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MANIPURI

 

Manipuri dances originate from the North Eastern state of Manipur. Intensely devotional in mood, the Manipuri dances are a part of the daily life of the Manipuri people. Essentially presented as a group dance with gorgeous, colourful costumes and gentle, swaying petal-soft movements.
There are Rasalilas, But rather then them, there are other dances called Natasankirtana, in which a group of men play cymbals and dance in a circle or in two rows singing praises of God. In  Pung Cholom, the dancers play upon pung, the drum, and dance while playing the intricate time cycles, executing somersaults and breathtaking acrobatic feats. 

 

HISTORY

The history and development of Manipuri dance is interesting.  It is said that King Khuyoi Tompok was a great patron of the arts and developed Manipuri in the 2nd century AD. It is more likely that Manipuri began to take a familiar form with the introduction of Vaishnavism in the 15th century AD.  This was first introduced by King Kyamba and greatly expanded under the support oter later kings such as Khagemba, Chairairangaba and a host of others.

The earlier forms of Manipuri had not been codified or given a scientific base.  This was accomplished in the 18th century by King Bhagyachandra.  He invited the major teachers and performers from all over the area to codify their art into a coherent system. Today, Manipuri is generally acknowledge as a classical dance form of very high artistic and technical standards.

 

MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTS

The traditional Manipuri dance style embodies delicate, lyrical and graceful movements. The aim is to make rounded movements and avoid any jerks, sharp edges or straight lines.Of course, behind this outwardly soft impression lies a tough regime of body control.In contrast with other Indian dance forms, the dancer’s feet should never strike the ground hard as this would interfere with the delicate flow of the body movements. Every time the dancer puts down his or her feet, even during vigorous steps, it is the front part of the feet which touch the ground first and ‘break the fall’. The ankle and knee joints are effectively used as shock absorbents.The dancer’s feet are neither put down nor lifted up at the precise rhythmic points of the music but rather slightly earlier or later to express the same rhythmic points most effectively. This is possible because the way the feet move is viewed as a part of a composite movement of the whole body

There are a number of forms in Manipuri.  These are the Ras Lila, the Pung Cholom, NupaCholom, Thoibi and a host of others.  We will now look at them in greater detail.

 

COSTUME AND MAKE UP

The costumes are very  picturesque. The women wear a tight-fitting conical cap of black velvet or other material, trimmed with a border of synthetic pearls, under a thin white veil. Modern dancers often discard the cap in favour of a bun on top and to the side of the head, and haloed with flowers. The choli or tight fitting bodice is usually of velvet with tight sleeves trimmed with gold embroidery. The gagra or flounced skirt is of a striking colour, yellow, red or green and usually of silk  with a wideborder at the bottom of the skirt consisting of a design of sequins. As the dancers swirl round, the flashing mirrors reflecting the light produce a striking effect.The male dancer wears a dhoti with embroidered bandsacross his chest ending in flaps that fall over both hips. In the Ras-Leela,Krishna is gorgeously attired in a pleated dhoti of gold or yellow silk, thechest being covered with glittering necklaces while wristlets and armlets adorn he arms.

There are a number of forms in Manipuri.  These are the Ras Lila, the Pung Cholom, NupaCholom, Thoibi and a host of others.  We will now look at them in greater detail.

 

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