folk dance teachers in Chennai

[dnayar]

I'm going to India this may, and I want to learn some south indian folk dances (kavadi, kummi, karagattam) if possible. If anyone knows a teacher in chennai who can teach me folk dance, please reply.

thanks

[venkatakailasam]

It looks as an un attended thread. More than a year old request.

“Karakattam, also known as Karagam, is a popular folk dance of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This dance form, is originated as a ritual dedicated to Mariamman, the goddess of health and rain. Though this dance form originates from Thanjavur, its popularity has spread to the neighbouring regions including Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Salem.
Karakattam is conducted by an individual or two persons with various acrobatic feats. The dancers, attired in colourful costumes, carry decorated pots on their heads and dance in a lively manner to the rhythm of the music. The pots are adorned with a cone of flower arrangements with a paper parrot at its top. The parrot which rotates on the movements of the dancer is a delightful sight.
The musical instruments used include Tavil, Nadaswaram, Muni, Udukku and Pambai.
Karakattam is popular in villages during temple festivals.
In Sangam Literature, it is referred as 'Kudakoothu'. This dance is classified as Aatta Karagam and Sakthi Karagam. Aatta Karagam is usually performed in temples while Sakthi Karagam is performed on stages for entertainment.”

Please see the ease with which the balancing act is done!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cyOP6vSLYU
E'-SWARA-Misc-021 karakattam and kavadi attam

venkatakailasam

[Rajani]

Interestingly, in the latest issue of Mylapore Times, there is a news item that the dancers Lasya and Lavanya (daughters and disciples of dance gurus Vasanthalakshmi and Narasimhachari) are conducting a 5-day workshop on Karagam and Oyilattam. The numbers given to be contacted are 98401-99807, 98403-52792