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The Mizos, blessed as they are with a
beautiful environment and rich culture, are
a vibrant and sociable society. They love to
dance and sing. As a result of which a
number of folk and community dances have
been handed down from one generation to the
other through the ages. The dances are the
expressions of the gay, carefree spirit of
the Mizos. It should be mentioned here that
these dances are not intended for stage
performances, rather, they have been evolved
for community involvement and participation.
Cheraw
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The most colourful and distinctive dance of
the Mizos is called ‘Cheraw’. Little is
known about the origin of Cheraw. Possibly
the forefathers of Mizos brought it with
them when they left their homes in far-east
Asia. Cheraw is performed on any occasion
these days. But, as the legend goes, it used
to be performed in earlier times only to
ensure a safe passage for the soul of a
mother who died at childbirth. Cheraw is,
therefore, a dance of sanctification and
redemption performed with great care,
precision and elegance.
Long bamboo starves are used for this dance,
therefore many people call it 'Bamboo
Dance'. The dancers move by stepping
alternatively in and out from between and
across a pair of horizontal bamboos, held
against the ground by people sitting face to
face on either side. They tap the bamboos in
rhythmic beats. The bamboos, placed
horizontally, are supported by two bases,
one at each end. The bamboos, when clapped,
produce a sound which forms the rhythm of
the dance. It indicates the timing of the
dance as well. The dancers steps in and out
to the beats of the bamboos with ease and
grace. The patterns and stepping of the
dance have many vibrations. Sometimes the
steppings are made to imitate the movement
of birds, sometimes the swaying of trees and
so on
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Cheraw
Dance [Video
Clip] |
Khuallam
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Khual, in Mizo language, means a guest,
lam means dancing. So, Khuallam is the dance
of the guest. The Mizos, in the
pre-Christian days, believed that the soul,
after death went either to 'Pialral' or
paradise, or 'Mitthi Khua', a land of sorrow
and misery. To have a place in Paradise, one
had to prove one's mettle either in war or
in hunting or by being a man of distinction
in society. To claim a distinguished place
in society, one had to perform various
ceremonies which included offering community
feasts and dances. These ceremonies
performed together, were known as 'Khuangchawi'.
While performing Khuangchawi one was obliged
to invite relatives from nearby villages.
The guest entered the arena of the
Khuangchawi dancing Khuallam- hence,
Khuallam is the dance for the visitors or
guests.
The dance is normally performed by men
dressed in Puandum (traditional Mizo clothes
with red and green stripes) to the
accompaniment of a set of gongs known as
Darbu. A group dance, the more the merrier,
they dance to the tune of gongs and drums.
Chheih
Lam »
It is the dance over a round of rice
beer in the cool of the evening. The lyrics
in triplets are normally fresh and
spontaneous on-the-spot compositions,
recounting their heroic deeds and escapades
and also praising the honoured guests
present in their midst.
Joie de vivre would be the appropriate term
to describe Chheih lam, a dance that
embodies the spirit of joy and exhilaration.
Chheih lam is performed to the accompaniment
of a song called Chheih hla. The song is
sung to the beats of a drum or bamboo tube
or clapping of hands. People squat on the
floor in a circle while a dancer stands in
the middle reciting a song with various
movements of limbs and body. An expert
Chheih dancer performs his part in such a
manner that the people around him leave
their seats and join the dance. Any one can
try this dance, for it has no specific
choreography. All that one has to do is to
get into the mood and live up to it. Chheih
lam is performed on any occasion normally in
the evenings, when the day's work is over.
Chai
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Chai is a festival dance. It is a
community dance with men and women standing
one after another in a circle, holding each
other on the shoulder and the nape. The
dancers sway to and fro and swing their feet
to the tune of the song, sung in chorus by
all of them, while a drummer and gongman
beat their instruments used in the dance.
Chai presents a grand show, but it is not
exactly suitable for performing on the
stage. In olden days, the Chai dancers used
to consume rice-beer continuously while
dancing, they did not know when to stop.
Rallu Lam »
Strictly speaking, Rallu lam is not a
dance as such. It is rather a celebration or
a rite in honour of a victorious warrior.
When a warrior comes back after a successful
campaign, he is given a warm and colourful
reception by the village Chief. The
celebration consists of a re-enactment of
the warrior's heroic exploits. The mode of
celebration, however, varies from village to
village.
Solakia
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Originally, the dance used to be performed
mainly by the people of the Maras and Pawi
communities of Mizoram. They remain the best
exponents of the dance to-date. Like Rallu
lam, Solakia was also performed in earlier
times to celebrate a victory in war. Marked
with five principal movements, the dance
seeks to recapture the actions of a hero at
war. Men and women stand in profile, while
the hero, brandishing a sword and a shield,
dances in the middle to the accompaniment of
gong beats.
Sarlamkai
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One of the most impressive Mizo community
dances, Sarlamkai is a variation of Solakia.
The two dances are almost identical. The
only difference lies in the dress and tempo.
No song is sung, only gongs or cymbals or
drums are used to beat time. Sarlamkai has
been taken up by most of the schools in
Mizoram for cultural activities these days.
Par Lam
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The land of enchanting hills has yet
another dance, the Par lam. Girls attired in
colourful dresses, with flowers tucked in
their hair, dance to the tune of songs sung
by themselves. The principal movement in the
dance involves the waving of hands. A couple
of boys lend musical accompaniment by
playing guitars. Comparatively, this is a
new dance. Nevertheless, it has become a
part of the Mizo culture.
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