BOLLYWOOD MASALA

BOLLYWOOD MASALA

Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi language film industry in India. Bollywood Dancing is one of the hottest dances around! It is the foundation of every great Indian Bollywood Film. The dances are a fusion of traditional and classical indian dances with the influence of some jazz, hip-hop and modern dance. Timing and Rhythm, engery, and sharp controlled expressive movements are the important elements of Bollywood Dancing!

BHANGRA

Bhangra is the most widespread of Indian folk dances worldwide, and has influenced popular music and dance, including Bollywood styles, more than any other folk dance. In turn, Bhangra has been influenced by fusion with genres like hip-hop. It was originally performed only by men, but these days women perform it too.

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GIDDHA

Performed by women, the Giddha combines singing, dancing, and mimicry, to express themes of daily life. The participants form a circle in which a couple of dancers come inside the circle to perform the dance. The style of Giddha dance is simple, but it is vigorous, not unlike Bhangra. At the same time, the women’s movements, especially of the arms and hands, show grace and flexibility.

GHOOMAR

The Ghoomar, derives its name from the word ghoomna, meaning to spin. This is a dance performed by women, with simple but smooth movements, notably of the hips. Their voluminous decorated skirts swirl during their pirouettes, creating a graceful and glittering effect. The dance moves in a circular form, and goes both clockwise and anticlockwise.

KATHPUTLI

Kathputli” mean puppet and Rajasthan is famous for its puppet-playing tradition. Dancers pretending to be string puppets dance to folk beats as if a puppeteer was the one making them dance. The puppeteer uses ballads to narrate the stories. These stories or tales of romance and chivalry are told with movements of dancing puppets.

CHARI

Rajasthani Folk Dancers balance brass pots on their heads and create adroit patterns with their hands. Thi sis a graceful dance in which women make beautiful formations.

DANG LILA

Dang means sticks, the dancers of Dang Lila carry sticks in both hands, and strike them in rhythm with the music. Both men and women dance Dang Lila.This dance resembles the Raas of Gujarat, but is performed with longer sticks and the movements are consequently slower than in the Raas.

GARBA

Garba is essentially a women’s dance, but it is common for men to participate. It is performed at many auspicious occasions and social events. Dancers usually accompany their movements with clapping, but sometimes snap their fingers, or carry small cymbals called manjeera that they strike.

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DANDIA

Raas is danced by men and women, sometimes together. The distinguishing feature of the Raas is the short sticks carried by the dancers, which they strike in rhythm. It starts slowly, and builds in tempo as it progresses, leading to an excited finish. The performers stand in a circle and take simple steps forward and backward, striking their sticks together and striking those of their neighbors.

GHADO

Ghado means pot, and this vocational dance is done by women carrying metal pots used for holding water. The pots are carried on the head or the hip, and during the dance, they are also tossed between the women.

LAVANI

Lavani dance is performed by women only, and has certain typical movements, like holding the pallu (or end) of the sari behind their heads and sliding it back and forth, and moving of the hips. Lavani comes from the state of Maharashtra.

KOLI

Koli dance is prevalent in the coastal regions of Maharashtra. This folk dance portrays the community of fisher folk who perform the dance. It is performed by men and women, in pairs. Two rows of dancers face each other, and move back and forth imitating the tossing movements of a boat on the ocean.

ROUF

This a popular dance of the women of Kashmir. The dancers form two rows facing each other, and put their arms around the necks or waists of their neighbors. The Rouf is a very simple dance, winning its appeal from the cheerful spirit of the dancers and the melody of the songs.

JHUMAR

This is one of the most famous dances from Haryana. This dance takes its name from jhumar, an ornament commonly worn on the forehead by young married girls. It is performed exclusively by women. They form a circle and move gracefully, accompanied by the beats of the drum.

What is Bollywood

What is Bollywood?

The Term “Bollywood”

The term Bollywood was created by combining two names, Bombay (the city now called Mumbai) and Hollywood. Bollywood based in Mumbai (Bombay), is India’s – and the world’s – largest film industry in terms of the number of films produced, and also the number of tickets sold each year. In fact, Bollywood has become so internationally ubiquitous that it now has it’s own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary!

