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play the most important role (usually depicting the origin
of the dance), with each country having its distinct style.
ThePataka
or flat hand of India has its prototype in all countries of the
East but one is never identical to the other. The Neck and Shoulders
as well as the face plays an integral part as well.
"#66FFCC">1) BURMESE
- pre 1257 AD India and China - Non Fighting, Dance of Gesture,
Fun, Love and Flights. color=The
dance is characterized by an out-curving back bone, and bent knees.
Deep waist bends (masc. & fem.) with the head dropping
to the floor. The hands are gentle and pliable with the character
being gay and smiling.
"#66FFCC">2) JAVANESE
- Java - 1200 AD (Worship drama) The Wayang
Topeng or Raket developed
first with masked actors, for magic and ancestor worship. Then
came the Wayang *Poerwa or shadow
play (sometimes *Klitik or *Kroutjil),
from these grew the Wayang Golek
or Wooden Marionettes, with the Dalang (operator)
speaking to his dolls. Later came the Topeng
Dalang or Topeng Barrangan
with the Dalang giving the lines and the masked Actor portrays
them. These forms all combined to create the Wayang
Wong, the most popular of the Javanese dance dramas. Some
of these plays will last several hours and sometimes even days.
The movement is very slow and sedate, almost slow motion like
with the aim being to soothe and extremely orthodox. There are
five styles of technique for the women; The Djoged
allus (lyric hero), Djoged
Kasar (the demons, giants), The Clown
(ad libs), The Shrimpis (royal
blood, groups of four), The Badayas
(attached to court, groups of nine). The Ronggengs,
or professional dancers are not recognized by the Krida
Beksa Wirama. There originally being two centers for Javanese
dance drama 1) Soerakarta (solo)
and the 2) Djokjakarta or Djokja
(faster) with the men doing the Djokja and women doing
the solo.
"#66FFCC">3) JAPANESE "#66FFCC">
- The origin of the dance is said to be the mimic steps
which the Ame-no-Iwato offered to
the Sun goddess. Some prehistoric
dances exist today such as the Kume-mai
type. The Gigaku a religious masked
dance is said to be of Indian origin. After the Gigaku, the Bugaku
arrived. The Noh-drama is an offspring
of the Bugaku with the Noh being the artistic perfection of all
ancient aristocratic dances (Sugizama
and Fuujima). The Shosagota
originated among the folk but today is refined and beautiful as
is the Kabuki being a modern version
of the Noh as well as being a much faster pace. In the Japanese
temples are found the enfants-bonzes,
the small boys who perform religious dances before the Buddha.
They wear footless stockings, and with a charming suppleness and
lightness execute cadenced movements which have been heretically
taught them. Their dance is accompanied by the chant of priests,
who recite the litanies in a gay measure.
"#66FFCC">The Nihonbuyo
- is divided into three classes; Mai
(Slow), Odori (gay),
Shosa or furi
(dramatic or Mime). Pieces are
used to mime effects such as a fan or scarf as well as the sleeves
of the Kimono. Men have spread knees
while the women can hold a card between hers.
"#66FFCC">The Guéchas
- (Geishas), who perform
their choreographic exercises in the teahouses. Were trained in
the conservatory of Yedo, and also
the Djorôs, exhibit more art
in their dances than the ballerines
of Africa. By their graceful movements they depict heroism, glory,
and love, especially love, says Jean d'Argène in his Arc-en-ciel.
A great many qualities are required of a Japanese dancing girl,
or Maiko; she must be young, beautiful,
graceful, musical, and witty. No feast in Japan is considered
complete without the Maikos, who are taught at an early age to
perform their figures to the chant of the national poems. Dancer
and singer are one. When the Maiko has lost the first blush of
youth she makes place for others, becomes a Geisha-girl,
and accompanies the dancers, strumming and chanting the tune of
the melody. A Maiko moves very slowly and in gliding fashion;
but above all she is an artist in posturing, and she continually
changes from one perfect pose to another.
"#66FFCC">4) INDO-CHINA
- 800 AD Chinese and Indian mix. (Including Siam and
Cambodia).
