Folkdances in Goa. (by Alyssa Rebello)

Goa is a small state situated between Karnataka and Maharashtra along the west coast of India. Goa is famous for its various beaches and attracts lot of tourists from all over the world. When one talks about the dances of Goa, your imagination temds to stop at people dancing to trace and techno music. Goa is known to have its own folk dances and songs which are quite unique. The traditional dance of Goa gives a picture of the mindset and lifestyle of Goans. They reflect the rich historical and cultural legacy that Goa abounds in. The Goan dances portray this blend of different faiths very beautifully. These are some of the important and famous dance forms of Goa. Shigmo
The Shigmo is a traditional dance of Goa and is performed during the advent of spring season. For farmers, this dance is symbolic of regeneration of their natural resources. It ia a form of naman (religious ceremony). It is performed in the Hindu community of Goa and is performed in the same month of March.
Dhalo
One of the most popular dances of Goa is Dhalo. It is one of the choicest dances of the women dwelling in rural Goa. In this dance form, young girls and women form a semi circle by joining their hands behind each other’s waists. It is usually performed by pair of two groups comprising of 12 dancers each facing each other. They then sway in coordinated movements to the beats of rural musical instruments. It is a dance full of fun.
Dekhni
The word Dekhni means beauty in Konkani language. Dekhni is basically the traditional dance of those Christians who were converted to Christianity from Hinduism during the Portuguese rule. This dance involves singing by people, it is has a story line to the dance. The music of this dance is a lovely combination of rhythm and melody of both western and Indian genre.
Fugdi
This traditional dance of Goa is quite popular among the womenfolk of Goa. This dance doesn’t require any special occasion and can be performed the year long. It is a dance performed in the praise of Lord Ganesha. This dance is started slow and the women sing in slow tempo. Gradually the speed of the dance and the song is increased when the dance reaches its maximum tempo, the women produce a sound ‘foo’ instead of singing. And so the name of the dance became ‘Fugdi’.
Lamp dance
The Lamp dance is called so because of the brass lamps that is used while performing this dance. The dancers have to dance very slowly balancing heavy brass lamps on their heads. The music is usually instrumental and folk instruments like Ghumot and Harmonium are used. This dance requires self control and discipline in order to balance the lamps and dance.

Goan Art of Basket Weaving. (by Alyssa Rebello)

The Mahar community was once upon a time involved fully in basket weaving, often with either very little or no knowledge of basket-making. However, since those days, times have changed and nowadays, one finds members of the Mahar community involved in a wide variety of professions, predominantly in music. In Canacona, at one time, there were plenty of Mahars, however, gradually they have given up the occupation of cane weaving and have settled in other occupations. Many have even moved out of Canacona to greener pastures in the cities and even abroad. Many have even moved out of Canacona to greener pastures in the cities and even abroad. The Mahars, which is a Scheduled Tribe, were shunned by society for many years. The children of mahars could not even get admission in public schools, due to the stigma attached to their status and tribe. They survived by making different items out of cane and bamboo.
In spite of the social stigma, the Mahar community was considered as a very important community, since most of the other traders depended on them for the bamboo and cane implements. Earlier, the Mahars were just sought for their bamboo craft. They were also engaged in activities that were often looked down upon by other communities, like clearing away the carcasses of dead animals and digging graves. The art and craft of bamboo weaving is slowly but certainly dying in Goa. This is because nowadays, most people use plastic or metal containers, and the demand for bamboo articles is on the wane. Faced with discrimination and a skill that is economically not viable, besides a general leap by society to plastic material, the Mahar’s trade has stopped evolving and is quickly dying. This art which is pleasant to behold and also eco-friendly is quickly becoming a thing of the past. It is said that some scheme must be floated to keep the art alive and at the same time help the Mahar community to improve their status and living conditions.

Goan Khell Tiatr- Non Stop Drama. (by Alyssa Rebello)