An International Sensation!

It is not unusual to see Western pop and pure classical dance numbers side by side in a Bollywood film. The international appeal of Bollywood dancing is something that has been in the making for many decades. Originally it was found only in places that had a significant consumption of Indian films. But today it is rising in popularity in the US, Canada and Europe. With the success of films such as the Oscar winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, Bollywood films and dance have taken the world by storm & has now come into the global spotlight. Much of this is due to the ever expanding Indian diaspora, but a significant proportion also comes from non-Indians who are fascinated by the exotic, larger than life qualities inherent in it. Be it their lavish sets, production value, or extravagant costumes, stars like Madonna, Shakira & Britney Spears have incorporated the Bollywood style of dance or music into their songs, videos and stage shows. Learn Bollywood dance

 

A True East-West Fusion Dance Style

The highlight of Bollywood movies are elaborate dance sequences and original soundtracks. Over the years Bollywood movies have developed their own signature style of song and dance, which combines the rich texture of India’s many classical and folk dances, fused with elements of Jazz, Hip – Hop, Arabic and Latin Forms.

The Evolution of Bollywood

The style of dancing in earlier Bollywood films was based on Indian Classical Dance or Folk Dances from various parts of India. These dances included the classical art forms of Kathak and Bharata Natyam.

In the late 50’s & 60’s group dances began to evolve in Bollywood films & choreographers started managing larger groups of dancers, with influences from folk dances.

Then came the era of color films, and by then Indian Cinema was blessed with great dancers like Geetanjali, Sandhya, Helen & Mahipal who with their outstanding energy and performance mesmerized the audiences and took dance to the next level. There was no change in the style of dance, as choreographers still followed the classical and semi classical styles of dance. Learn Bollywood dance

Bollywood Dance began to change in the 70s. The Cabaret style of dance became more mainstream & was implemented in many movies. Later on Cabaret was replaced by Disco, which was a worldwide phenomenon at the time.

After experimenting with Classical, Semi Classical, Folk, Cabaret & Disco styles of dance, came an era which introduced Bollywood Free Style of dancing which was well represented by dancers like Govinda who developed their own signature style of dance.

Since the 1980’s & the inception of MTV , Bollywood dancing has been heavily influenced by Western dance styles, and incorporates elements from the West. In many cases, the musical numbers are released as separate music videos, and the soundtracks are released prior to the film, in order to further advertise the upcoming feature films. In modern Bollywood films, the musical numbers are often based on the Hip-Hop style of dance as well as other variations of Hip-Hop dance.

Currently Bollywood Dance is still influenced by Western culture, perhaps even more so today than when it began. Elements include the use of frequent costume and location changes during dances, as well as the use of larger dance troupes. And the movements have become more bold & extroverted to capture the audience’s attention. The Evolution of Bollywood Dance is a process that is entirely Indian and yet cross-cultural at the same time.

Bollywood History

Choreographers

Choreography is not a field that gives a lot of fame.  It is a demanding job, and one that is largely out of the public eye.  But one must never forget that the actors and actresses do not just get in front of the camera and dance spontaneously.  Someone has to create the number.

The Indian film industry has been graced with many great talents in the past.  Some notables were, B. Sohanlal (“Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam”, “Jewel Thief”, Chaudhvin ka Chand”), Lachhu Maharaj (“Mahal”, “Pakeezah”, “Moghul-e-Azam”), Chiman Seth (“Mother India”), Krishna Kumar (“Awaara”, “Madosh”, “Andaaz”) and a host of others.

