This, however, is not completely true, since the vannams, discussed above, each have their own emotional content. This extremely open-leg position enables the dancer to move his torso from side to side, while it also forms a firm base for jumps, whirls, and summersaults, so characteristic of many of the Kandyan dances.ДЇurthermore, if compared with the Indian dance, Kandyan dances seem to belong to the pure, non-narrative nrtta numbers. In the basic position the space between the open legs almost forms a square, a position that first appeared in Indian dance imagery at some time during the 1 st or 2 nd century AD, and later spread to Southeast Asia. The emphasis is on the extremely energetic footwork. If it is analysed from the Indian point of view, it is clear that the Kandyan dances represent the energetic, masculine tandava type of dance.

It includes twelve foot bar exercises for the feet, and twelve exercises without the bar.ДЄnother basic pose of a ves dance Jukka O. However, since the mid-1950s a standardised teaching method has been formulated. This system allowed some variations in the technique. Kandyan dances were traditionally taught by gurus and guru lineages. Kandyan dances are now also performed at secular social festivities as well as in dance shows, aimed at either local audiences or tourists. In 1955 the technique of the Kandyan dances was standardised for the use of schools and art universities. The dances are also still performed today at a grandiose temple festival dedicated to the previous Buddhas. Thus Kandyan dances were performed outside the court and temple context for the first time. In 1916 the Kandyan dances were added to the annual Perahera procession of the holy Tooth Relic. However, it is possible that it was only one more wave of Indian influence, since probably some of the Buddhist music and dance traditions may have already been adapted from India in the centuries BC when Buddhism was received in Sri Lanka. The South Indian form, and particularly the influential form of Kerala (read more about the traditions of Kerala), is said to have arrived during the early 18 th century, when the King of Kandy invited dancers and musicians from Kerala to his court. The original ritual is rare nowadays, but some of its dances are included in the repertoire of Kandyan dances.

Like most of the birth legends of Sri Lankan theatrical traditions, the story of the origins of kohomba kankariya also tells us about the intervention of supernatural beings to cure a king. It has been an important folk ritual of the regions of the Kandyan kingdom.

It is generally agreed that the roots of Kandyan dances lie in an ancient village ritual, called kohomba kankariya. However, the most spectacular performances can still be seen in a religious context, particularly during the annual Kandy Perahera procession in the city of Kandy. Kandyan dances are now probably the countryвЂ™s most important cultural export. The ves dance is the most famous of the Kandyan dances Jukka O.

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