Among the several forms of Raas, the most popular one is "Dandiya Raas", which
is performed during Navratri. In fact, it holds a significant place in Navratri
celebrations. It is known for setting the festive mood. Dandiya Raas is the
featured and most popular dance of Navratri evenings in Gujarat. The dance form
is not just restricted to Gujarat. It is performed in many other states, during
the festive season of Navratri. Dandiya Raas is performed in the honor of
Goddess Durga. It is the dramatization of a mock fight between the Goddess and
Mahishasura - the mighty demon-king. The sticks of the dance represent the sword
of Durga. Women normally perform it in a graceful and rhythmic manner in a
circle as they rotate around the 'mandvi'.
Traditionally, Dandiya Raas is performed after aarti (ritual of worshipping the
diety). Hence, Dandiya Rass is an important part of the merriment. The special
characteristic of the dance is the colorful costume worn by the dancers and the
colorful sticks carried by them. Both men and women love to be seen dressed in
their best traditional attire. The women wear traditional dresses such as
colorful embroidered choli, ghagra and bandhani dupattas glittering with mirror
work and heavy jewellery, while men look very attractive in their traditional
colorful kedias. The dresses for the dance were stitched in until sometime back,
when readymade outfits started appearing in the shops, especially for Dandiya
Raas.
The colorful sticks, used as prop of Dandiya Raas, are usually made of bamboo.
This is the reason why it is also known as 'stick dance'. The circular movements
of Dandiya Raas to some extent are very complex, which can be done only with
skill in the art form. The dancers strike the sticks with their partners and
dance in circular motion, to the rhythm of the music played in the background. A
large number of people are involved in Dandiya Raas and two circles are formed
by the dancers.
Out of the two circles made to perform Dandiya Raas, one of the circles revolves
clockwise, while the other revolves anti clockwise. The dance is a very lively,
active and fast paced art form, thus leaving no scope for laziness. There is an
instrumentalist, playing a 'meddale' drum, who accompanies the dancers. The
person stands in the center of the two circles and leads the dancers with his
beats. The dancers spin and move their feet and arms in a choreographed manner
to the tune of the music, with lots of drum beats. Dandiya Raas in Navratri is a
mesmerizing thing to watch as well as to participate in. |
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