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| Dandak Raas or Dandiya Raas |
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| It is the distinctive dance of Saurashtra. It is refered in the Mahabharata and is the Prime element of Gopi Culture.It is performed on festivals of Sharadpunam, Navratri, Jalzilni Ekadashi, Satam Atham (Gokul Asthami) etc. Boys, youth and young men with wooden or metal sticks having coloured flower balls at its end, dance with rhythm in varieties of ways and manners such as “Hinch”, “Kervo” etc. Dandiya Raas includes several styles such as dodhiya, Panchiya, athiya, Bariya, Bhetiya, Naman, Mandae. The Dance itself creates swastik, Trishul, Dhaja being Shakti’s symbol.
Generally it was played by man but now woman also play this raas with their menfolk.
The Aayer, Kanbi and Rajput of Saurashtra have mastery over this art exhibiting vibrant forwad, reverse and turning movements of footsteps and body-movements in bending, sitting down or getting up and gaining speed and rhythm. Raas is played with music of Dhol and Shernai in hinchtaal. |
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| TALA AND LALIT RASA |
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| If time is measured with clapping of hands instead of sticks it is called Tala Rask. This is also called Garbi in Saurashtra where only the males participate. |
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| LALIT RASA |
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| If the players measure the time by different measures with their hands and refrain by their feet, it is called lalit Rasak. |
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| DHOKA RASA |
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| The Bharwad and Rabari community have their variety of Raas which they call as” Dhoka,” In this variety, mostly songs are absent. |
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| Dandiya Raas (Mer Raas): |
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| Mers are a virile backward community, which migrated to Saurashtra. They are at present performed in Porbander and they are handsome and exhibit martial valor during the course of their dance. Before commencing they throw gulal (POWDER OF COLOR) over their body and dresses to exhibit joy, they use thick long sticks (Parona) for dance. This Raas is devoid of Song. The Mers from Dandiyas similar to the blow of a sword and their act of taking fudadi() is simply astonishing. Their strength and speed indicates their sturdiness and Circular dance movements a symbolic representation of vigorous life.
The Mer people also play Raas with the clapping of palms in which young and old all join and dance freely. This type of Raas is called Chabkhi. |
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| GOF GUNFAN (SOLANGA) RAAS |
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| It is popular dance of koli and kanbi community of Saurashtra. Strings of varied are tied to a ring hanged at the ceiling in center of the performing place. The other end of the string is hold by the players who begin with Garbi and then play Dandiya Raas. During the raas, several modes such as Bethak(Sitting), Fundadi (Circular movement), Tappa (Strokes of legs)are played and then each one plays alternatively in which one comes out and other goes in circle. The strings first get knitted and then released. It is popularly called Athanga Nritya in Guarat.
Raas Raas is played by men & women whereas raasda are played by women/men or both Together. Raasda is a kind of Tala-Rasak. Raas has element of music and singing dominats. Ek Tali One clap and Teen Tali Three clap of hans for rhythm .They are performed in celebrations of Vrata Religious ceremony, wedding, and religious festivals. Love songs of Radha and Krishna are sung in Rasda. Women play Rasda with tal –rhythm of Tali-hands clap or Chapti- a thumb and any one finger creates sound and with Tal –rhythm of feet supported by Dhol –drum or without music. |
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| GARBA |
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| Garba is a popular dance of folk of Gujarat since ancient times. It is connected with Shakti-Puja (worship of goddess having powers over all). Its origin is believed to be the worship of goddess Jagdamba. Symbolically, Garbo means an earthen pot with many holes around it. The word “garbo” is derived from “Garbh-deep” a protected lamp in pot with holes. Subsequent derivation “Garbo” and then finally “garba” means “ghado”(pot). Which is imaginatively termed as “Brahmand”-Universe. A lamp lit within “Ghado”(pot) is indicative of continuity of life. Thus garbo is a symbol of worship of and devotion to a “Adya-Shakti” who is the mother of the universe: Jagdamba.
During the nine nights of Navratri, in village streets as well as urban localities, Garba are played after sunset up to midnight. Jwara are sown in “dadiya” a leaf of dry khakhara –tree as a symbol of Mataji. Ghee or oil lamps are lit in front of Mataji’s Sthanak place of goddess which is put in the chowk –square of the street or roads. Women play Garba dance in circular movements around the goddess. Garba are prayers in praise of devotion to Mataji. Musical instruments like Dhol, khanjari. Manjira, Harmonium are used.
Garba songs are composed by folk poet and are lyrical poems sung in praise of God, goddess and Lord Krishna. Singing in chorus is an invariable accompaniment of garba Nrtiya. Other forms of Garba are Deevo, Ghado and Garbi. |
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