{"id":4127,"date":"2012-05-30T21:07:05","date_gmt":"2012-05-31T04:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=4127"},"modified":"2012-05-30T21:09:23","modified_gmt":"2012-05-31T04:09:23","slug":"divya-venkat-kalbelia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/05\/30\/divya-venkat-kalbelia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kalbelia"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The Charming Gypsies of Rajasthan<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art57\/graphics57\/kalbeliadancerbyMarkBell.jpg\" alt=\"Kalbelia dancer by Mark Bell\" width=\"300\" height=\"392\" align=\"right\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/aboutuspages\/DivyaVenkat.html\">Divya  Venkat<\/a><br \/>\n<span class=\"footnotes\">posted May 30, 2012<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A few bushes stud the vast and barren Rajasthani desert landscape. Upon  a closer inspection, a group of individuals comes in to view. Among the bushes  hides an encampment: more precisely, a few metal bed frames supporting tattered  blankets to provide shade from the sweltering heat. Men and women wearing  brightly colored clothing and many pieces of glittering jewelry as they mull  around in this apparently bleak landscape. These are the Rajasthani gypsies,  also known as the Kalbelia. In the background, the haunting melodies of a snake  charmer fill the air. The Kalbelia\u2019s main occupation is snake charming, a  popular image of exotic India for Westerners. <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">Their dance form, also called Kalbelia, has been  influenced by their nomadic lifestyle, their devotion to the mystique, and  their passion for entertainment. <\/p>\n<p>The Kalbelia are a nomadic group that live in the state of Rajasthan in  western India. According to <em>The Encyclopedia of Dalits<\/em>,there are  approximately 729 individuals that label themselves as Kalbelia and are a part  of this community. The primary occupations of the members of this group include  singing, dancing and entertaining including the presentation of snakes and  cobras. (UNESCO Youtube) <\/p>\n<p>This group is nomadic and thus do not have permanent encampments (Singh  474). The cause of this nomadic lifestyle can be attributed to their  ostracization from society and their low social status (Singh 474). This group  is, therefore, pushed to the outskirts of cities from where they still have  access to the large population, which forms their client base for their  entertainment business.\u00a0 They are able to  earn a living while remaining a distinct group outside of society and city.  Their encampments are called <em>deras<\/em> and are located on the edges of major  cities and areas such as the Pali district of Rajasthan. (UNESCO Youtube) <\/p>\n<p>Said to have been the original settlers of Delhi and migrated to the  Mewar region, the Kalbelia are ethnically Rajasthani and speak one of the  dialects called Mewari (Singh 474). <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">The Kalbelia are unique in that they strictly follow  an oral tradition of passing on their culture to the future generations  verbally. The songs and dances are taught to the next generation through  observation and it is a significant part of every day life. <\/p>\n<p>These songs and dances are a dominant part of their culture and capture  the essence of their way of life (UNESCO). Rajashtani folk dances including  Kalbelia are special because they use indigenous instruments that are made from  different plants in the region (Shrikumar). These characteristics of the  Kalbelia culture and dance form have led to its categorization as an \u201cIntangible  Cultural Heritage\u201d by UNESCO (UNESCO). This classification has allowed Kalbelia  to preserve their unique culture and dance and has paved way for its  dissemination into Indian society. The popularization of this culture in India  and abroad has led to a positive and popular Western perspective.<\/p>\n<p>The different dances of the Kalbelia are rooted in the same tradition of  story telling about folk heroes, love, relationships and land, but with  slightly different steps and forms. The dances are also performed on different  occasions and with different frequency. <\/p>\n<table width=\"452\" border=\"5\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"10\" cellspacing=\"0\" bordercolor=\"#FFCC33\" bgcolor=\"#000000\">\n<tr>\n<td width=\"420\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RGGmW5CQmdw\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\">The Matkee Dance<\/p>\n<p><em>Matkee<\/em> is  the dance that is performed routinely and is used for daily recreation. During  this dance, several women stand together in a circle and face inward. They step  slightly and move from side to side to the beat of music.\u00a0 Their bodies are straight but they look down  as they perform. While moving, the dancers make intricate hand and arm  gestures, articulating their wrists in circles and bringing their arms across  their body above their ribs. Their upper torso moves to the rhythm of the music  by raising and lowering the rib cage which accentuates the gestures made by the  hand. <\/p>\n<p class=\"highlight\">The hips are particularly accentuated in this piece  contributing to lower body movement as the feet make small steps. <\/p>\n<p>Toward the end of the song, the dancers spin in circles so that the  costume particularly the flared out skirt is accentuated and the dancers looks  as though they are floating. The music of this dance is unique in that two  instruments generate it: the <em>poongi<\/em>, which is a wind instrument and the <em>chang, <\/em>which is a percussion instrument (drum) (UNESCO Youtube).