Sacred Dance of India

Author(s): Mrinalini Sarabhai
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 40

Stilt Dance of Gonds (M P)
excitement of each dramatic situation as do the lighted torches and spectacular processions of the actors
An interesting speciality of Bhavar is the recitation of the rhythmic syllables by the actors and use of verse for some of the dialogues As the two actors speak to each other, they dance and end their conversation with "tata-thai thai, tata-thai thai, tata-thai thai"-a dance full stop to a poetic conversation
Jhanda Jhoolan is another famous piece Each play has its male actors, and the woman character, also played by a man is called Kanchalo She is a dancer and singer, and wears a wide sweeping ghagra, a choli (Kanchali) and a veil (odhn) covers her face
Dancing with thick lighted wicks in her hand, she makes an impressive entrance Saluting the Goddess Saraswati, bowing to her guru, waving her lights over her head and in different directions, she depicts the varied facial expressions and the foot-work of the Bhavar After her dance, she sings in a high-pitched voice, which is a peculiarity of this form
Costumes and make-up are exaggerated and there is a curious intermingling of both Hindu and Muslim styles of dress Joothan Mian, the boaster, is the only character who has a definite stylised make-up, with dots of red and black upon his cheeks, and a white stripe around his nose and eyebrows Character-acting is a Bhavar speciality and topical subjects are introduced constantly The famous characters are Joothan Mian, Jhanda Jhoolan, Chatki Matki, Adavo, Teja and Chhail Batal
Some interesting features are the Shiva-Parvati dance, depicting Ardhanaiishwar, common to many folk forms, the lady in the palanquin (madhi) and Vadi, the magician
The Jatra of Bengal, though not a dance form, uses dance and music in the telling of stories Stories from the Bhagavatam predominate, after the great wave of the bhakta cult was introduced by Chaitanya in the 15th and 16th centuries He danced and sang in worship of the Lord Sri Krishna and many of the literary works of later periods were based upon the incidents from the life of the Lord It is related that Chaitanya presented the play Rukmini Haran and played the role of Rukmini, himself Chaitanya also inspired the Kirtan dances of Bengal where devotees move freely to the beating of the drum and religious songs