|
Dressed in the colourful flowing traditional dresses
with shining gold and silver, the dancers fling
their arms to and fro, swaying their hips to bring
in the Assamese New Year. Drums, harps and pipes
accompany this exuberant exhibition to reap the
harvest in the northeastern state of India.
The 12-member Shri Abastab Gosthi Bihu Folk Dance
Troupe is set to dazzle the National Theatre stage
tomorrow, November 12 at 6:00pm and on Thursday at
2:00pm as part of their African tour. Arriving last
Wednesday after performances in Mauritius, the mixed
gender group promises an exhibition based on themes
of nature loving, romance and merriment.
One of the better known folk dances in the vast
South Asian sub-continent containing hundreds of
unique cultures amongst its one billion inhabitants,
Bihu is an expressive tradition indigenous to this
land known for a rich tradition of tea and silk
production. The Muga and Paat silk donned by
performers gives a smooth texture to these dancers
practicing the customs that have been village-wide
celebrations occurring three times a year for
centuries.
The most well-known, Rongali Bihu, invites all
residents of the village to the centre-gathering
area on April 14 in a crescendo of exuberance. The
other two forms, Kongali and Bhogali, performed in
mid-September and mid-January respectively, bring in
the solstices.
Revealing influences from the diverse cultures found
in the land bordered by Bhutan and Bangladesh,
Assamese culture is unique from some of the other
internationally recognised traditions. Before
British colonisation, Assam was never a part of
India proper and thus Bihu's integration into the
rising power's traditions is a phenomenon only in
the last two centuries.
As the second leg of a tour followed by Djibouti,
Kenya, Botswana and South Africa, the troupe hopes
to bring cultural connections at the time of the
Ethiopian Millennium and the 60th anniversary of
Indian independence. A. R. Radha Krishna, second
secretary and head of the Chancery at the Indian
Embassy, holds his country's similarities to
Ethiopia in high-esteem as the family values here
are "highly attuned" to Indian traditions.
Following the Addis Abeba performances, the troupe
will continue on to Adama (Nazaret), Awassa,
Dire Dawa and Harar. The Indian Embassy has made a
strong showing of commemorations of this memorable
year following the momentum produced from the Indian
Film Week concluded two weeks prior and a Design
Workshop led by Neeti Bose (PhD) attended by 50
Ethiopian designers.
|
