Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Our World - Lavani


Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance in Maharashtra, which is performed to the beats of 


Dholak and Tabla. It is noted for its powerful rhythm and erotic sentiment and has contributed substantially 


to the development of Marathi folk theatre.  
Traditionally, the word Lavani is derived from the word lavanya which means beauty and is performed by 


women wearing nine-yard long saris and adorned with jewelery.
This genre of folk dance deals with different subject matters like religion, politics and romance. The songs in 


'Lavani' are mostly erotic and the dialogues tend to be risque in socio-political satire.
Originally, it was used as a form of entertainment and morale booster to the tired soldiers. Although the origins of Lavani can be traced back to 1560s, it came into prominence during the later days of Peshwa rule.


Honaji Bala introduced tabla in place of the traditional dholki and developed the baithakichi Lavani, a sub-genre, which is presented by the singer in the seated position.
Mohanabai Mahalangrekar, daughter of a nomadic harmonium player grew up performing the suggestive 


songs and dance moves of lavani in villages across Maharashtra. She never went to school, and the traditional Maharashtrian folk dance has been her bread and butter for 40 years now.
Mumbai-based Akanksha Kadam, on the other hand, was introduced to lavani 12 years ago and the 27-


year-old is now popular for the fast-paced, Bollywood-style lavani that she performs in stage shows.
Both of them have their own bands of dancers and musicians and perform this wonderful form of dance in various places throughout the country and sincerely hope that it is not looked down upon but given a stamp of respectability and honour that it deserves as a dance form.
The dance form had acquired such a bad reputation that there was a time when there no women ready to get into it and males had to dress as women and perform. There are 2 real good male performers even today. They are


Anand Satam


and Anil Hankare.
Do check out the slide show below of Lavani - the dance and the dancers! Click on it to see it enlarged in a new window.




All these pictures were taken at a show in Mumbai presented by Bhushan Korgaonkar.

To view images from around the world or to participate in this fabulous meme please click here

82 comments:

  1. Beautiful, reminds me of those days when we used to watch it on DD. Awesome, thanks for this one Sir:)

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  2. What a fantastic post and look at your world, Deepak! Superb, colorful captures and fascinating history/background! Thank you!!

    Sylvia

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  3. Lovely ladies in colorful traditional dresses all looking sensuous and sensational !

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  4. I love their amazing traditional dresses. Wonderful images.

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  5. Colorful...Thanks for sharing


    Regards
    village girl

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  6. An excellent post that is sure to be referred to for many years to come by search engines!


    Well done-


    Have a GREAT Week

    Aloha from Waikiki,
    Comfort Spiral
    > < } } ( ° >

    > < } } (°>

    ><}}(°>

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  7. superbe tes photos de spectacle et tres beaux portraits

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  8. That was interesting with colorful photos! A different kind of post from you :)

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  9. Wow--today is a special treat!!! The photographs are fantastic. They honor the dancers--their moves, expressions,hardwork, their personality--fantastic piece! Thank you!

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  10. Wonderful shots of lovely performances.

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  11. Wow! Nice action packed captures.

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  12. Superb images, Deepak - the highlight is Geeta Lakhe! She will be very happy to see her photos -be ready to receive a call from her requesting an exclusive photoshoot :)

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  13. wow! nice action...wonderful captures!

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  14. Amazing post.Colourful photos.Thanks a lot for the post.

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  15. Ein sehr beeindruckender Beitrag und hervorragende lebendige Fotos...

    Ciao
    CL

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  16. Interesting post and beautiful dancers ! :)

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  17. You can really feel the enmotions- great post.


    Chrissy from Manchester: a photo a day at Mancunian Wave

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  18. Have always loved to watch this beautiful form of art. I was thrilled to when I had got a chance to watch one live while in Pune. This post just reminded me of my stay in Pune and Bombay amidst such wonderful artistic people.

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  19. Have heard a lot about this form of dance, now want to see a live show. As usual lovely set of pics.

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  20. Great post and nice shots too.Have a great day!

    Shantana

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  21. Thanks for the share...Have seen it in movies and on TV. Had no idea of what it was called :)

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  22. Wow!!! what a beautiful shots of Lavani...

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  23. An interesting read.I did not know half the things about Lavani that you described and explained.It was very informative !

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    Replies
    1. Glad you found it interesting and informative. Pleasure to share!

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  24. Lovely! You captured the spirit of Lavani:)

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  25. I like lavani though to tell you the truth I used to find it a little vulgar for my sensibilities.

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  26. Great post!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  27. Awesome presentation, everything is different and beautiful.Your pictures are fabulous, a great article!Very interesting about the male performance as well!

    Léia

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  28. i love the colorful saris and jewelry. this must be an amazing performance to watch live. marvelous post!

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  29. I had heard about Lavani. But today I learnt a lot more about it. Thank you for the info. Nice pictures. :)

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  30. I love this art! Thanks for sharing with beautiful photos.

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  31. fine clicks and nice info on this traditional & sensuous dance form !

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  32. beauty..
    puneonnet.com

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  33. These women are so expressive. Nice

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  34. lovely!! Captured beautifully! Hats off!

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  35. FABULOUS Deepak, how fantastic it would be if they toured around I would looooove to see this exotic and erotic show..Beautifully shown here.

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  36. Really interesting information about Lavani. I think this folk dance is beautiful but is given a bit of sleazy look in Marathi movies.

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  37. I found this post so interesting, and the photos so beautiful that I looked up some You Tube examples of Lavani. Thank you!

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  38. Interesting and lovely capture!

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  39. Very colorful n enthralling expressions captured, Deepak. I have seen it once on stage in Mumbai..and the music andd rhythm still haunts me. Lovey..

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  40. something new for me and looks beautiful :)

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  41. Their expressions! Aren't they 'killers' or something? :D

    Thanks for the link, Deepak!

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  42. great
    nice post
    thanks for sharing

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  43. :) :) Wowww
    Thank god i came across this post! :) :)

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