<\/p>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art57\/graphics57\/rajastanmap.jpg\" alt=\"Rajastan\" width=\"300\" height=\"273\" align=\"right\" \/>The Loor Dance<\/p>\n<p> While the Matkee is rooted in every day life, a second form of this  dance is specifically performed during the festival of colors, <em>Holi<\/em>, is <em>Loor<\/em>.  The Loor dance form incorporates both singing and dancing into one performance.  A group of women stand in a semi-circle and sing facetious songs. These songs  often make jokes about different aspects of life, including marriage. The women  performing sing with no background instrumentation. The rhythm (beat) of this  music is maintained by the clapping of the women. Occasionally, one of the  women will spin slowly while clapping to add variation to the piece. The songs  of the Kalbelia are themed after daily occurrences and especially rites of  passage. As previously mentioned, these songs are part of an oral tradition and  therefore are regularly and intensely practiced by all members of the  community. These songs are constantly improved upon to enhance their cultural  traditions. Some songs and dances, however, have changed very little over many  generations preserving the core values and practices of this group (UNESCO Youtube).<\/p>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\">The Snake Dance<\/p>\n<p> The snake dance was derived from the practice of men bringing snakes to  the doors of people and entertaining them by making the snake dance to music  and the money collected from people is a source of income (Singh). This dance  incorporates subtle dance moves that are meant to represent the movements of a  cobra as it slithers on the ground (UNESCO Youtube). One specific aspect of  this dance is called the Chari Nritya or Ghoomer that involves rapid spinning  on a tilted axis (Shrikumar).\u00a0 During  this, the women spread out their arms on a diagonal plane and tilt their body  so that it looks as though they are rotating around a slanted axis, similar to  the earth spinning on its axis while traversing the sun (UNESCO Youtube). This  move is seen as the most classic form of Kalberia dance and is repeated all  cultural programs representing this society. In parts of this dance, the  dancers sit on one leg near the ground and bounce gently. They then stretch out  their arms and twist their body to each side while shaking their shoulders,  representing the slithering motion of a cobra. The dancers wear tassels on their  wrists, which accentuate the bouncing motion of their shoulders. These hand  motions are repeated as the dancers rise and hop from one foot to the other,  while continuing with the rhythmic twisting of the body. In this dance, the  Kalberia have incorporated acrobatic stunts to further woo their crowds, which  has helped to attract a larger audience of outsiders. In one such stunt, the  dancer places her rings standing up on the ground. She then bends backwards  completely and plants her feet and hands on the ground. She then blinks her  eyes and picks up these rings using her eyelids (UNESCO Youtube).\u00a0 These tricks and particularly this style of  dance has been acknowledged by the Indian government and thus made the Kalbelia  more transparent to the masses. This has allowed for its premier and permeation  into Indian society and cultural events (UNESCO Youtube).<\/p>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\">Clothing Made for Dance<\/p>\n<p> The clothing of the Kalbelia has been influenced by the motifs of their  dances, their lifestyle and their environment. Traditionally, women wear long  skirts that extend to their feet (UNESCO Youtube). This skirt, however, has  excess material that allows the skirt to flare out when the wearer spins.  Additionally, the top is short and extends to the top of the skirt. It is short  sleeved to make it comfortable for the dancer in the hot climate of the desert.  They also wear a long scarf often draped over their hair or around their neck.  This serves as a shade against the beating sun but also helps to accentuate  spins done while dancing. All pieces of their clothing are elaborately  decorated with mirrors, shiny pieces of thread and beads (UNESCO). These  dresses are typically brightly colored to contrast\u00a0 with the\u00a0  barren and visually uninteresting desert landscaping. This elaborate,  ornate and colorful dressing also attracts attention of the crowds, which helps  garnering more money from the crowds.\u00a0  During the cobra dance, however, these costumes are black with  multicolored threads to accentuate the coloring of cobras. In addition to  elaborate clothing, these women also wear silver jewelry. These women typically  wear several bangles, large dangling earrings, thick silver necklaces, anklets  with bells, toe rings and nose rings. In addition, they also wear head pieces  that resemble a necklace draped around the crown of their head. This jewelry is  usually elaborately designed and studded with multicolored stones. A unique  part of their make-up lies in their hairstyle. Women\u2019s hair is glued into place  and is set in a specific way that does not shift during dance. The glue is made  of the plant <em>Meliotas<\/em>. Glue sets the hair in a slightly flattened and  stylized way (UNESCO Youtube). The women also wear eyeliner in the form of kohl  and dots on their foreheads called bindis. The intricate and elaborate costumes  and make-up of the dancers is part of the unique Kalbelia culture. <\/p>\n<p class=\"sectiontitle\">The Music<\/p>\n<p> Music used for these dances is unique to Rajasthan. The major woodwind  instrument used in this type of music is called the <em>poongi.