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Chiratala Bhajana
Chiratala Bhajana or Chekka Bhajana resembles Kolattam very closely in its
movements, steps, dance and style and songs except that the players hold
Chiratalu instead of sticks. All the technical terms like jattu, Garidi, Uddi,
Kopu, Ettugada, Muktayimpu, Usi are common to both Kolattam and Chiratala
Bhajana. Chiratalu, a pair of wooden pieces chiseled and riveted with jingling
bells and metal pieces, produces metallic and rattling sound. The two pieces can
be held in a palm like a single piece by inserting the thumb and middle finger
into the rings fixed in the centre on the top side of the wooden pieces. By opening
and closing the palm the two pieces strike each other and produces musical
sound. In Kolattam each player hold two sticks one in each hand, in Chiratala
Bhajana the players hold a pair of Chiratalu in one hand and a colourful
handkerchief in another which he waves while jumping and dancing. The kolattam
kopus are of short duration where as the Chiratala Bhajana kopus are of
long duration facilitating narration of episodes from Epics and Puranas.
There
are nearly 100 kinds of kopus depicting variety in the steps. In modern times
long narratives have been divided into small bits with different gatis and
styles. In olden days lamp posts used to be erected in the middle of the circle of
players. Now troupe leader stands in the middle and sings the narrative playing
cymbals or Chiratalu.
A troupe consisting of 10 to 20 members forms into
a circle while the leader
who stands in the centre begins the bhajan, directing the troupe. All members
follow him. The commencing steps are known as Adi Adugu (beginning steps). This is compulsory item.
The other steps are known as Potu Adugu, Kuppadugu, Kulukula Adugu, Joku Adugu, Nemili
Adugu, Gurappu Adugu, Uyyala Adugu. The players hang
garlands in their necks and tie jingling bells to their ankles, they also
tie colourful waist bands.
Dappu Dance
Dappu is a percussion instrument. It is a counterpart
of Dandora of North India. It is also called Tappeta in coastal And hra.
It is made out of calf hide fixed to the margosa wooden structure in a
circular shape. It is beaten with two sticks one thin and the other thicker.
The form belongs exclusively to Harijans. Dappu dance is a vigorous type
of dance as the Dappu is a powerful percussion instrument. A troupe consisting
of ten to twenty artistes presents Dappu dance during marriage processions,
car festivals of deities and village fairs and festivals. Tiger
steps, bird steps, horse steps are some of the styles of dance movements
presented in the Dappu dance. Sometimes the songs sung verge on obscenity
as in Lella Patalu to settle old scores. The beat of the Dappu and
the foot work of the dancers synchronise with each other so perfectly
that from a slow moving, low-beating rhythm, it reaches its climax with
the frantic drums keeping pace with the dazzling foot work by the dancers.
They play several kinds of rhythms like Trisra, Chaturasa, Mirsa, Khandagati,
Sankeerna, jatis, comprising seven type of beats. They follow different
kinds of dance, leaping from one side to another with complicated foot
work. They tie jingling bells to their ankles. Spectators throw coins
on a Dappu placed on the ground. when the players around that Dappu beat
their drums vigorously, the Dappu placed on the ground responds to the
sound vibrations and the coins over it dance and slide down to be picked
up as a reward by the artistes.
Puli Vesham OR Tiger Dance
This is a popular one-man dance performed during Dussehra
and Muharram festivals. An able bodied man with a narrow strip of cloth
around the waist, and the whole body painted with stripes like a tiger
and elaborate make-up, sporting a long tail, dances vigorously in tiger
like strides and wild jumps. A Dappu or Mridangam provides the rhythm.
In some parts of Andhra a second man behind the dancer carries the artificial
but heavy tail tied to the back of the dancer. The dancer lifts
a brass pot full of water with his teeth depicting an unruly tiger's devouring
nature and strength.
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