Photos

Just continuing on the Dhimsa Series, here's one more.. giving an indication of the fast steps involved in the dance..all the women trying to dance together..

You can view a video of the performance at Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lr7k48iiy0

About the dance:
Dhimsa is a tribal dance of the tribes in the eastern part of andhra pradesh, like Araku Valley near Vizag and the tribal regions of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

The dance with its simple rhythm and the earthy colours of the tribal wear focuses on the movement of the dancers without much emphasis on expression or a literary text. Red, yellow and green are the colours the girijans attire themselves in. Movements of the feet and the hands by the group dominate the dance. With an elemental rhythm and animated, quick steps with manoeuvres resembling the darting of a centipede its raw energy captivates one.

One gets the impression that it is the collective performance that matters with each of them complementing the other and merging into a unifying whole.

Dhimsa is performed during festivals, weddings and at the time of the "hunting festival" in April when men and women dance for hours.Noted critic, A. Ramalinga Sastry, traces its origin to the Koraput area of Orissa.