<\/em> It is built  using a dry gourd, reeds and beeswax (UNESCO Youtube). The sound it creates is  characteristic of snake charming and is specifically used to enchant the  snakes. This distinctive sound has been picked up by Western cultures and  become a popular characteristic of snake charmers. The percussion instrument,  chang, is a large round drum that is beat either with the performer\u2019s hands or  with small sticks of different shapes to generate different sounds. Lastly,  cymbals are used throughout the performance to add a chime and keep the beat  for the dancer. These instruments as well as the singing by the women help in  definng unique aspects of the Kalbelia culture. <\/p>\n<p>The Kalbelia of Rajashtan have contributed enormously to the cultural  diversity of India. Their dances have allowed them to express their cultural  values and nomadic lifestyle. The pleasant demeanor exhibited in all of their  dance forms shows their enthusiasm, energy and involvement and belief in their  culture. Their ability to adapt to new environments allows them to continue to  contribute to the entertainment in their adopted regions, while providing them  with means and income for survival. Even though their traditions, especially  their dances and music, carry great value as a relic of culture, their low  status in society has also forced them into niche of often unpleasant begging  to make a living. However, through the aid of the Indian government, the colors  and vibrancy of this culture have allowed the Kalbelia to be accepted into  society, both within India and internationally. The Kalbelia have charmed their  way into modern society, just as they have captured the attention of the snakes  in their locale. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">Paswan, Sanjay. &quot;Distribution of Scheduled Castes Population by Sex State\/Districtwise     .&quot;Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India. 5. New Delhi: Mehra Offset Press, 2004. Print.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\"> Shrikumar, A. &quot;Treat for the Senses.&quot; Hindu. 09 11 2011: n. page. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.&lt;http:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/arts\/music\/article2611835.ece&gt;.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\"> Singh, K. S. &quot;Kalbelia Daliwal.&quot; People of India: Rajasthan. 38. Mumbai: Ramdas G. Bhatkal for Popular Prakashan, 1998. Print.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\"> UNESCO. &quot;Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan.&quot; Youtube. UNESCO, 2010. Web. 10<br \/>\nApr 2012. &lt;http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RGGmW5CQmdw&gt;.<\/li>\n<li class=\"footnotes\">UNESCO. &quot;Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan.&quot; UNESCO Culture Sector. UNESCO,     2012. Web. 10 Apr 2012. &lt;http:\/\/www.unesco.org\/culture\/ich\/RL\/00340&gt;.\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/graphics\/acommentbox.jpg\" alt=\"use the comment box\" align=\"right\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"ready4more\">\n<p>Have a comment? Use or comment section at the bottom of this page or <a href=\"mailto:editor@gildedserpent.com\">Send us a letter!<\/a> <br \/>\nCheck the &quot;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/let2ed.htm\">Letters to the Editor<\/a>&quot; for other possible viewpoints!<\/p>\n<p>Ready for more?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<!--end ready4more --><\/p>\n<div class=\"articlelist\">\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">7-17-11 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/07\/17\/helm-ling-india-colleena\/\">India, Helm&#8217;s Musical Adventure<\/a> by LIng Shien Bell<\/span><br \/>\nWe were delighted when Colleena Shakti invited us to teach classes concerning Musicality for Dancers at the Colleena Shakti School of Dance in Pushkar, Rajastan. Last January, we made the trek over water and mountains to reach this fascinating land. Pushkar holds the only temple dedicated to Brahma, the creator, as well as many other temples.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">3-17-11<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2011\/03\/17\/jasmine-samar-women-india-belly-dance\/\">Empowering Women in India through Belly Dance<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Jasmine June and Samar<\/span><br \/>\nThe company works with less fortunate and troubled families and women, and pays the women a decent sum for their crafts as a way of helping them out.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">1-13-05<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/art29\/micsanindia.htm\">The Grand International Bellydance Tour or How We Fled India at Midnight, Eluding Our Captors and Evading our Go-Go-Dance Responsibilities. or What Would Fifi Do?<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Michelle and Sandra<\/span><br \/>\nIt may not have been such a problem for us had the prostitutes not been posing as bellydancers!<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">3-8-04<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/articles26\/michelleindiariots.htm\">Hindu Extremists Riot at Belly Dance Show<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Michelle Joyce<\/span><br \/>\nAt the time, I was beginning to understand that this was a potentially dangerous and explosive situation. But I had no way of knowing how much danger I was really in.