The future of Lavani

The future of this folk dance

As cinema became popular, the Lavani dance was also introduced in films. With growing acceptance, Lavani dancers revived the dance and brought it out in a positive light. Introduction of traditional music and social messages, state-level competitions, special performances for women audiences, urban music theatre productions and international success helped redeem the folk art. Lavani in its most recent ‘modern’ form has found a place in Bollywood films with starts like Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee giving their own spin to the centuries old dance. This is can survive if people look into this folk form. If they talk about it. If some tv channels show this type of folk dance at regular intervals then some people will get to know about it.

Perception of the Dance Form

 The popularity of Lavani has reduced in the recent times and most people consider it passé. Due to the sensuous nature of the dance form as well as its depiction in mainstream Bollywood films, the performers of Lavani are stereotyped and discriminated against. Currently, 40 medium sized troupes performing Lavani and about 600 small troupes exist in the state of Maharashtra alone.

Development of Lavani

Development of Lavani

The dance is developed into two forms, namely Phadachi Lavani and Baithakichi Lavani. The form essayed before a large audience in a theatrical atmosphere is known as Phadachi Lavani. And, when it is performed in a closed chamber for a private and select audience by a girl sitting before the audience, it is called as Baithakichi Lavani.

Lavani : A folk dance

Lavani is a traditional song and dance combination originating in the state of Maharashtra. Donned in a nine-yard saree, heavy ghungroos on the feet and intricate nath (nose ornaments), Lavani dancers combine body movements, striking expressions and upbeat songs to perform on themes of love, romance and socio-political situations. Over centuries, Lavani has gone through a journey from a respectable art form to a disgraced ‘cheap’ entertainer and then revived as a folk dance stylized for modern audiences. It is closely associated with the Tamasha tradition of theatre by travelling theatre groups. Its popularity streak among the masses began with the prominence of Tamasha. Lavani was a popular form of entertainment and a morale booster for soldiers in the 18th and 19th century. Tamasha theatre form and the Lavani song and dance provided moments of entertainment and escape from the prevailing atmosphere of instability and social unrest. The Lavani dance was patronised by the Peshwas in the 18th century and gained prominence under their rule. The dance was recognized as an art that thrived on its sensual nature. After the fall of the Peshwa Empire, the Lavani’s distinction as an art form that was appreciated by the elite class, dropped. From the royal courts, Lavani moved to private kothas(brothels) in Marathwada and Pune. The respectable folk art was limited to a vulgar entertainment and shunned as ‘indecent’.

Costumes of Lavani

Costumes of Lavani

The female performers of this dance dress themselves in a nine-yard long sari called navvari and tie their hair in a bun. They also wear heavy jewelleries like necklace, ear rings, payal, kamarpatta (a belt at waist), bangles etc to complete their look. Bindi is an important accessory of this dance. The participants usually put a large bindi of dark red colour on their forehead. There are also men that dance in lavni along with the ladies. They are the called nat(male dancer) usually the kinnars. These men dance in support with the lead dancer.Although beginnings of Lavani can be traced back to 1560s, it came into prominence during the later days of the Peshwa rule. Several celebrated Marathi Shahir poet-singers, which include Parasharam (1754-1844), Ram Joshi (1762–1812), Anant Fandi (1744-1819), Honaji Bala (1754-1844), Prabhakar (1769-1843), Saganbhau and Lok Shahir Annabhau Sathe (1 August 1920 - 18 July 1969) contributed significantly for the development of this genre of music. Honaji Bala introduced tabla in place of the traditional dholki. He also developed the baithakichi Lavani, a subgenre, which is presented by the singer in the seated position. Satyabhamabai Pandharpurkar and Yamunabai Waikar are the popular present day exponents of Lavani. Shringar Lavani is mostly sung and danced on the stage by a female and written by male. Lavani can also be termed as a romantic song sung by lady who is waiting for her lover to accept her, who longs for his love. Many Lavani dancers are from some castes of Maharashtra like Mahar Kolhati, and Matang. Marathi films played an important role in making Lavani genre accessible to masses. Movies such as Pinjara and Natarang not only attempted to blend traditional music with social messages but also helped portray Lavani world in positive light.

Lavani : A theme based dance which carries a message

Lavani: A theme based dance spreading social messages to the people

Lavani is one of the most important folk dance forms of India. It is a combination of song and dance. The word Lavani comes from the word lavanya which means beauty. This dance form is the main contributor to the Marathi culture. This theme based dance originated in the region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. It came into origin in 1560. It was on its full charm during the Peshwa rule(1700-1900). During the Peshwa rule the dance was used to boost the morale of the tired soldiers. Some scholars suggest that this dance form originated in the temples. As the name suggest the dance reflects the feminine beauty. It is a theme based dance dealing with different matters like society religion, politics and romance. It also highlights which includes love between man and woman in various forms. Married wife's menstruation, sexual union between husband and wife, their love, soldier's amorous exploits, the wife's bidding farewell to the husband who is going to join the war, pangs of separation, adulterous love - the intensity of adulterous passion, childbirth. This dance is performed by the women only. However the plays can be written men also. In the ancient times when no women were available for the performance men used to dress like women and performed in front of the audiences. The female dancers dressed in the colourful nine-yard long saris which enhanced the beauty of the performers during the performance. In addition to that they also wore jewellery. The instruments used during the performance were dholaks whose beats added a different flavour to the performance. The dancers used to dance on the beats of the dholaks. The songs sung during the performance were mostly love songs. They were romantic in nature. Some songs featured a lady waiting for the lover to accept her. This dance is mostly performed on the stage. In the ancient time the dance started in the evening and continued till dawn.Most of the dancers involved in the promotion of the dance form belonged to the state of Maharashtra. Legends like Raja Bhoj, Kanjar gorl were the popular Lavani dancers. Marathi poets like Honaji Bala, Ramjoshi, Prabhakar, etc. took Lavani to new heights. There are 2 real good male performers even today. They are Anand Satam and Anil Hankare. Some of the famous movies Pinjara and Natarang are based on this dance form. The performances by the artists are full of fervor and zest. The love songs of Naik Banjara and Ranubai are quite famous. There are two forms of lavanis: A philosophical lavani that is called Nirgun Lavani and an erotic one which is called Shringari Lavani. The nirguni style is famous all over Malwa. The Shringari lavani is a love saga that is played by a woman and the lyrics are written by a male. Both music and dance go hand in hand as both the art forms are inseparable.The musical part of Lavani dance is known as Maanch; it consists of dialogues in the form of music and is punctuated by several meaningless chants. Lavani is performed differently depending upon the occasion. In villages, it is played while performing rituals and sacrifices. The breathtaking performance by the stage artists last for a whole night and generally are applauded by the whistles and cheers of the audience.Most of the lavani songs are pure and have been preserved in their original forms till today. Ballad of Alha and songs of Sukhai are popular all over Uttar Pradesh. The Bhils sing lavani in groups. Their songs mark their Cultural festivities and matrimonial occasions. Major instruments that accompany Lavani dance are dholki, manjeera, lejim, tuntuni and harmonium.