Khell-Tiatr is a musical drama of Konkani Stage. It has one story running from the beginning to the end with many songs which are related to the theme of the play. It is just like an opera with songs and dialogues based on the story line. Such dramatic forms are found practically in all languages.
There was a time when the popularity of tiatr was on the decline and the graph of popularity of ‘Khell-Tiatr’ was very high. It is for this reason that most of the new artistes produced and acted in Khell-Tiatrs and not tiatrs. But when time passed and it started giving insufficient financial returns, the writers/directors of Khell-Tiatrs started introducing songs (Kantaram) in Khell Tiatrs just like in Tiatrs. This was done to attract people.
Late Rosario Rodrigues - a very popular writer, director and actor of Khell-tiatrs in the 1970s. Had totally dedicated himself for the promotion of Khell-Tiatr and was one of the few artistes who made sincere efforts to improve the quality of Khell -Tiatr. He even used to carry his own stage setting from place to place to stage his dramas. In order to attract people towards the Khell-Tiatr he went to the extent of even re-naming Khell-Tiatr as ‘Non-Stop Drama’ which became a craze among the people at that time. Even today, there are many writer-directors on the tiatr stage who are the products of Khell-Tiatr or Non-Stop Drama thanks to late Rosario Rodrigues.
In order to promote and preserve Khell-Tiatr, Kala Academy Goa organises a Festival of Khell-Tiatrs every year. Tiatr Academy of Goa too has announced financial support to the troupes participating in the Kala Academy’s Khell-Tiatr Festival. However, It was really disturbing to see the Khell Tiatr festival being cancelled due to poor participation. It is a shame because every writer/director in Goa produces at least two tiatrs and sometimes three every year but they could not produce one Khell-Tiatr to keep the tradition of Khell-Tiatr Festival going. Is it because Khell-Tiatr is not financially beneficial?
I feel it is the duty of every artist on Tiatr stage to preserve Khell-Tiatr for posterity. Hence let us make concrete efforts to preserve and promote Khell-Tiatr – the musical drama of Konkani Stage.

Bharatanatyam: art, dance and music. By Revllone

There are various forms of performing and fine arts, which has been originated and is being practiced in India. The oldest classical dance form of India is "Bharatanatyam". Bharatanatyam, as the name depicts is the combination of 'Bha' - Bhavam (means expression), 'Ra' - Ragam (means music), 'Ta - Talam (means beat or rhythm) and Natyam (means dance) in Tamil. A possible origin of the name is from Bharata Muni, who wrote the Natya Shastra. This dance originated in Tamil Nadu. It denotes various 19th and 20th century reconstructions of Sadir, the art of temple dancers. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by Carnatic music. It has its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram.

Bharata Natyam has an important place in our Indian culture. Bharat Natyam incorporates major three forms of arts in it. The Nataka, Natya and Sangeetha. The Natya Shastra explains various aspects of theatrical arts, dance, drama and music. Bharat Natyam is also one of the most popular dance forms and it is a way of worshipping the lord. It can be considered as a combination of mythological, historical, cultural and sociological heritage and traditionally passed on to posterity. Over the period of time Bharat Natyam has evolved and has taken various interesting improvisations and creative additions to it by many eminent artists, who have contributed their life time for this wonderful art.

The main three aspects of Bharatanatyam are: Nritta, Nritya and Natya.
Nritta is rhythmical.
Natya is the dramatic art, and is a language of gestures, poses and mime
Nritya is a combination of Nritta and Natya

Some of the famous Bharatanatyam performers are Bala Saraswathi, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Rugmini Arundel, Kamala Laxman, Padma Subrahmaniam and Chithra Visweswaran.

Are Goan musical instruments extinct? By Revllone

How many of us have heard of Traditional Goan musical instruments like shenai, surt, surpanvo, surpanvo and nagsher? No? Well these were played at temples, sacred ceremonies, gauda cantaram sessions, etc. Shenai: a musical instrument played at almost all auspicious occasions for Hindus.  Surt:  always played with the shenai, it provides the drone to the melody of the Shenai. Surpanvo: The shepherd flute. This instrument is simple bamboo-staff about 60-70 cms. Nagsher/Naksher: Played by the Dhangar or Gavli community. Chowgudo: Has two ‘Dhobe’ and ‘Zil’ placed in a cross form, facing each other, and played with sticks held in both hands.  Mhadelem: played by the Christian Gauda community is perhaps the most ancient of all the percussion instruments. It is mostly accompanied by the Ghumat. Most of the traditional instruments are dying out because these instruments do not interest the younger generations and since now adays there are no musicians who can play these instruments. The youth today should be encouraged to retain their very rich and diverse culture lest the increased use of electronic musical devices bring an end to a glorious culture.

Cansaulim monte-an artistic view Dionne

Cansaulim Monte is best known far and wide for the Chapel of Three Kings that is nestled here. The Three Kings' Feast is celebrated on the 6th of January with a pageantry procession of the three kings who traverse the village horseback from the chapel, and as per Goan customs the feast is accompanied by grandiose fete that is held on the village grounds to celebrate the occasion. 
Furthermore, this monte offers a full panoramic view of most of South Goa's beaches and much more. Its geographical location offers one the joy of a really great sunset which draws in tourists who celebrate their nuptials at the particular hour of sunset. One can see the Konkan railway, typical goan fields with farmers and bullocks ,narrow roads and the scintillating breeze received atop. Its a tourist destination with a  number of movies that have been shot at this place. Hence worthwhile watching this artistic picture.

Painting and Sketching a soothing experience - Dionne

Art for some talented people is a natural born gift. Let's face it some artists with no training are fantastic.Others draw and paint and think nothing will be good enough, perfectionists one could say. It could be that you do not need any encouragement to actually get enthused. If you are enthusiastic you probably will go from strength to strength.