The Indian and Chinese cultures met here but the Indian is much
more fluent here except in costume (pagoda
type, prachadee headdresses etc.) with masks sometimes worn
by villains. Double jointed elbows turn inside out and wrist turn
back again. The dance is performed in the Hall of the Dance before
a palace or temple.
"#66FFCC">5) BALI
- The Origin is attributed to the old Hindu God 'Indra'.
Bali`s kingdoms are now gone, but the Hindu religion is still
alive and well and continues to be practiced by the vast majority
of the island’s population. Ritual
dance is vital to Balinese Hindu ceremonies. Every move
and gesture has a religious or spiritual meaning. Balinese gods
were all accomplished dancers. Very little Hindu nature in the
dance, the dance drama reflects daily living and may last throughout
the night. The dance being mainly done for exhibition and not
communal. The dance is vigorous and moved. The most beautiful
of the Bali dances is the heavenly dance of divine myths called
the Legong, a pantomime
done by two girls with straight backs, bent knees and lightning
quick movements. The dance starts with an introductory solo dance
by the 'Condong'. The Condong moves with infinite suppleness,
dipping to the ground and rising in fluid endless motion, her
torso raised, elbows and head held high, with her fingers dancing
around her wrists, slowly she turns to meet the arrival of the
legongs. Of all classical Balinese dances, it remains the quintessential
expression of femininity and grace, performed by young women who
must be the prettiest and most gifted pupils. It is highly stylized
drama of a most purified kind - intended to display the supreme
talent and perfect artistic talents of the performers. A modern
version of the Legong is the Djoged
with the boys in the audience dancing with the girls. The Sang
Byang is a Legong danced in a trance. Puppets
and a Dalang are sometimes used in
these dramas. The plots are taken from two Indian Epics; the Dedori
(Bali Nymphs) and the Topeng
(two-three actors). The romantic history is preserved in
the ardja (erotic opera sort). The Baris
(ritualistic weapons type) and Ketjak
(Choral type) are performed by men. The traditional Kebyar
or Kebiyar is another modern version created by Mario
except that it is performed sitting down. It has the dancer leaning
forward and arching their backs, dancers perform the graceful
steps. Kebyar was the first Balinese dance to be performed from
a sitting position. While sitting, the dancer must often create
movement by beginning to rise, and his movements are dictated
by the music. The Yudapati, is another
traditional dance of Bali. This dance uses stunning choreography
a warrior about to embark upon a battle. Interestingly, although
the dancers are sometimes men, it is generally women who carry
out the performance - clad convincingly in male costumes and elaborate
headdresses or crowns. The ceremonial Janger
is a youthful dance that is only performed by a group of twelve
men and women who dance face-to-face, taking turns singing a local
song. The men dance very energetically and the women sway from
side to side as they sing. The women are usually adorned with
an elaborate headdresses and use the traditional fan. Traditional
Ramayana, is an ancient tale of love,
epic warfare, knightly quests, and daring exploits which is very
popular among the villages.
"#66FFCC">6)
CHINA
- AD 618-907 - Virtuously lost thru time, but still done today.
The Chinese word for dance is 'Ou' .
The Emperor Shun, ( 2255 B.C.,) was
the first to introduce the dance into the ceremonies; in the third
year of Yung-Ming, AD 485, an Imperial
decree ordered the dance to be kept as part of the Confucian
rites. The Emperor Cheên-Kuan,
(AD 650,) introduced military dances into the ritual. There were
civil dancers, who held a long feather in one hand and a stick
in the other, dressed in full court dress, and military dancers,
who wore full uniform and held a shield in one hand and an axe
in the other. Masculine and Feminine techniques differ widely.
Men spread knees being the most obvious. Each character has his/hers
own hand posture. An example would be the strong spread fingers
of the Shen (male) and the helpless hands of the Tan
(female). Within the tan roles there are seven different
types. Lao-tan (old woman),
Chini (Virtuous women), Hua-tan
(soubrette), Kuei-men-tan
(young), Tao-ma-tan (military),
Ch'an-tan (Comedienne), Tsi-tan
(wicked). Costume color indicates the character; Yellow =royal,
Red =Honorable, "#FFFFFF">White =Young
etc. Face paint color also reflects character. The steps are very
small with some waist movements while the head is never quite
still.
