Classical Solo Manipuri Dance

Darshana Jhaveri *

Pukhrambam Lilabati performing a Classical Solo Manipuri Dance at the Bhagyachandra National Festival of Classical Dance 2014 at Shree Shree Govindajee Temple complex, Kangla Fort , Imphal
Pix - Shankar Khangembam

During our early visits to Manipur in 1949 & 1956, my sisters and I (the Jhaveri Sisters) observed that the traditional Manipuri Rasleelas, performed in temple Mandapas, consist of all variations of choreographic forms such as the solo dances of Vrinda-Makokchingbi, Krishna Abhisar, Krishna Nartan, Radha Nartan or duets of Krishna and Radha in Roop Vaman, Jugal Roop Vaman, Jugal Roop Prarthana and group circle dances of the gopis, like in the Bhangi Parengs.

Among Indian classical dance styles Bharatnatyam, Kathak, and Odissi have originated as solo forms in temples or courts and therefore have emerged as solo forms on the stage. Whereas classical Manipuri has its origin in Rasmandala in the rasmandaps in the temples. The core choreography of the rasleela is the cosmic mandala where the gopis dance around the deities, Krishna and Radha. Hence, a truly authentic classical Manipuri program for the stage requires the creation of the dynamics of the circle of love between Radha, Krishna and the gopis. Within the circle, solo dances may emerge.

When in 1958 the four of us sisters started touring India and the world with a classical dance repertoire, our guruji, Guru Bipin Singh, felt the need to create a program that consisted of all the choreographic variations of the traditional Rasleela performance, solos, duets and group dances. His program for the stage not only represented the Rasleela in its entirety but highlighted the beauty of each aspect the group, duets and solos.

But even back then, the scope for solo dances in the classical Manipuri dance repertoire had been already been considered and explored. In 1949, Ojha M. Amubi Singh had taught Nayana and Ranjana, the elder two, solo dance compositions from the Rasleelas. Later in 1958, Sutradhari Kshetritombi Devi taught us traditional solo dances like Radha Nartan performed in Rasleela. Our own guruji, Guru Bipin Singh, inspired by the Nupi Bashak performances in Manipur, first created and taught his solo dance compositions Khandita Nayika to Gambhini Devi and Utkanthita Nayika to Thouranisabi Devi in 1957 when they came to Mumbai to participate in the All India Dance Festival.

Also, within the repertoire of dances for the stage he created exquisite solo dances to suit each one of us such as Rasleela Vaman on Tal Tanjao for Nayana, Abhisarika - one of the Nayikabhedas - for Ranjana, Nannichuri of Udukhalras for Suverana in Tandava, and Krishna Nartan for Darshana.

Later, realizing the challenge for the solo dancer to hold an audience, he composed more complex and beautiful solo items on classical elements like Prabandhas musical composition, e.g. Tanum in Tandava taking inspiration from Kartal Cholom movements on Tal Rajmel, Swaraprabandha on Indian musical notes in Rag Bhopali and Tal Khuji in Lasya style interpreting swaras through graceful body movements. His solo compositions gave the audience a chance to appreciate the beauty and nuance of the lasya and tandava forms individually.

Guru Bipin also composed 'Mridu Uddhata Krishna Nartan' with the soft (Prerani) and forceful (Bahuroop) Tandava aspects in which he utilized Krishna Tandava movements and Cholom Tandava movements beautifully mingling one with the other. This made Tandava more forceful and the body movements difficult and complex. Finally, to depict abhinaya, he created the poignant 'Manini Radha' with different Nayikabhedas (States of heroine in love) from Bashak-phangnaba, solos on divisions of Shringar Ras, such as 'Sakshatdarshan' or 'Madanakshep' from Rasa- humphumari.

All these above and many more solo compositions as well as duet, and group dances were the result of intensive research of the traditional Raas and Sankirtan with years of indepth study of Vaishnavite Shastras, knowledge of Padavali literature having various languages Braj, Brajabuli, Meitheli, Sanskrit, old Bengali (now Translated in Meitei) written by devotional poets like Vidyapati, Gyandas, Chandidas, Jaydev and many more, knowledge of various talas ranging from 4 to 68 beats and the individual, unique Manipuri Tala system.

Guru Bipin Singh established these classical elements studying the original traditions by collecting and recording oral tradition of dance and music of Rasleela and Sankirtan in collaboration with Jhaveri Sisters from innumerable Gurus and correlated it with Vaishnav Sangeet Shastras.

With his innate artistic and aesthetic sensibilities and creative abilities, Guruji could use his knowledge to create the above compositions for theatre, revealing technicalities, complexities and subtleties of Manipuri Dance. The solo compositions are so rich and powerful that they are timeless. Items like Khandita, Nannichuri and Tanum have beauty and strength that we always enjoy performing them many times since 1958 and even audiences still experience aesthetic pleasure seeing them.

The Classical Manipuri Solo dancer has great challenge. He or she should be able to hold the audience throughout the performance, with his or her artistic, technical virtuosity, perfection and the choreographically rich compositions. In the solo dance recital expectation of the audience is greater and different than in a group dance performance.

25 years ago, in the late 1980s Guru Bipin Singh wanted to experiment with the solo format where an entire program would be performed by a solo dancer. To create a full repertoire of items he decided to follow the traditional kram or sequence of the Rasleela and Sankirtan, such as Pung Raga, Sanchar in Mangalacharan, Gourachandrika or Vaman on Tintalmacha, Krishna Nartan, RadhaNartan, dance on Abhinaya one of the Nayikabhedas or division of Shringar Ras concluding with Telena Prabandha and Aarti and Pushpanjali. There is perhaps still scope to fulfill this dream.