Supriya has specially designed the syllabus for the students who like to learn semi classical dances.
Beginners: age 4 to 6 There will be kids songs like Rail Gaadi Jhook Jhook, Dadi Amma Maan Ja
Intermediate: age 7 to 10 - Vrindavan ka Krishna, Barso Re megha megha, Taal se taal mila, (This corse includes more energetic steps and Hast Mudras in advance level)
Advance: age 11 and above The songs such as Piya Tose, Kahe Tarasaye, aaye soor Ke panchhi, (This corse includes Abhinay in advance level, more difficult rhythm and steps)
Students will learn these types of folk dances from India, and perform it for the Annual recital of Nriyabhakti Dance Academy.
This dance requires a lot of patience and balance. The dancers carry brightly lit brass pots on their heads, displaying many flexible movements of the body. It is a dance of gay occassions.
A community dance of the Rajputs,performed by the women of the house and traditionally out of bounds for men,it uses simple swaying movements to convey the spirit of any asuspicios occasion. There is however, and amazing grace as the skirts flare slowly while the women twirl in circles, their faces covered by veil.Traditionally, all women perform this dances.
Garba Dance is a popular folk Dance of Gujarat. It is a circular form of dance performed by ladies on the Navaratri days, Sharad Purnima, Vasant Panchami, Holi and such other festive occasions. The basics of the dance are singing and clapping rhythmically while going round the goddess.
Garba is the leading dance of women in Gujarat. The Garba dance is performed throughout nine nights of Navaratri. The actual performance begins at night after the women finish their house hold work. All gather at street corners.
Women folk come out into the open and with perforated earthen pots holding lighted lambs poised on the head sing, clap. Garba songs are mostly in praise of Mother Goddess Amba. The rhythm is kept by a Dholi or drummer who sit in the centre
The costumes and the instruments used during these folkdances are also typical folk costumes which mostly consist of a short coat called Kedia with tight sleeves with embroidered borders and shoulders, tight trousers like the Churidars and colourfully embroidered caps or coloured turbans and a coloured waist band.
Instruments
Damru, Tabla, Nagara, pot drum, percussion, Ektaro, Ravan hattho, Jantar, Pavo, shehani, murli, turi, and taturi
It is very simple dance and is performed by a group who move in circles to measure steps, marking time by sticks called dandia.Dandiya are the featured dances of Navratri evenings in Gujarat.
The sticks of the dance represent the sword of Durga. Women normally perform it in a graceful and rhythmic manner in a circle as they rotate around the 'mandvi'.
The women wear traditional dresses such as colorful embroidered choli, ghagra and bandhani dupattas dazzling with mirror work and heavy jewellery.
The main difference between the 'Garba' and 'Dandiya' dance performances is that Garba is performed before 'Aarti' while Dandiya is performed after it.Garba is performed exclusively by women, men and women join in for Dandiya. Also known as 'stick dance' as performers use a pair of colorfully decorated sticks as props, the circular movements of Dandiya Raas are slightly more complex than that of Garba.
Bhangra is a lively form of folk music and dance that originates from Punjab. Punjabis performed Bhangra to celebrate the sucess of the harvest. People perform Bhangra on the day of Baisakhi, April 13. Bhangra is considered the king of dances.
During Bhangra, people sing Punjabi Boliyaan lyrics, at least one person plays the the dhol drum. The dancers begin to move in a circle around the drummer, who now and then lifts the two sticks, with which he beats the drum, to beckon the dancers to a higher tempo of movement
The costume of a Bhangra dancer consists of a bright, colored Patka on the head, a lacha or lungi of the same color, a long tunic and a black or blue waistcoat and ghunghroos on the ankles. Some dancers also wear small rings (nuntian) in their ears.
Several Styles of Dancing
Sialkoti, Bhangra Folk DanceSheikhupuri, Tribal, Malwa, Majha. One of the Bhangra's moves is also akin to the moves of Shiv-Tandav dance, which is danced on one leg
Abroad this Bhangra was marketed by music corporations as a source of revenue in the form of cassettes and CDs. Commercial Bhangra groups came into being in UK and other places and performed this commercial Bhangra. But Several Bhangra groups also came into being in UK, US, Canada.
Some of these Bhangra groups and teams participated in the 1st International Sports and Cultural Festival organised by the South Asians in Vancouver. Bhangra as is said is Shaan of Punjab
Women have a different but no less exuberant dance called gidda. During Lohri occasion, the Punjabi women revelling joy, give vent to their suppressed feelings in a male dominated Gidda Folk Dancesociety through the Giddha. Slogans known as bolis are sung while dancing which exhibit the deep human feeling.
The dance is derived from the ancient ring dance. One of the girls plays on the drum or 'dholki' while others form a circle. While moving in a circle, the girls raise their hands to the level of their shoulders and clap their hands in unison.Rhythm is generally provided by clapping of hands.
Quick is the movement of the feet in its faster parts that it is difficult for the spectator even to wink till the tempo falls again.
The traditional dress during giddha dance is short female style shirt (choli) with ghagra or lehnga (loose shirt upto ankle-length) or ordinary Punjabi Salwar-Kamiz, rich in colour, cloth and design. The ornaments that they wear are suggi-phul (worn on head) to pazaibs (anklets), haar-hamela, baazu-band and raani-haar.
Lavani is a musical discussion. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particulary performed to the enchanting beats of 'Dholak', an drum like instrument. Dance performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. They are sung in a quick tempo.
In most of the songs, meaningless chants are introduced to fill up the gaps between the lines. The Bhils always sing in groups. Dancing is inseparable from their music.
The music of the folk-drama called Maanch has a texture of its own. The beauty of the Maanch, often reveals in its musical dialogues, recited to the accompaniment of drums.
The folk musical modes of Malwa are very much suited to Lavani classical dancedifferent occasions. The music of the songs sung at the time of sacrifice or rituals in remote villages gives rise to an awe, while tunes of the Jhoola songs clearly convey the swinging motion. The performance lasts a whole night and groups of singers treat the crowd to great entertainment by their fluency of thought and speech. At the end of the Lavani performance, a replica of Manmathas mount is burnt.
The word Lavani originates from "Lavanya", meaning beauty. Earlier, this art form dealt with different and varied subject matters such as society, religion, politics, romance, etc. Lavani was used as a form of entertainment and morale booster to the tired soldiers.
Dindi is a folk dance of Maharashtra that is usually performed during Ekadashi day in the month of Kartik. This religious devotional dance describes the playful attitude of Lord Krishna. Dindi is a small drum, like a 'Tamate'. The musicians, comprising 'Mridangam' player and a vocalist, stand in the center and give the dancers the necessary musical background. Men and women folk perform the dance on the rhythmic music.