Today there are a number of choreographers who continue this tradition.  Some who come to mind are Shiamak Davar (“Taal”, “Bunty aur Bubli”, Dil to Paagal Hai”), Saroj Khan (“Baazigar”, “Soldier”, “Veer Zara”), Ahmed Khan (“Rangeela”, Pardes, Mere Yaar ki Shadi Hai”), Raju Khan (“Lagaan”, Krrish), Vaibhavi Merchant (“Dhoom”, “Swadesh”, “Rang de Basanti”), Remo (“Jo Bole So Nihal”, “Pyar ke Side Effects”, “Waqt”), or Farah Khan (“Kabhi Khush Kabhi Gham”, “Monsoon Wedding”, “Dil Chahta Hai”).Learn Bollywood dance

Farah Khan, choreographer for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Dil Se, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil Chahta Hai, Asoka, and Monsoon Wedding

Farah Khan, choreographer for “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai”, “Dil Se”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Dil Chahta Hai”, “Asoka”, and “Monsoon Wedding”

Costume

Clothing and costume are an extremely important element of the Bollywood dance.  To a very great extent it will determine the “feel” that the dance will have in the film.  With the right costume, one can do many things.  If the film is a period piece, the proper costume goes a long way toward giving the feel of that period.  If one is trying to make the dance scene dream-like or surrealistic, then obviously one goes for costumes that in no way relate to the clothing found in real life.  If you are trying to give an erotic sizzle to an item number you can…. well you can figure that one out for yourself.  Costumes can also be used to reflect the latest fashions, thus reinforcing the topicality of a dance number.

Bollywood Dance Costume

Proper costumes contribute to the overall “feel” of the dance

Over the decades many great artists have excelled in the field of costume design.  In recent times Manish Malhotra (e.g., “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”, “Veer Zaara”, “Kal Ho Na Ho”), Neeta Lula (e.g. “Devdas”, “Mission Kashmir”), or Bhanu Athaiya. (“Swades”, “Lagaan”, “1942: A Love Story”, “Gandhi”) have made great names for themselves.  But these artists are only part of a long tradition which extends back for about a century. Learn Bollywood dance

Romantic Numbers and Duets

No Bollywood film would be complete without a song and dance between the hero and heroine.  As a matter of fact, no Bollywood film would be complete without MANY songs and dances between the hero and heroine.  As a general rule, these scenes are the romantic numbers, the playful numbers, and the longing / sad numbers.  One may also find songs about holidays, (e.g., Holi), Mother India, the moon, or other topics; but these are far less common.

The romantic number has been the cornerstone of the Hindi film since the first talkies.  But dance has generally not been a strong part of these numbers.  Historically, the hero and heroine simply wandering around at night in a garden.  If the camera made strategic moves off-screen to shots of birds and trees, this was quite enough to suggest activities that the censors might not approve of.

Romantic scene from Pyar Ke Side Effects

Scene from “Pyar Ke Side Effects”

Closely related to the romantic number is the playful number.  It is sometimes hard to separate the romantic from the playful because in both cases, the hero and heroine are expressing their undying love for each other; however the playful numbers rely much more heavily upon dancing.  In the early days, there was an awful lot of dancing around trees.  (I really do not know what Freud has to say about trees).  However today, such playful numbers tend to revolve around exotic foreign locales and inexplicable changes in clothing.

The dance styles of these playful numbers has varied considerably over the years.  Originally they may have revolved around classical or folk dance, but today, Bollywood has developed its own corpus of material.  In the early days, some of these moves were really rather hard to class as dancing.  The spastic deliveries of songs by Shammi Kapoor came to mind.  Still, from these random spastic jerks and jumping around, identifiable moves began to develop.  Today the playful love song has matured into an identifiable set of moves, some of which may be shared by other dance traditions around the world, but others are unique to Bollywood.

Shammi Kapoor’s unique delivery of a song

Shammi Kapoor’s … er… “unique” style.

Sometimes elaborate “Busby Berkeley” style dance numbers are used for the playful numbers.  These numbers revolve around a number of dancers, usually female, dancing with military precision.

Bollywood News

Choreographers

Choreography is not a field that gives a lot of fame.  It is a demanding job, and one that is largely out of the public eye.  But one must never forget that the actors and actresses do not just get in front of the camera and dance spontaneously.  Someone has to create the number.

The Indian film industry has been graced with many great talents in the past.  Some notables were, B. Sohanlal (“Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam”, “Jewel Thief”, Chaudhvin ka Chand”), Lachhu Maharaj (“Mahal”, “Pakeezah”, “Moghul-e-Azam”), Chiman Seth (“Mother India”), Krishna Kumar (“Awaara”, “Madosh”, “Andaaz”) and a host of others.

