CLASSICAL DANCES OF INDIA (MANIPURI)

(I              MANIPURI   

From legendary times the beautiful valley of Manipur in the far away north – eastern region of India maintained as indigenous dance style of its own know as Manipuri. The history of the Origin of this art is shrouded in Mystery, though there is plenty of evidence to show that at from very early times the people of Manipur loved dance and music and prodded themselves as the descendants of the Gandharvas. By the eighteenth Century, the Bhakti cut was deeply rooted in Manipur and, patronized by the ruling princes, it became a popular form of religion the traditional dance and music of the are came under the influence of the new cult and adjusted itself to the spirit of the times. The credit for reviving and systematizing the dance off the solid goes taking bhayachandra who became ruler of Manipur in 1764. The king’s whole hearted encouragement to music and dance finally culminated in the revival of the Manipuri dance. The poses, their variations and movements of the body in the Manipur system were candied.

It was in the early years of the twentieth century that the Manipuri captured the attention of Rabindra Nath Tagore. The mode of the dance, the melody of the music, the emotions represented and the artistic value of the performances all appealed to Tagore’s imagination in a profound sense. At Santiniketan he initiated the study and performance of Manipuri till the art was restored to its original value. That ws the beginning of the modern phase in the history of the Manipuri dance. Tagore gave his touch of vitality to Manipuri to keep it abrest of the times. He supplied themes for the dance =-dramas in Manipuri technique, and his rabindra sangeet made the dance especially charming in many respects.

In technique, Manipuri is quite different from Bharata – natyam and Orisi. Feel art in front, not out – turned, keeps are relaxed, slightly bent forward but not flexed sideways; there is no out –turned position of the things. The torse is relaxed with the upper chest and wrist moving in opposition. The whole body is turned into animmaginary figure of eight or similar to the English letter ‘S’. The arms move as a unit, with no sharp angles. The fingers of the hands also move in circles, semi – circles and curves, gradually folding and unfolding, the primary unit of movements is known as the chali or the pureng ion which the dance is built. Five different types of ballet, with well conceived structuring of corps de ballet and solo poas de due revolving around the theme of Radha, Krshna and the Gapes (milkmaids), comprise the large part of the classical repertoire of Manipur. The second group of dances are known as the Sankritanas. They follow a more vigorous technique with jumps elevations but no leg extensions, and are performed generally by men to typical Manipur drums (pung), cymbals (Murtals) and clapping. A large variety of intricate rhythmic patterns are played on these instruments. The Nata Sankirtana often precedes Theresa. Throughout there is an alternation of poured dance and mime, the latter most restrained and refined.

The ritual dances of Manipur are a group part: the most significant among them are the Maiba and Maibi dances of Priests and Priestesses before village deities. They often culminate in trances. Lal haroba, for instance, is spared over many days; its rutual patter is rigorous and different sections all fall into a dexterous patter of floor choreography and physical movement performed toe repetitive melody ion a bowed instrument called the Pena. The main dancers are Khamba and Thoibi, supposedly counter parts of Shiva and Parvati. There are two distinct forms of the movement, generally defined as the lasya and the today. The lasya calls for an easy movement of the limbs, restricted to the natural bonds within which they can moves freely without and forced stretch in any direction. The tandav aspect requires more difficult and vigorous movements of the body when the limbs are stretched beyond the natural orbits. Also where are numerous poses, postures, and gestures, all expressive of the fundamental meanings of the art?

On the musical side, the drums, flute, horns, esraj, tambour, cymbals, and mridang are some of the important instruments. The costume of the Manipuri dance is graceful and charming. The long skirt, the overskirt and the blouse all gorgeously embroidered; and the numerous varieties of beautiful ornaments, highlight the dancer’s personality, especially in the case of female dancers.

(II)            Odissi

Odissi, the classical dance art of Orissa, has had a vivid but variegated history, The devdasis became the real exponents of the Odisi dance, patronized by the Orissa monarchs and with inspiration from the great saint – poet like Jayadev. The hundreds of Konark dancing – girls in stone have preserved the Odissi dance in its most refined and lively form. The code of rules, as well as the dancing poses in illustrated forms have been preserved in the body of the old palm leaf manuscripts of Orissa.

The revival of Odissi after independence took place in a phenomenal way. The credit goes to one of the foremost exponents of draman, dance and music of modern Orissa, Kabichandra Kallicharan Pantnaik.  

The chief characteristic of the Odissi style is to represent dance in a chaste and simple form through beautiful body postures, artistically oriented body bends, and rhythmic movements, within the main principles, the classical dance, such as the bhavam, rega and tala, the Odissi dancer performs the natya, combining in it the elements of dancing and acting. The dance begins with the Bhumi pranam or salutation to the Mother Earth, Next begins the VighnarajaPuja in which a sloka is recited while the dancer starts dancing. The dancer expresses the mood of the song though artistic poses and movements of the eyes, and next performs a piece of pure dance. In the net item, called abhinaya Nritya or Gita – abhinaya, the dancer carries the performance towards the climax. Romantic themes on Krishna and Radha are depicted with utmost skill in dance and expression. As the dance comes to a close, the dancer pays the final salutation to the Mother Earth, the gods and the guru in a reverential mood,\. From the beginning till the end, the Odissi dance maintains its religion – ritualistic character.

The costume of Odissi is related to the graceful elegance of the dance. The silk an patta sari in bright colours and the kandhula or blushing a deeper shade with embroidery work set off by decorative ornaments for the head, neck arms and feet forms the main features of the Odissi costume.