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Young World
Basic rhythms
ANJANA RAJAN
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The earthy beat when two sticks are hit, forms the background music of some of the folk dances of India.
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The beating of two sticks together is one of the simplest ways of creating rhythms, and India has a large number of folk dance forms in which the participants hold colourfully painted sticks and mark rhythm with them while dancing. In Gujarat there is the Dandiya Ras. Traditionally, the women wear tie-and-dye lehngas and odhnis - skirts and veils - while the men wear white clothes with colourful turbans. These dances are popular with people in cities and villages, and form part of celebrations like marriages and festivals, especially the Navaratri festival dedicated to the Mother Goddess.
In Tamil Nadu, a popular folk dance is called Kolattam, which literally means `stick dance'. It is popularly performed by girls and women during festivals such as Pongal. Another variation of this dance is the Pinnal Kolattam, which means `braid stick dance'. In this, an even number of coloured ropes - equal to the number of dancers - is hung from a central hook, and each dancer holds one end of a rope, besides the sticks. While moving in a circle and performing steps similar to the Kolattam, the dancers move back and forth , so that the ropes get woven into a braid. The challenge comes when the dancers reverse their steps so that the ropes become neatly unwound and return to their original state.
In Kerala there is a dance similar to the Pinnal Kolattam, called Kol Kali. It is traditionally danced by male dancers and has a martial character. It is a dance with vigorous steps.
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