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-27-12<\/span> <span class=\"articlelink\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/newsgraphics\/ComKaleidoscope.htm\">GigBag Check # 36 with MaShuqa<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"articleauthor\">on the CK and the GigBag Check<\/span><br \/>\nMaShuqa, known for her beautful make up, shows us a few secrets! MaShuqa is a well known bellydancer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also the wife of Carl Sermon, whose photos you will see frequently on GildedSerpent.com. This video was filmed back stage at the Belly Dancer of the Universe Competition in February 2011<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-24-12<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/05\/24\/crystal-spain-1st-year\/\"><span class=\"articlelink\"> My New Life in the Old World, A Year in Spain<\/span><\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Crystal Silmi<\/span><br \/>\nNo part of me can say that it has been an easy ride! Setting forth alone in a new country, speaking a new language with no one to vouch for you is a daring adventure, not to mention a lonely one.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-17-12<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/05\/17\/shema-meet-the-neighbours\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Meet the Neighbors, Chapter 2 of Veiling in the Desert<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Shema<\/span><br \/>\nI sit here in my Bedouin house with a cup of green tea and some helawa (halva) and I can still hear the women laughing outside. Although my focus here is to learn the dance, I always feel that in order to understand a traditional dance form, I need also to understand the culture.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-16-12<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/04\/16\/when-victoria-was-queen-and-the-ghawazi-ruled\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Queen of Denial Chapter 9: Memories of Baghdad Part 2: Bombs, Bodies, and Baby?<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Rebaba<\/span><br \/>\nAs the war escalated in favor of Iran, our living conditions declined.  The borders and post offices were closed, the newspapers were censored, and then one day the running water just stopped without warning.  My friends and I hailed a taxi and literally went from store to store buying as much bottled water as we could lay our hands on.  We paid from too high priced to absolutely ridiculous prices for cases of drinking water.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-15-12 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/05\/15\/pam-tahia-samia-1977\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Meeting Tahia and Samia in 1977, The First Belly Dance Tour to Cairo, Part 2<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Pam Sloane\/Hirt<\/span><br \/>\nTo her, true danse oriental is not teachable.  Either you have it or you don\u2019t; either you are born with it or you are not.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-14-12<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/05\/14\/c-barros-egypt-stars-los-angeles\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Egyptian Stars Shine in Los Angeles, Stars of Spring, March 9\u201311, 2012 in Los Angeles, Featuring Aida Nour, Khaled Mahmoud and Camelia<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">report by Catherine Barros<\/span><br \/>\nWhen I decided to attend Stars of Spring, it wasn\u2019t just to support my friend, Dee Dee Asad. I know this will appear to make me a bit biased in some people\u2019s eyes if I am writing a review of a friend\u2019s event. How can a person be a good reviewer if they are viewed as giving a slanted review in support of a friend?<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">5-1-12<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/05\/01\/reporting-from-ibcc-2012\/\" class=\"articlelink\">IBCC video reports<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by GS Staff<\/span><br \/>\nThis is the fourth, and we hear, the last International Bellydance Conference of Canada held May 2-6, 2012 in Toronto Canada, produced by Yasmina Ramzy and staff. As in past years, we will be reporting on this page as internet coverage and time allows. Video reports will be added when possible. Expect interviews, performance clips, demonstrations, and more.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">4-30-12<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/04\/30\/najia-bert-teach-australia-1988\/\" class=\"articlelink\">Teaching Down Under in 1988, A Bert Balladine Reminiscence: Australia &amp; New Zealand<\/a> <span class=\"articleauthor\">by Najia Marlyz<\/span><br \/>\nInternational seminars make you do more than you think you can when you see the dedication and sacrifices people make just to attend. <\/li>\n<li><span class=\"articledate\">4-29-12<\/span> <span class=\"articlelink\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/newsgraphics\/ComKaleidoscope.htm#db\">Video Collage Report from Dangerous Beauties Show at the Last Day Saloon<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"articleauthor\">on the Community Kaleidoscope<\/span><br \/>\nPerformers for this show included\u00a0Murat&#8217;s band &quot;Native Brew&quot;-Janus-Bhargav-Corey,\u00a0Surreyya,\u00a0Princess Farhana, Teresa,\u00a0Nyla Crystal, Farasha, Terrianne, Dusty, Susu, and\u00a0Talia\u00a0with her partner.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Charming Gypsies of Rajasthan by Divya Venkat posted May 30, 2012 A few bushes stud the vast and barren Rajasthani desert landscape. Upon a closer inspection, a group of individuals comes in to view. Among the bushes hides an encampment: more precisely, a few metal bed frames supporting tattered blankets to provide shade from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[92,31,29,121,24,54,123,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}