MANIPURI DANCE
DANCES OF INDIA – MANIPURI DANCE
Manipuri dance is one of the major Indian classical dance forms of the India. It originates from Manipur state in north eastern India on the border with Myanmar. In Manipur, surrounded by mountains and geographically isolated at the meeting point of the orient and mainland India, the form developed its own specific aesthetics, values, conventions and ethics. The cult of Radha and Krishna, particularly the raslila, is central to its themes but the dances, unusually, incorporate the characteristic cymbals (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (Manipuri mridang) of sankirtan into the visual performance.
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. It is this, which gives Manipuri dance its undulating and soft appearance. The foot movements are viewed as part of a composite movement of the whole body. The dancer puts his or her feet down, even during vigorous steps, with the front part touching the ground first. The ankle and knee joints are effectively used as shock absorbers.
Manipuri dancers do not wear ankle bells to accentuate the beats tapped out by the feet, in contrast with other Indian dance forms, and the dancers feet never strike the ground hard. Dance movements of the whole body and feet and facial expressions in Manipuri dance are subtle and aim at devotion and grace also.