Dance forms of Tamil Nadu
There are a lot of folk dance forms that are practised in the region, some of which trace their origins to the Sangam period (3rd century BCE).
In the Sangam period, the various art forms were classified into three types: iyal (poetry), isai (music) and nadakam (drama).
Bharatam is derived from the first letters of the Tamil words bhavam (feelings, emotions), ragam (melody, framework for musical notes), and talam (rhythm).
[31][36] The dance has traditionally been a form of an interpretive narration of mythical stories, religious and spiritual ideas from the Hindu texts.
[37] The dancers are usually dressed in colorful silk saris with golden or silver zari embroidery on the borders, draped in a specific way and adorned with various jewelry.
[38][39][40] The dance is characterized by the fixed upper torso with bent legs or flexed out knees combined with various footwork and a number of gestures known as abhinaya, performed using various hand mudras, eye and facial expressions.
[24] An arangetram (literally "ascending the stage") is a solo debut performance that signifies the completion of initial formal training of a young dancer.
[41][42] Silambu is a hollow anklet made up of a metal such as copper and filled with iron or silver beads that produce noise when the wearer moves or dances.
[47] Karakattam is a folk dance which involves dancers balancing clay or metal pot(s) on the head while making movements with the body.
[48][49] The pots may be empty or sometimes filled with water and are decorated with colorful flowers and leaves mostly neem, which is of medicinal and religious importance to the Tamils.
It has sometimes obtained a reputation for vulgarity with women wearing short skirts, showing of their midriff and bright make-up.
[55] A traditional kavadi consists of two semicircular pieces of wood or steel which are bent and attached to a cross structure that can be balanced on the shoulders of the carrier and weigh upto 30 kg (66 lb).
The dance is accompanied by drumming and chanting of verses help them enter a state of trance and Vibuthi, a type of holy ash is spread across the body.
[55] The dancers often prepare themselves by keeping clean, doing regular prayers, following a vegetarian diet and fasting while remaining celibate.
[61] The dancers generally stand in a circular formation and beat the sticks to make specific rhythms while singing songs.
[72][73] It was traditionally a war dance where few men wearing ankle bells would stand in a line with pieces of colored cloth and perform rhythmic steps to the accompanying music.
[80] The parai is hung vertically by a cloth strap called nadai over one of the shoulders and is held between the other hand and the performer's body.
[83] According to Hindu mythology and folk stories, it is believed that the notes for the dance originated from gods Shiva and Parvati.
[91] Puliyattam is a folk dance usually performed by males in which the dancers paint themselves in yellow and black using limonite and charcoal respectively to resemble a tiger's stripes.
[93] The dancers keep lemon wedges between the lips, so that the mouth does not dry while making purring noises imitating a tiger.
[60] The art was popularized in the early Chola period and finds mention in the Tamil literature Silappadikaram as "marakkal attam", a dance with wooden legs.
[75][99] Bhagavatha nadanam is a dance form that narrates the life and stories of the various avatars of Hindu god Vishnu.
[103] It is a social dance performed by a group of men or women with no specific theme and may be accompanied by music and songs.
[103][104] The dancers hold wooden sticks measuring about 7 in (180 mm) long by a thread held between the fingers, which are used to produce different sounds.
[47] In the recent years, Kuravanji dancers are men who dress up as women, often as consorts of Shiva or Vishnu and try to out dance each other.
The puppets are made of light weight wood and are dressed in crafted costumes bulked up by paper stuffings to give a more rounded appearance.
The puppet shows are often held during festivals or fairs and as a part of rituals to ward of evil forces, prevent epidemics, invoke rains to end drought.
[118] The performers are usually males, who wear elaborate wooden headgear, special costumes with swirling skirts, ornaments such as heavy anklets along with prominent face painting and make-up.
The art is a form of street theater, performed during festivals in open public places such as temples or village squares.
The dance is accompanied by music played from traditional instruments and the story is usually narrated by a kattiyakaran in the background during the performance.
