legaevents.com: 2015

Monday, 2 November 2015

Puliyattam (Tamil:புலியாட்டம் (means Tiger Dance)) is an old folk art dance of Tamil^[1] country.^[2] A highly exuberant and cultural festival, this dance form usually comprises a troupe of 6 performers aping the movements of the majestic, predatory tigers. Their bodies are painted by the painstaking efforts of local artists in vibrant yellow and black to resemble an exact replica of a tiger.^[3] The paintings include the ferocious looking fangs and convincing headgear replete with ears paws with claws and long tail that conjures an accurate picture of the savage beast’s graceful movements.The thunderous roars of drums beating wildly along with several local instruments reproduce the snarls of the regal predators and complete the picture. Sometimes to incorporate a touch of reality, a vulnerable goat is tied and the dancers pretend to seize upon the helpless creature and thereby kill it. Apart from the tiger the dancers are often adorned in the beautiful spots of a leopard or the eerie dark shades of a black panther.

The art nowadays are very rarely performed in Tamil Nadu but well carried out in Kerala and Karanataka.In Kerala it is called Pulikali.

Tuesday, 20 October 2015

Tamil Kavadi Attam

Tamil Folk Music & Dance

The Snake Dance is yet another cherished dance form of Tamil Nadu. It conceives originally from the character of the snake as a cautious divinity that defends the health and bliss of the rural folk.

Dancers, fully costumed in a tight- fitting snakeskin like attire, commonly perform the snake dance. The dancer bumps the activities of snake, agitated and creeping and making quick biting actions.

Kavadi Attam:

The Kavadi is made out of bamboo strips and an elongated pole. In olden days, people went on pilgrimage used to deliver bestowal things (like fruits, flower garlands, sandal and holy ash etc) to the deities tied on either side of a long stick, equalized on their shoulders.

To alleviate the dullness of the long travel they used to sing and dance in applauds the gods. This led to piece of music of distinguishing songs for carrying the Kavadi.

Tamil Villu Pattu

Bow Songs

Villuppattu is a folk art style of Tamil Nadu. It brings diverse social messages and also speaks out on valued themes. It is one of the interesting types of common and famous folk music. Villuppattu is still standing as a beacon of ethnic riches of the Tamil Nadu.

Within Tamil Nadu, It widely known as Villu Pattu, just transcribed in English as bow-song.

This bow song is popular, folk music, and it entertains the rural and the urban populace likewise. In this folk art style a chorus, musical apparatus and a key instrument (Villu or Bow, fixed with bells) co-act with the leading singer. The Villu hit cyclically by the commanding vocalist when the bells jingle in tune. The head singer clarifies a story, added by some energetic Tamil songs.

Tamil Nadaswaram

Nadaswaram conceived to be one of the earliest and outstanding musical apparatuses of Tamilnadu. Larger than Shehnai, and has a powerful double reed rather that the complex quadruple reed and thematically an outdoor instrument.

It believed a fair, sacred musical instrument and located at temples festivals and wedding functions. It usually accompanied with other musical instruments like Thavils, Surdhipetti and Oththu.

There is a smaller Nadaswaram called Mukhavina, which applied in Folk Music. Nadaswaram is an instrument of double reed Its highest range and power, it is more appropriate for open spaces than for closed indoor concert performance.

The regal sound of Nadaswaram horns synthesized with the balanced, vibrating beat of the Thavil drums. The music has a gravity to it during it go on a sensation of bounty to every event.

Tamil Naiyandi Melam

Also Known As Chinnamelam - (Drum Instrument)

Naiyandi Melam or Chinna Melam is clearly a non urban copy of the traditional Melam or Nagaswaram party. It has projected closely as a supplement to folk-dance-drama available to meet the interests of one's neighborhood public.

The orchestra contains a couple of Nagaswarams, two thavils, a Pambai, a Thammukku, and a couple of cymbals. The essential feature of Naiyandi melam could be the performers of the apparatuses also help during playing the organ.

This Naiyandi Melam is in demand as team instrument to, Kavadi, Karagam, Horse Dance, and a very familiar Kurathi Dance(gypsy-dance), .

Karagattam with Folk Music

Very popular Folk Art - Dance with Music

Without take holding the Karagam (adorned pot) on top of the head, balancing and playing beautifully, with dashing paced dance movement is KARAGATTAM!

Tamil Nadu has many folk dance forms. Notably Karagattam is one of the oldest folk dance in Tamil Nadu, generalizes the genuine art of praising the Goddesses with acute balancing of beautified pots. There are two classes of Karagattam - Sakthi Karagam and Atta Karagam.

While the arena of Sakthi Karagam framed to the premises of holy temples of Tamil Nadu, Atta Karagam carried on community platforms too. These are practiced for every feasible circumstance, to observe the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, marriages and festivals.

