Dances of India
Come and enjoy the drum dance and the live percussion during our stage production on Dances of India. We look forward to seeing you there. Mark your calendars to attend my “Dances of India” performance at 4 pm on April 24, 2010 at the CPCC’s Halton Theater in Charlotte. For details on the event visit www.saathee.com and the events section.
By Dr. Maha Gingrich
For questions or comments contact Dr. Maha Gingrich via e-mail at: msgingrich@juno.com
Drum Dances: Pung Cholam As we all know Indians love music and dance, starting from classical to folk, and Hollywood to Bollywood. One thing that is common in all these songs or dances is the presence of drums. An overwhelming majority of Indian dances are accompanied with drum music. Generally the drummer provides the percussion accompaniment with dances. There are quite a few dances in which the dancer plays the drum while dancing. Such dances come under the category of “Drum Dances.” I wanted to introduce some of the drum dances and we will perform a dance showing the use of drums during the stage production of “Dances of India” on April 24, 2010 at Halton Theater, CPCC in Charlotte beginning at 4 pm. One of the finest examples of drum dance is the fascinating Pung Cholam of Manipur. It is a highly sophisticated dance with all the elements of classical dances. Pung is a drum with two faces, almost like the Mridangam drum from Southern India. One face of the drum is much smaller than the other, usually played with the right hand. The drum is slung from the neck of the drummer for playing with both the hands. Most of the drums that are larger and two faced are usually slung from the dancers’ neck, which allows them to dance. Pung Cholam is performed as a solo dance as well as a group dance. Sometimes, during more coordinated performances, about a hundred drummers perform the dance all wearing spotlessly white dhoti and white turban. It is then a treat for the eyes, ears, and mind. The aesthetic appeal is so over-powering that it becomes an experience for the life time. While playing intricate rhythmic passages on the drums, the drummers not only dance gracefully and vigorously, but also swing the drum in incredible ways, all while playing. There are also acrobatic elements in the dance. Actually, Cholam is a generic name of percussion dances prevalent in Manipur. Cholams performed by men are vigorous having acrobatic elements. Those performed by women are delicate and lyrical. The style of dance changes as the percussion instrument changes. Men perform two other drum dances with Dhol and Daph, a frame drum. Men also perform Kartaal Cholam. Kartaal is a pair of large cymbals. The Cholams performed by women are not with the drums, but with idiophones like clappers with small cymbals. Among all the Cholams, the Pung Cholam is the best. April 2010
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