I'm interested in doing a 'Kuravanji' but I want to adapt the first half of a varnam. Though the lyrics might have nothing to do with a gypsy, I think its still relevant because the main character falls in love with a deity and requests her sakhi to bring him to her, right??
Can anyone please tell me more about kuravanjis? Thanks!
Kuravanji
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rshankar
- Posts: 13754
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26
Here is my take on this:
AFAIK, kuravanji refers to the tradition of a dance drama - while bharatanATyam, unlike kucupiDi, evolved as a solo mArgam, dramas like the kuravanji were the execptions. kuravanji - gypsy (kura) woman (vanji); also called singI.
All kuravanjis have 4 characters (although many cut out the role of the singA) - the main character is a princess (mOhanavallI, mOhannAngI, or something like that) who falls in love with either the Lord of the local temple, or the King, and starts to pine away. Her friend (sakhi) begins to get worried, and tries to look for ways to help the princess. All kuranavjis have a small 'padam' where the princess complains about how the moon tortures her (nilavai pazhittal). As the sakhi wonders about how she is going to help the princess, a kuravanji shows up at the doorstep. The kuravanji proclaims her successes (sort of recitation of her CV, if you will), and also gives the sakhi a sort of 'preview' for what she can do. The sakhi, although reluctant, agrees to give the kuravanji a chance, because the princess wants to hear the latter out. The kuravanji does read the princess' mind (very cleverly taking her cues from the princess' body language), and ultimately predicts that the person the princess is pining for will come to her, and accept her hand in marriage. The thrilled princess gives the kuravanji tons of gifts, much to the dismay of the sakhi, and the kuravanji goes her merry way.
The last scene is usually of the kuravanji returning home - her husband, singA is anxiously looking for her, because she's been gone from their home for a long time, and she's not told him where she's gone. When she comes home ultimately, he is seething in anger. Seeing the gifts she bears, singA is extremely suspicious - she tries to allay his doubts, but it is the underlying greed of SingA that ultimaltely allows him to accept her explanations, and they make up!
The music/rAga for the princess' and sakhi's roles are usually chaste CM stuff, and more folksy melodies for the singI and singA. The choreography follows the same lines - classical for the princess and sakhi, and very folksy for the singA and singI.
I guess, you could string a few lines from the pravESa daru (where the character is introduced) for each of these characters for the pUrvAngam, separated by jatIs (you can show the difference in the characters through steps - a regal trikAla jati for the princess, a more subdued one for the sakhI, a folksy one for the kuravanji, and a vigoros one for the singA OR something like that...). The uttarAnga may have pieces patched from other padams - like the nilavai pazhittal from the princess' role, a part of the sakhi's questioning of the princess, and the singA's questioning of the singI all anchored with the kurati's prediction....
AFAIK, kuravanji refers to the tradition of a dance drama - while bharatanATyam, unlike kucupiDi, evolved as a solo mArgam, dramas like the kuravanji were the execptions. kuravanji - gypsy (kura) woman (vanji); also called singI.
All kuravanjis have 4 characters (although many cut out the role of the singA) - the main character is a princess (mOhanavallI, mOhannAngI, or something like that) who falls in love with either the Lord of the local temple, or the King, and starts to pine away. Her friend (sakhi) begins to get worried, and tries to look for ways to help the princess. All kuranavjis have a small 'padam' where the princess complains about how the moon tortures her (nilavai pazhittal). As the sakhi wonders about how she is going to help the princess, a kuravanji shows up at the doorstep. The kuravanji proclaims her successes (sort of recitation of her CV, if you will), and also gives the sakhi a sort of 'preview' for what she can do. The sakhi, although reluctant, agrees to give the kuravanji a chance, because the princess wants to hear the latter out. The kuravanji does read the princess' mind (very cleverly taking her cues from the princess' body language), and ultimately predicts that the person the princess is pining for will come to her, and accept her hand in marriage. The thrilled princess gives the kuravanji tons of gifts, much to the dismay of the sakhi, and the kuravanji goes her merry way.
The last scene is usually of the kuravanji returning home - her husband, singA is anxiously looking for her, because she's been gone from their home for a long time, and she's not told him where she's gone. When she comes home ultimately, he is seething in anger. Seeing the gifts she bears, singA is extremely suspicious - she tries to allay his doubts, but it is the underlying greed of SingA that ultimaltely allows him to accept her explanations, and they make up!
The music/rAga for the princess' and sakhi's roles are usually chaste CM stuff, and more folksy melodies for the singI and singA. The choreography follows the same lines - classical for the princess and sakhi, and very folksy for the singA and singI.
I guess, you could string a few lines from the pravESa daru (where the character is introduced) for each of these characters for the pUrvAngam, separated by jatIs (you can show the difference in the characters through steps - a regal trikAla jati for the princess, a more subdued one for the sakhI, a folksy one for the kuravanji, and a vigoros one for the singA OR something like that...). The uttarAnga may have pieces patched from other padams - like the nilavai pazhittal from the princess' role, a part of the sakhi's questioning of the princess, and the singA's questioning of the singI all anchored with the kurati's prediction....
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sudhakarks
- Posts: 73
- Joined: 06 Dec 2008, 09:08
You may want to check http://www.kalakendra.com/shopping/adva ... ji&x=0&y=0
for Kuravanji DVD & Audio Cds.
for Kuravanji DVD & Audio Cds.