Manipuri Dance

Manipuri

Originated in Manipur and associated with the rituals and traditional festivals. The central theme is the Raslila of Radha and Krishna. The themes often depict the pangs of separation of the gopis and Radha from Krishna.

The vital elements of this dance are the characteristic symbols (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mridang) of sankirtan into the visual performance.

The most popular forms of Manipuri dance are the Ras, the Sankirtana and the Thang-Ta.

Guru Naba Kumar, Guru Bipin Singh, Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, his wife Charu Sija Mathur, Darshana Jhaveri are some of the prominent exponents of this classical dance form.

Sankirtana

The Kirtan form of congregational singing accompanies the dance which is known as Sankirtana. The male dancers play the Pung and Kartal while dancing. The masculine aspect of dance – the Choloms is a part of the Sankirtana tradition.

Thang-ta

The martial dancers of Manipur – the Thang-ta – have their origins in the days when man’s survival depended on his ability to defend himself from wild animals. Today, Manipur has an evolved and sophisticated repertoire of martial dances, the dancers use swords, spears and shields. Real fight scenes between the dancers show an extensive training and control of the body.