From time you to time you will find yourself wandering round art galleries looking at various types of work by other artists. Usually artists probably bend towards a certain type of subject. You may see a whole collection of portraits (hard to do), or still life or coastal scenes.Personally I like to go from one thing to another, you learn as you go along. Painting is something you need to be in the mood for, although if you are stressed it can be soothing. It is gratifying when you paint from your imagination and see what transpires; but you may just stop and sketch something roughly on your travels, or even copy something that grabs you.

Surprisingly it is quite good to start with oils. In some ways this is easier to handle. If you do not find your painting satisfactory, paint over it and start all over again. Or simply scrape the paint off.

There are so many art products available in different price ranges to encourage you. Ranging from wonderful pencils, crayons, pens, inks, water colors, to pastels and acrylics.I find nature as scenic beauty and beaches,waterfalls as themes that inspires me to paint and sketch which is a soothing experience. Actually you get so engrossed in it - you lose all track of time. Generally you can appreciate the tranquility that surrounds you. If you are a working person sometimes it is hard to set aside the time for this. However there are benefits as you will come to the conclusion that this can be your peace time. We all need time to ourselves at some point.

ZUMBA HEY! - ADITI

It's the new dance cum fitness craze in town! That's right, I'm talking about zumba. This Colombian fitness dance program started in 2001 by Alberto Beto Perez. It is a fun mix of salsa and other latin dances, hip hop, Bollywood, and some belly dance moves too! The fun thinga bout zumba lies in the dance element. You pick up new steps that one could add to his or her repertoire. And you also at the same time shed those extra calories that have been weighing you down!

The class starts with a warm up, followed by the fun intsense dacing and a cooling down session that mostly comprises stretching.

There are minuses to this fun filled exercise regimen as well! Apparently, zumba is meant only for toning of muscles. So people who come to such fitness programs to lose weight don't benefit as much. I am of the opinion that zumba is a fun way of losing weight because you learn new dance moves and exercise your entire body.

A host of celebrities have taken to zumba, some of which include Victoria Beckham, Emma Watson etc. I say, if you want to have fun and be healthy at the same time, give zumba a shot!

DIONNE SHED LIGHT ON THE GHUMAT

There is an old saying in Goa that 'a Goan is said to be born with music in his blood and music accompanies him from his cradle to grave'. But the ghumat must never be lost. It is the symbol of the Goan essence.The Ghumat is played differently at the Shigmo, festivals, marriages, mandos, Ganesh aarti etc.

Ghumat is a percussion instrument of earthen vessel having both sides open; on the bigger opening a leather of monitor lizard is mounted secured with cotton string. The ghumat is suspended from the neck or tied to the waist of the musician. It is the most common folk percussion instrument in use. Generally ghumat is accompanied by 'samel', another traditional instrument with wooden drum and goat leather mount. This instrument is still very popular amongst by the Konkani diaspora. Ghumat forms an integral part of Goan folk, religious and temple music. It serves as an accompaniment to the folk songs and to the 'mando' music. But most importantly it plays a vital role in the muic played in Goa during the Ganesh festival. It also used in most of the Goan temples during the spring season in an orchestra called as Suvari Vadan.

For
the Goan traditional folk music, the ghumat is the most popular musical
instrument used since the hoary past. While defining the border of Goa,
the folk artists proudly says that wherever one hears the beats of
ghumat is the land of Goa. However, today, as the trade in monitor
lizard skin reaches its height a month before Ganesh Chaturthi, the poor
reptile is on the verge of extinction.
Every year more than
thousand ghumats made with the skin of monitor lizard are sold in the
various parts of Goa. But, whenever, Goa's forest department with the
pressure from the wild lifers has raided shops or centres where the
sales of these ghumats are taking place, they have seized more than
50-60 ghumats with the monitor lizard skins, mainly in Bardez and
Phonda.

RAISA CHATS UP DANCER ANSAR KHAN

Ansar khan says he was born to dance. “Ever since I was a kid I loved dancing,” states Ansar. When he completed standard X, he joined David Furtado as a dancer and within a year’s time he moved up to being an instructor himself. Ansar then moved to Mumbai where he worked with Bosco, Caeser and Geeta Kapoor and tried to pick up a few dance moved by himself. A few years ago Ansar launched his AK Dance Academy alone with a friend Aryan who helps him manage classes. Ansar teaches different dance forms from ballroom to hip hop and has now started Zumba in Goa Velha. Over the years Ansar has participated in the auditions for the Dance India Dance where he cleared the theatre round. He also won first place at the Slipdisc All Goa Dance Competition and was selected for a Zee Marathi Dance reality show. He has also quite literally danced with the stars having worked with celebrities like Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapur, and Bipasha Basu at Stardust event and has also choreographed a dance for a Marathi film. Ansar hopes to have dance classes all over India in a few years and be known as the best choreographer. He believes that he has a long way to go and has dreams aplenty.