In Tamil Nadu, any village festival is incomplete without Karagattam. They play with so much care that it is difficult to understand how the pot serious fix on their heads.

Many tourists from out side India used to feel that they tie up or paste the pot on their head and cover with makeup.

For sure, it is merely an art of balancing the decorated pot, which is most acute in this folk art style. The dancers of this unique folk art form identified as Karagattakari (female) and karagattakaran (male).

The accompanied music is also shrill, and one will have a thrilling experience. Tamil folk dance affectionately confounded with the Tamil stage accordance. The most commemorated of these folk dance is Karagattam. In its exclusive custom, (Sakthi Karakam), the play carried out in the presence of an icon of the goddess Mariamman.

The dancer brings on their head a brass pot replete with raw rice, crowned with flowers and girded by a bamboo frame and botches and leaps to the beat of Folk Music without spilling a grain. Karagattam practically played by both male and female dancers allover Tamil Land. Karagattam should be highly honored and helped.

Tamil Kollattam

Kolaattam is an ancient village art. This is mentioned in Kanchipuram as ‘Cheivaikiyar Kolattam’, which proves its antiquity. This is performed by women only, with two sticks held in each hand, beaten to make a rhythmic noise. Pinnal Kolaattam is danced with ropes which the women hold in their hands, the other of which are tied to a tall pole. With planned steps, the women skip over each other, which forms intricate lace-like patterns in the ropes. As coloured ropes are used, this lace looks extremely attractive. Again, they unravel this lace reversing the dance steps. This is performed for ten days, starting with the Amavasi or Newmoon night after Deepavali.

Peacock Dance (Mayil Attam):

This is done by girls dressed as peacocks, resplendent with peacock feathers and a glittering headdress complete with a beak. This beak can be opened and closed with the help of a thread tied to it, and manipulated from within dress. Other similar dances are, Kaalai Attam (dressed as a bull), Karadi Attam (dressed as a bear) , Dog Aattam (dressed as a dog) and Komali Aattam (dressed as cartoon) which are performed in the villages during village get-togethers. Vedala Aattam is performed wearing a mask depicting demons.

Dummy Horse (Poikkal Kudirai Aattam):

This is the Dummy Horse Dance where the dancer bears the dummi figure of a horse’s body on his/her hips. This is made of light-

weighted materials and the cloth at the sides’ swings to and fro covering the legs of the dancer. The dancer dons wooden legs which sound like the hooves of the horse. The dancer brandishes either a sword or a whip. This folk dance needs much training and skill. This dance is accompanied by Naiyandi melam or Band music. This is connected to the worship of Ayyanar, prevails manily around Thanjavur.

Kaliyattam

Kaliattam is a dance related to goddess KALI. Artist do the make-up like kali and kill the devil(Mahesh or Satan). There are 2 types of performance in the Kaliyattam. one is Pacha Kali(Kali with Green color) and Pavala Kali(Kali with pavalam(red) color) another one is Siva Kaliyattam(Sivan and Kali competition dance).

Tamil Karagattam

Karagam is a folk dance with musical accompaniment, performed balancing a pot on the head. Traditionally, this dance was performed

by the villagers in praise of the rain goddess Mari Amman and river goddess, Gangai Amman, performed with literature with water pots balanced on their heads. Karagams were once performed for mulaipari ceremony when the dancer carried a pot of sprouted grains on his/her head and danced, balancing it through intricate steps and body/arm movements. Today, the pots have transformed from mud pots to bronze ware and even stainless steel in modern times. The pots are decorated with a cone of flower arrangements, topped by a paper parrot. The parrot rotates as the dancer swings along. This dance is very popular all over Tamilnadu, though its birth place is said to be Thanjavur. Most artistes hail from Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Pattukottai and Salem. This dance is danced by an individual or two persons. Both male and female performers participate in this. Acrobatics similar to circus are included – such as dancing on a rolling block of wood, up and down a ladder, threading a needle while bending backwards and so on.

Dr.Pushpavanam Kuppusamy

Popular Tamil Folk Singer

Puspavanam Kuppusamy is one of the leading Tamil Folk singers. He has several prestigious titles to his credit. He is the pompous recipient of the State Award -Kalaimamani in 1997 given by the Tamil Nadu Eyalisai Nataka Mandram.

Besides these he has other prestigious titles like Arulisai Thendral, Ezhutchi Tamil Isai Mani, Gramiya Isai Arasu, Nattupura Nallisai Nayagan, Tamizh Isai panar and many more. He is also possesses a doctorate in Music.

His research is on "Tamil Folk Music", which is the basis for the growth of classical music. His spouse Anita Kuppusamy is also a music post-graduate, and jointly the pair has released more than 200 albums in Tamil Folk, Worship & Tamizh Iisai Songs.