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Classical Dance
Heritage
of Classical dance in Assam is of remote origin. In Assamese dances, Hastas
(hand gestures), Shirokarma (movement of the head), Padachari (foot work),
Karana (posture), etc are performed after the manner of Natya Shastra or
Sanskrit treatises on dance. The foot-work in an Assamese classical dance is
extremely intricate and is called "Gati" or "Belan". It
always reflects the theme of the dance in its infinite variation, speed and
pattern. There are "Hasti Bulan", i.e. the slow majestic steps of the
elephant, "Ghora Bulan", i.e. the swift galloping steps of the horse,
"Maira Bulan", i.e. the majestic steps of a peacock and so on. There
are several kinds of "Karanas" or "Bhanges", i.e. poses of
the body in an Assamese dance. They are expressive of meaning and require to be
mastered by long practice. Those postures of the body accompany the movements of
the head, neck, eyes and feet. The mastery of the movements is a matter of long
practice under expert guidance. The hand gestures is called "Hasta",
commonly known as Mudras. They are performed either with a single hand (Asanguta
Hasta) or with both the hands (Sanjuta Hasta). Those gestures that are
expressive of meaning are called "Shree Hastas" and those performed
only for the sake of beauty and rhythm are called "Nritta Hastas". The
combination of all the Hastas will be nearly one hundred.
The indigenous classical dance forms of Assam or Asamiya Margi
Nritya has been classified into;
(i) Bhaona
(ii) Temple dances
(iii) Oja-Pali
Bhaona
Bhaona is a theatrical performance of a Vaishnava Ankiya Nat, a one-act
play, initiated by Sankardeva. It is chiefly aimed at propagating Vaihnava
tents and performed in
village Namghars and Satra premises. The Sutradhara of an Ankiya Nat,
though not a character of the play, is an integral part of it; he recites
slokas, sings, dances and explains in prose what is what at every stage
of Bhaona. The Natuwa or Cali dance is perhaps modeled on some temple
dance, although it is included in the Bhaona. There are two kind of Natuwa
dances, Pakha Jiya and Hajowaliya. Hajowaliya is a woman's dance and both
tandava and lasya have been combined to make it. The hair style of a knot
tied as the crest, small karamanis (beads) over a lahanga (mekhala) and
an orna over the face constitute the dress.
Oja-Pali
Oja- Pali is a group of chorus singers and dancers. The Oja is the
leader of the chorus, the Palis are his assistants and the Daina Pali
is the principal assistant. The number of assistants may be three, four
or more. They dance, play small cymbals and sing stories from the Epics
and the Puranas.
Their dance bears clear evidence of many aspects of Indian classical dances
like hasta, gati, bhramari,
utplavana,
asana etc. The Oja wears
pag-jama or ghuri, bangles, unti, ring and nupur,
and ties a tangali
. The classification of
Svaras by Oja-Palis into
ghora, mantra and tara corresponds to the Indian classification of
udara, mudra and tara. The songs sung by Ojas: malaci or malanci geets
and jagar are Sanskritic language; they also sing a kind of mixed song,
Patsha geet. They are written under Muslim influence.
There
are three kinds of Oja-Pali dances, namely - Vyasageet Oja, Suknarayani Oja and
Ramayani Oja.
(1)
The Oja-Pali of Vyasageet mainly sings the songs of the Vaishnava cult.
Here, the themes of the dances are adopted from the stories from Bhagavata,
Mahabharata and Harivamsa. The make up of a Vyasa Oja differs from that of a
Sukanarayani Oja. The Vyasa Oja wears a long white skirt, a tight fitting
jacket, a turban of a particular shape, anklets and various other gold ornaments
of the neck, hand and ear
(2)
The other Oja named Suknarayani chants mainly the hymns of the snake
goddess, Manasa composed by Sukabi Narayan Dev, an Assamese poet of the olden
days. The theme of the dance is the story of Behula and Lakhindar which is
mainly connected with goddess Manasa. The costume of this kind of Oja consist of
a long shirt known as Chapkan, a white Dhoti, a Chaddur, a pointed turban and
various gold ornaments of the wrist, neck and ears.
(3)
The third variety of Oja, Ramayani Oja, puts the costume akin to Vyasa
Oja and sings only the songs from the Ramayana. Unfortunately, this kind of
Ramayani Oja-Pali is disappearing slowly. All the three kinds of Oja-Pali dances
have reached exquisite perfection in Karana, i.e. posture and Angahaara, i.e.
gesture.
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