"#66FFCC">7) HINDU
- The Bayaderes ,
who dance in the temples of India, perform these religious exercises
with chaste and cautious movements; but the Bayaderes are divided
into two classes: Those who are not consecrated to the temples
dance in the palaces for the amusement of the maharajahs;
they are artists in their way, maintaining a special attitude,
and are regarded with respect. They are very well-informed, poets
and musicians, and as an accompaniment to their dances they extemporize
songs and set them to music; copper castanets are used by many
of them.
"#66FFCC">8) HINDU-EGYPTIAN-Almèh
- In Old Hindu Religious writings, the Hindu "dancing
girls" were called Almèh,
because they were better educated than the other females and of
high morals of the country, in which they formed a celebrated
society. The entertainment which they supplied was well respected
and called >natch, or the feats of
dancing-girls. The almèh of the higher class knew, perfectly,
all the new songs and dances; they committed to memory the most
beautiful elegiac >hymns that bewailed
the death of a hero, or the misfortunes incident to love. No festival
was complete without their attendance; nor was there an entertainment
in which the almèh was not an ornament, or the chief excitement
of pleasurable sensations. The most distinguished class of the
almèh were introduced into the >saloons
of the great, not alone for their merits as dancers. They repeated
with exceeding grace, and sung the unsophisticated harmonies or
airs of their country. The Almèh gained admittance to the
favor of the public, and were solicited to attend >marriages
and every kind of entertainment, including >funerals
and other occasions of solemnity. There was a lower class of Almèh,
who were basically a low class of dancers.
"#66FF00">Other:
"#66FFCC">The TAM-TAM
- The Soudaniens of Cordofan have
the tam-tam, but it requires very skillful men. The dancers wore
girdles composed of goats' feet, and the clashing of the small
>sabots provides an accompaniment
which served as music.
"#66FFCC">The EGG DANCE
- India invented the egg-dance before
>Mignon. The dancer, dressed in a
very short skirt, wears as a crown a wicker wheel of moderate
diameter. A number of threads are attached to it at an equal distance
from each other, and on the end of each is a slip knot, held open
by a glass bead. In this equipment, the young girl approaches
the spectators; she carries a basket filled with eggs which she
asks them to examine that they may be sure of their reality and
not think them an imitation. The musicians play a monotonous air,
the dancer begins to turn rapidly. Seizing one of the eggs, with
a quick movement she throws it into a slipknot in such a skillful
manner that it at the same time tightens the knot. The rapid whirling
of the dancer produces a centrifugal force which draws the threads
straight. One after another the dancer must throw the eggs into
the slip knots. When she has finished this difficult operation,
it seems as though her head were surrounded by a halo. The speed
of the dance still increases until it reaches a point where the
features of the young girl are no longer distinguishable. The
moment is critical; at the least false step, at the least want
of measure, the eggs would strike against one another...But how
is the dance to be finished? There is but one way of ending well;
the dancer must withdraw the eggs in the same manner as she has
placed them.
"#66FFCC">INDIA'S MYSORE
- At the canter of the hall ceiling is fixed a ring from which
eight cords hang, each one of a different color. Four small girls
and boys hold the ends of these cords. The music begins and the
eight children start a dance, the movements of which are ruled
so that the young performers twist the cords together. After they
have turned in this manner, the orchestra plays another air and
the twist is unwound; it is reformed and again unwound. The play
of colors which unite and separate, as if by enchantment, produces
the most pleasing effects. The color of the clothing of each child
is the same as that of the cord which it holds. This is very pretty;
isolated from each other at the moment when the cords are separated,
they cross, mingle and blend to form the brilliant twist under
which they appear in a group, combining all the colors. (Sounds
similar to the Maypole dance).
The graceful enfantine of Mysore may be performed by as few as
four of our young girls and boys.
"#66FFCC">PORTUGUESE DANCE
- These dances were said not to be specially graceful; they are
slow in movement, and similar to Oriental dances, reminding us
of the East because they consisted mostly of movements of the
body and arms, and because they have no steps worth mentioning.
Threshing-floor is generally the scene of the dance, and its season
is mostly that of harvest or vintage.
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