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The Rhythms of Music and
Dance
The desert comes alive when the performers take
centre stage. Though the ghoomar is a dance that is
performed in the privacy of homes, and was once
restricted to the zenanas, almost all others are
folk forms that are either linked to a particular
region, or a particular festival. In recent years,
however, these performances have become more
widespred, so theat the regional distinction is
beginning to wear off. Vistitors to the state can
request specific entertainments, or simply choose to
be swept away by the rhythms and nuances of
Rajasthan as it celebrates.
BHAVAI: One of the state's most
spectacular performances, it consists of veiled
women dancers balancing up to seven or nine brass
pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting, and then
swaying with the soles of their feet perched on top
of a glass, or on the edge of a sword. There is a
sense of cutting edge suspense to the performance,
and even though some of the hotel performers use
only papier pots that are stuck together, the feat
is still one of amazing dexterity.
 CHARI: Dancers choreograph deft patterns with
their hands while balancing brass pots on their
hands. The performance is made more picturesque with
the flames from cotton seeds set alight, so that the
bobbing heads create streaks of illuminated patterns
as they move effortlessly around the floor.
DRUM DANCE: Put a naked
sword in the mouth of a man, and give him three
swords to juggle with his hands while avoiding
causing an injury to himself. This to the
accompainiment of his troupe that consists of
musicians holding aloft drums around their necks and
cymbals in their hands. A stirring performance from
a martial race.
FIRE DANCE: It there is divine protection to
be offered, the Jasnaiths of Bikaner and Churu must
be responsible for cornering most of it. These
dancers perform on a large bed of flaming coals,
their steps moving to the beat of drums that rises
in crescendo till the dancers appear to be in a
nearhypnotic state. And no, they're not likely to
have any blisters to show for it. These devotional
performances are usually to be seen late on a
winter's night.
GAIR: There are several
variations to this picturesque dance form that is
performed by both men and women. The men wear long,
pleated tunics that open out into full-length skirts
as they move first in clockwise then in
anti-clockwise direction, beating their sticks to
create the rhythm when they turn. Originally a Bhil
dance, and performed at the time of Holi, its
variations are the Dandia Gair in the Marwar region
and Geended in the Shekhawati region.
GHOOMAR: A community dance of the Rajputs,
performed by t he women of the house and
traditionally out of bounds for men, it uses simple,
swaying movements to convey the spirit of any
auspicious occasion. There is, however, an amazing
grace as the skirts flare slowly while the women
twirl in circles, their faces covered by the veil.
Traditionally, all women, whether old or young,
participate in the dance, which can continue for
hours into the night. A new bride, on being welcomed
to the home of her husband, too is expected to dance
the ghoomar as one of the rituals of the new
marriage.
KACHHI GHODI:
Originated from the bandit regions of Shekhawati,
the dance is performed for the entertainment of a
bridegroom's party. Dancers wear elaborate costumes
that resemble them riding on dummy horses. A
vigorous dance, it uses mock-fights and the
brandishing of swords, nimble sidestepping and
pirouetting to the music of fifes and drums. A
ballad singer usually sings the exploits of the
bandit Robin Hoods.
KATHAK: This formal, clssical dance evolved
as a gharana in the courts of Jaipur where it
reached a scale that established it as distinct from
the other centre of kathak, Luchknow in Uttar
Pradesh. Even today, the Jaipur gharana is well
established, though performances occur in other
centres rather than in the state where the
opportunity for classical dance forms has been on
thedecline for a while.
KATHPUTLI: A tradition
of puppeteering has long existed in Rajasthan. A
travelling form of entertainment, it uses the
ballads, retold in the voice of the puppeteer who is
assisted by his family in erecting a make-shift
stage. Puppets are strung on the stage and recount
historic anecdotes, replay tales of love, and
include much screeching and high-pitched sound as
the puppets twirl and move frenetically.
 MAAND: A form of court music, the maand is a
raga formation that developed in Marwar, and
includes a complex inflexion of voices, sung in a
deep bass. This sophisticated form of music
percolated down to folk forms and professional
singers use it to sing ballads that have a haunting
quality as their voices rangs over the desert. The
maand has also been used to sing the praises of
their ruller-patrons. A festival is now exclusively
dedicated to the event in Jodhpur.
SAPERA DANCE: One of
the most sensuous dance forms of Rajasthan,
performed by the Kalbeliya snake-charmers'
community, the sapera dancers wear long, black
skirts embroidered with silver ribbons. As they spin
in a circle, their body sways acrobatically, so that
it is impossible to believe that they are made of
anything other than rubber. As the beat increases in
tempo, the pace increases to such a pitch that it
leaves the viewer as exhausted as the dancer.
TERAH TAALI: Another devotional form of dance
practiced by the Kamad community of Pokhran and
Deedwana, to honour their folk hero, Baba Ramdeo, it
consists of women sitting on the floor before his
image. Tied to various parts of their body are
thirteen cymbals which they strike with the ones
they hold in their hand. Their hands perform various
arabesques while they do this, and pots on their
hands and hold a sword in their mouth.
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