Oyilattam

Oyilattam (Tamil: ஒயிலாட்டம்; meaning: dance of grace) is a folk dance with origins in the Madurai region of Tamil Nadu.[1] The dance has its origins in southern Tamil Nadu and is primarily performed in Madurai district, Tirunelveli district and Tiruchirapalli district.[2] It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row with two kerchiefs perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment, with the number of dancers increasing; over the past ten years women have also started performing this dance. Typically, the musical accompaniment is the Thavil and the performers have coloured handkerchiefs tied to their fingers[3] and wear ankle bells. Oyilattam is one of the folk arts identified for mainstreaming by the Tamil university.[4] Mainly Oyilattam is performed at village festivals. It is basically describing the great epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and also lord Muruga's history.

References
  1. "Folk dances". Seminar: the monthly symposium. Romeshraj Trust: 35. 1993.
  2. "Oyilattam". Govt of Tamil Nadu, South Zone Cultural Centre. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  3. "In tradition's footsteps". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 29 October 2003. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  4. Kumar, B Aravind (27 July 2009). "Academics find blueprint to revive Tamil folk arts". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2009.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.