A Popular folk dance of Maharashtra - Lezium

Lezim is folk dance of Maharashtra, India. In this dance the dancers carry a wooden or metallicrod with metal discs attached to it on a string which produce a jingling sound.This instrument is called Lezim, that's where the dance gets its name from.The dancers dance to the rhythm given by the Dholki (type of Indian drum). It is a kind of sport dance. When i was in school , our PE teacher would take us down to the school grounds and make us practice the Lezim dance. We would then perform it at our annual sports meet. This dance is popularly seen during theGanapathi festivals all over Maharashtra. The dancers follow certain counts and keep to the rhythm while arranging themselves into different formation. I hope they keep teaching young children such folk dances in school so the children are able to keep such bright and beautiful traditions alive.

Gotipua Dance

Gotipua is danced by young boys. It dates back to the 17Th century. This dance form is said to the precursor to the Odissi dance form.The " Bandha Nritya" or acrobatic dance performed by these dancers is a treat to watch. One can see the amount of intense training that these boys have to undergo from young age to achieve such agility and flexibility. They have to perform all these acrobatic poses while keeping to the beat.

The best piece of co-ordination

Today's video took my breath away. This dance piece is called "Thousand Hand Guanyin". As i further read up on it i found out that this dance show Bodhisattva Guanyin associated with compassion and is usually depicted as female. The co-ordination of the dancer shows their hard work and teamwork. Its like watching dance in 3D. Can you believe these dance actually suffer from hearing impairment and  are performing on the signals given to them by trainers on the sides. Wow isn't it?

Yakshagana

Yakshagana is style of dance drama belonging to the Kanara,coastal region of Karnataka. This dance drama is usually performed by men and boys. The stories of these dramas like all Indian art forms derive inspiration from Ramayan and Mahabharat. As we see in the video clip the actors not only dance in course of their performance but also sing and deliver lines. The elaborate makeup and costume makes this style closely related to Kathakali. While watching this style I remembered a similar kind of dance drama style ( the Barong Dance) I had an opportunity to see in Bali,Indonesia. The common elements that i found in both these styles of dance drama is the elaborate costumes and makeup as well as that in both these styles the performers danced, sang and delivered lines. Now I wonder did the Indian movie industry find their inspiration in these dance dramas as we see all the above three elements in our movies.Whats your take on it?

The Great Bal Gandharva - Actor singer and a legend of Marathi Theatre

Narayan Shripad Rajhans, better known as Bal Gandharva (Young Gandharva) was one of the greatest Marathi actors and singers who made the Sangeet Natak (musicals) theater style famous.  In the past women would not act or sing in public so female characters in the play would be played by a male actor. I always use to hear from elders of the family who had the opportunity to see this legend live on stage about his acting and singing skills. When i came across this video clip i was thrilled i would be able to share this with all the readers. We owe our rich theater, dance and music traditions to legends like this.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES DELHI 2010-OPENING CEREMONY (HD)-CLASSICAL DANCES and...

This Video is a small clip from the opening ceremony of the Common Wealth Games that took place in Delhi,India in Oct2010. Here each style of the Indian Classical Dance represented a season. The styles that we can see here are Odissi,Bharatnatyam,Kathak,Kuchipudi,Mohiniattam and  Manipuri,representing the rich heritage of dance and music in the country. I do believe that they should have included Kathakali which is again a style of classical dance drama and a very popular form of Indian classical dance. None the less amazing show. Very synchronised dancing by the dancers and beautiful costumes. Makes me proud to be a part of such an amazing and ancient tradition.

KaThaKars: Kathak Rhythm

KaThaKars: Kathak Rhythm: "I came across this video on YouTube and found it very interesting. The music is by Marina Velikova. She has used Teen Tala (16 beats) as th..."