Music and dance form
an integral part of Dangi Life. Most often than not, Dangis don’t sing but
dance. Nature, festivals and moonlit night are sufficient inspiration for their
feet to move. Dancing is not just an art but a socio-religious activity for the
tribals. As Verier Elvin has pointed out, it is an exercise in delight, a
display of grace and vigor, a partnership of sexes in the intimacy of ordered
rhythm. Important folk dances of Dangs include Pavri dance, Thakarya dance, Bhaya/Dungardev dance, Bohada dance
and Madal dance.
Tadpa/Pavri
Dance
Pavri dance – a
dance full of energy, skill and enthusiasm has around 27 different chal or
formations complemented with the music of dhol (drum) and pavri (a
bagpipe). The names of the different chals are according to the
steps involved or according to the bird or the beast which the movements of the
dancers try to imitate. There are chals or tunes such as slow motion
tune, two steps tune, three steps tune, wailing tune, the sparrow step tune,
the crocodile step tune, chicken step tune, Jopio Chalo, Mohania Chalo, Morno
Chalo, Bahino Chalo, Malino Chalo, Zavda Chalo, Dhobing Chalo, Thisra Chalo etc.
Off late, Pavri dance has become synonymous with the term Dangi dance.
Thakarya Dance
Thakarya dance is a
devotional dance dedicated to propitiation of rain-gods. Starting from the
festival of ‘Tera’, this dance is performed till Diwali. Instead of kahalya and
dholak, madal and tin are the instruments played during this dance. Villagers
flock at one place after the dinner to view and perform this dance. Only males
participate in the dance. Among the performers, one plays madal, the other
plays tin, few others sing and rest of them dance. It starts with a “Naman
Geet”, a song that greets and worships various tribal Gods. During the
Namangeet, all the performers sit together and sing. Namangeet starts with
salutation towards mother Earth, followed by cow, Kanasari Devi, Vagh Dev, Nag
Dev, Son, Moon, Gam Dev, Hanumandada etc. Towards the end, they salute Dholi
(one who plays Madal), dancers, singers, villagers and at last the viewers.
Dancers then wear the anklets and start the actual dance. In this dance,
dancers move in a circular form assuming virasan (warrior pose). First, they
dance standing, then they dance bending and then with more force in Virasan. It
is very strenuous and exhausting. Unlike other dances, singing is compulsory in
this dance. An important characteristic of this dance is the tradition of
‘questions’ and ‘answers’ during the dance session.
Bhaya Dance
Bhaya nritya
(bhacha chalo) is a devotional dance performed at the time of worship of
‘dungar dev’. Unlike other dances, no one can join this dance without taking
bath and the dancer has to take meals once only. Instead of dholak and kahalya,
pavri is the instrument used in this dance. All dancers sing short devotional
songs and in between, shout ‘bi-lo-ri-sho’. The ‘bilori’ means the boundary of
stones or hill. The names of gods residing in different hills are recited
during the dance.
Bohada Dance
Bohoda or the mask
dance is basically a dance of the Konknas adapted by other Dangi tribes over a
period of time. One of the striking features of this dance is the use of masks.
Different types of masks such as wooden masks, clay masks, bamboo masks, paper
masche masks, leather masks etc. are used during this dance.
Wooden masks are
generally made from the wood of pangara tree which is light in weight and easy
for carving any shape. Bamboo mask is known as ‘thati’. These are used to
mainly depict a large number of characters in one single mask. Examples of such
masks are ‘Ranana that’, ‘Pandava thati’ and ‘Kaurava thati’. Paper Masche
masks are prepared by soaking old newspaper pieces and fenugreek (methi) seeds
in water for 10-15 days. The mixture is then ground into fine pulp and is
spread in thick layers over the mask mould made of wet mud. Once thoroughly
dried, the paper mask is taken off the mud mould. All the masks are usually
decorated and painted.
Bohoda dance is
performed in a village at night during Holi and Diwali season and generally
runs for seven days. Dancers wear masks bought on rent. Facial images of both
Tribal and Hindu deities and characters from famous epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata are reflected in these masks. One can find images such as Ram,
Hanuman, Ravana, Pandava, Kaurava, Ganesha, Agalya Ital (a tribal bhoot), Khirad, Parsuram, Pundlik, Shravan and
parents, Wagh, etc. as masks during the dance. Dholak, Kahalya and Pawri are
the music instruments played during the dance. Since the written script is
absent among tribals, Bohoda dance is a process of recreating oral history and
folklore of the tribes.
Madal Dance
Madal dance is a
combination of music, folk dance and folk drama known as “sohong”. Not
particularly associated with any tribal festival, this folk dance is generally
performed anytime, including special occasions like marriage. It starts after
the dinner and runs through the night. A group of singer and a composer for
‘sohong’ stands in a straight line whereas the dancers, along with their
madals, dance in a circular and various other geometrical patterns. Each folk
song contains a tribal folklore. Adorned with traditional ornaments, dancers
change the “chal” (formation) of the dance and “taal” of their madals with the complementary
change in “raga” of the folksong.
