Manipuri

The Manipuri dance form named after its region of origin, ‘Manipur’ is also known as ‘Jogai’. It was traditionally performed as a dance – drama on devotional songs, Manipuri showcases the love between Radha- Krishna through Raaslila. Manipuri is a combination of two culture- Indian and South-East Asian. The Manipuri dance form is categorized as Tandav or Lasya.

The beautifully soft and graceful dance form, Manipuri has significant movements of hands and upper body. A curvy body structure with a pleasant smile, decorative, shiny costumes, and ornaments, Manipuri is indeed a mesmerizing dance form. Another uniqueness of this dance form is that, whileGhunghroos (Bells)  glorify the classical dances of India, they are not worn in Manipuri.

The themes used in Manipuri dance forms

• Mostly influenced by Hindu Vaishnavism themes.
• It also includes themes related to Shaivism and Shaktism and regional deities.
• Tandav Manipuri depicts themes of Shiv, Shakti or Krishna as warrior.
•  Lasya theme includes Love inspired stories of Radha-Krishna.

The Manipuri Raslila: Three styles

1. Tal Rasak:  It is accompanied by clapping.
2. Danda Rasak: The synchronous beat of two sticks where dancers position creates geometric patterns.
3. Mandal Rasak: The Gopis make a circle while Krishna attains the center.

Different types of Manipuri Dance Styles

1. Raas.
2. Nata-Sankirtan.
3. Pung Cholam.
4. Dhola Cholam.
5. Kartal Cholam.
6. Thang ta ( a Martial art of Manipuri) etc.

The Music and instruments used in Manipuri dance

• The expressions used in Manipuri are from the poetry of  Jayadev, Vidyapti, Chandidas, Govindadas and Gyandas that may be in Sanskrit, Maithili, Brij or any other language.
• Pung ( A barrel Drum ) and small kartals (Cymbals) are employed in dance as well and not restricted to accompaniment alone.
• Other instruments include Sembong, Harmonium, Pena (String Instrument), Flute(Wind Instrument), Esraj and Shankh (conch).

The costumes of Manipuri dance

• The female dancers wear decorative barrel-shaped drum like long stiff skirt till bottom with decorative embellishments. Dark colored velvet blouse covers the upper part of the body and a traditional veil is worn over hair that falls gracefully over the face.
• The male dancers adorn themselves with dhoti kurta white turban, a folded shawl over the left shoulder and the drum strap over the right shoulder.
• The costume for the character of Lord Krishna is Yellow dhoti, dark velvet jacket, and crown of peacock feathers.

The revival and recent developments of Manipuri dance

• There are several private institutes as well as few Government aided centers that provide training in Manipuri Dance.
• The prominent among them is, Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy, Imphal which is the constituent body of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi.

Manipuri dancers

1. Guru Bipin Sinha.
2. Nirmala Mehta.
3. Savita Mehta.
4. Yumlembam Gambhini Devi.
5. Darshana Jhaveri and many others.