it is performed during the nine-day Hindu festival Navarātrī   Nava = 9, rātrī = nights). Either the lamp (the Garba Deep) or an image of the Goddess, Durga (also called Amba) is placed in the middle of concentric rings as an object of veneration.

Etymology

The word Garba comes from the Sanskrit word for womb and so implies gestation or pregnancy - life. Traditionally, the dance is performed around a clay lantern with a light inside, called a Garbha Deep. This lantern represents life; the fetus in the womb in particular. The dancers thus honor Durga, the feminine form of divinity.
Garba is performed in a circle as a symbol of the Hindu view of time. The rings of dancers revolve in cycles, as time in Hinduism is cyclical. As the cycle of time revolves, from birth, to life, to death and again to rebirth, the only thing that is constant is the Goddess, that one unmoving symbol in the midst of all of this unending and infinite movement. The dance symbolizes that God, represented in feminine form in this case, is the only thing that remains unchanging in a constantly changing universe (jagat).
The Garbha Deep has another symbolic interpretation. The vessel itself is a symbol of the body, within whom Divinity (in the form of the Goddess) resides. Garba is danced around this symbol to honor the fact that all humans have the Divine energy of Devi within them. Garba is now being appreciated worldwide.

Dance

Modern garba is also heavily influenced by Ḍānḍīyā Raas (Gujarātī:  , a dance traditionally performed by men. The merger of these two dances has formed the high-energy dance that is seen today. ^]
Both men and women usually wear colorful costumes while performing garba and dandiya. The girls and the women wear Chaniya choli, a three-piece dress with a choli, which is an embroidered and colorful blouse, teamed with chaniya, which is the flared, skirt-like bottom, and dupatta, which is usually worn in the traditional Gujarati manner. Chaniya Cholis are decorated with beads, shells, mirrors, stars, and embroidery work, mati, etc. Traditionally, women adorn themselves with jhumkas (large earrings), necklaces, bindi, bajubandh, chudas and kangans, kamarbandh, payal, and mojiris. Boys and men wear kafni pyjamas with a kediyu - a short round kurta - above the knees and pagadi on the head with bandhini dupatta, kada, and mojiris. There is a huge interest in Garba among the youth of India and in particular, the Gujarati diaspora.
Garba and Dandiya Raas are also popular in the United States where more than 20 universities have Raas/Garba competitions on a huge scale every year with professional choreography. One of the most notable of these competitions is called Garba With Attitude. Garba With Attitude also shortened to GWA, hosted by the Indian Sub-Continental Club (ISC) at the University of California, Irvine, has grown to become America's premier Garba/Raas competition and is the only competition of its kind on the West Coast. In its eleventh year, its focus not only lies in exhibiting the values and expressions of this form of the traditional dance form, but also in promoting cultural awareness. It is a platform for philanthropic awareness through fostering a competitive and professional atmosphere. In the past ten years, Garba With Attitude has grown from five California Universities to over 200 participants from 10 Universities from across the United States. The show has had a record five year sell out point with over 1,000 audience members which include students, representatives from various organizations, family members of participants, show organizers, and garba enthusiasts.
Garba is also very popular in the United Kingdom where there are a number of Gujarati communities who hold their own garba nights and widely popular among the Gujarati community even in Canada, where the largest navratri festival in North America is held annually in Toronto. They say "Ae Hallo" for fun, which means "Come on! Lets start!"

Tradition

Garba is a Gujarati folk dance celebrated in Navratri, a celebration lasting nine nights. Garba songs typically revolve around the subjects of Lord Krishna or the nine goddesses. Sanedo is an example of a very popular song. There are many forms of Garba, including dandiya Raas, garbi, Heench, 3 taali and Dodhiyu. Garba styles vary from place to place in Gujarati.
The traditional costume of the Garba dancer is red, pink, yellow, orange, and brightly colored Chanya choli or ghagra choli; odhini with bandhani (tie-die), Abla (big mirrors) or with thick Gujarati borders. They also wear heavy jewelry, for example: 2-3 necklaces, sparkling bangles, or kadas, janjhars or payals, kandoro or waist belts, long oxidized earrings, and bajubandh

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

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