Today there are a number of choreographers who continue this tradition. Learn Bollywood dance  Some who come to mind are Shiamak Davar (“Taal”, “Bunty aur Bubli”, Dil to Paagal Hai”), Saroj Khan (“Baazigar”, “Soldier”, “Veer Zara”), Ahmed Khan (“Rangeela”, Pardes, Mere Yaar ki Shadi Hai”), Raju Khan (“Lagaan”, Krrish), Vaibhavi Merchant (“Dhoom”, “Swadesh”, “Rang de Basanti”), Remo (“Jo Bole So Nihal”, “Pyar ke Side Effects”, “Waqt”), or Farah Khan (“Kabhi Khush Kabhi Gham”, “Monsoon Wedding”, “Dil Chahta Hai”).

Farah Khan, choreographer for Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Dil Se, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil Chahta Hai, Asoka, and Monsoon Wedding

Farah Khan, choreographer for “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai”, “Dil Se”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Dil Chahta Hai”, “Asoka”, and “Monsoon Wedding”

Costume

Clothing and costume are an extremely important element of the Bollywood dance.  To a very great extent it will determine the “feel” that the dance will have in the film.  With the right costume, one can do many things.  If the film is a period piece, the proper costume goes a long way toward giving the feel of that period.  If one is trying to make the dance scene dream-like or surrealistic, then obviously one goes for costumes that in no way relate to the clothing found in real life.  If you are trying to give an erotic sizzle to an item number you can…. well you can figure that one out for yourself.  Costumes can also be used to reflect the latest fashions, thus reinforcing the topicality of a dance number.

Bollywood Dance Costume

Proper costumes contribute to the overall “feel” of the dance

Over the decades many great artists have excelled in the field of costume design.  In recent times Manish Malhotra (e.g., “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”, “Veer Zaara”, “Kal Ho Na Ho”), Neeta Lula (e.g. “Devdas”, “Mission Kashmir”), or Bhanu Athaiya. Learn Bollywood dance (“Swades”, “Lagaan”, “1942: A Love Story”, “Gandhi”) have made great names for themselves.  But these artists are only part of a long tradition which extends back for about a century.

Romantic Numbers and Duets

No Bollywood film would be complete without a song and dance between the hero and heroine.  As a matter of fact, no Bollywood film would be complete without MANY songs and dances between the hero and heroine.  As a general rule, these scenes are the romantic numbers, the playful numbers, and the longing / sad numbers.  One may also find songs about holidays, (e.g., Holi), Mother India, the moon, or other topics; but these are far less common.

The romantic number has been the cornerstone of the Hindi film since the first talkies.  But dance has generally not been a strong part of these numbers.  Historically, the hero and heroine simply wandering around at night in a garden.  If the camera made strategic moves off-screen to shots of birds and trees, this was quite enough to suggest activities that the censors might not approve of.

Romantic scene from Pyar Ke Side Effects

Scene from “Pyar Ke Side Effects”

Closely related to the romantic number is the playful number.  It is sometimes hard to separate the romantic from the playful because in both cases, the hero and heroine are expressing their undying love for each other; however the playful numbers rely much more heavily upon dancing.  In the early days, there was an awful lot of dancing around trees.  (I really do not know what Freud has to say about trees).  However today, such playful numbers tend to revolve around exotic foreign locales and inexplicable changes in clothing.

The dance styles of these playful numbers has varied considerably over the years.  Originally they may have revolved around classical or folk dance, but today, Bollywood has developed its own corpus of material.  In the early days, some of these moves were really rather hard to class as dancing.  The spastic deliveries of songs by Shammi Kapoor came to mind.  Still, from these random spastic jerks and jumping around, identifiable moves began to develop.  Today the playful love song has matured into an identifiable set of moves, some of which may be shared by other dance traditions around the world, but others are unique to Bollywood.

Shammi Kapoor’s unique delivery of a song

Shammi Kapoor’s … er… “unique” style.

Sometimes elaborate “Busby Berkeley” style dance numbers are used for the playful numbers.  These numbers revolve around a number of dancers, usually female, dancing with military precision.