This is a story of a young man named Chotu Lohar* from a small nondescript village in one of the poorest states of India. He dropped out of school to work in the iron mines. Music on a radio was the only entertainment available in his house but last year he came to national notice on a reality show called Dance India Dance - where although his untutored enthusiasm and energy captured attention - he was unable to make the cut. His passion, on the other hand, caught the interest** of the show's producers who took him under their wing and a year later, he's just made the shortlist for this year's show. [more inside]
posted by infini on Jan 7, 2012 - 7 comments

Daler Mehndi: (previously ) Sikh superstar and former cab driver, sure can dance. There are of course, imitators (Original ).
posted by The Whelk on Dec 7, 2008 - 23 comments

Do you know how to Dandiya? [more inside]
posted by hadjiboy on Oct 21, 2007 - 4 comments

The Karbis of Assam, and their sprightly dance.
posted by hadjiboy on Feb 24, 2007 - 6 comments

Theyyam , a corrupt form of daivum (god), is a popular ritual dance of North Kerala, India. As a living cult with centuries old traditions, ritual and custom, it embraces almost all castes and classes of the Hindu religion in this region. A performance (mpg) of a particular deity continues for 12 to 24 hours with intervals. The costumes differ based on the character (mpg) of the theyyam.
posted by dhruva on Dec 23, 2004 - 13 comments

Hasta Mudra: a research project in movement and myth. "The content within this website is derived of excerpts from an ongoing research project on hasta mudra as they are utilized in Bharata Natyam classical dance of India. The literal translation of the Sanskrit hasta mudra is hand (hasta) symbol (mudra), though hasta mudra can be interpreted in English as hand gestures or sign language." [Flash.]
posted by homunculus on Jan 29, 2004 - 1 comment