Maldives
Folk Music
Langiri
The Original Langiri goes back to the time of Sultan Shamsuddin
III who ruled The Maldives in the early 20th century. The
youth of that time developed and modified the then popular
Thaara to their taste giving the name Langiri.
Langiri is a dance and music played by young men as an evening
stage show. To perform Langiri each dancer holds two sticks
that are about two feet long. The sticks known as "Langiri
Dhandi" are decorated, each having a colourful artificial
flower at the head end.
In the dance the performers sit in tow rows of twelve or in
six and as they sway their bodies waist up and at the same
time keep clapping the Langiri Dhandi in different styles.
Each dancer will hit six Langiri Dhandi belonging to his three
neighbours seated in the front row. There is also a lead singer
who sits in the front of their right row. The length of a
Langiri show varies but usually it lasts until seven or six
songs.
Dhandi Jehun
This dance is attributed to the atolls and the performing
style vary from atoll to atoll. The participants are all
men and they dance in a single group of about 30 people.
The dance which lasts about one hour can be held at day
or night, in a street or in a ground, on nay day of celebrations.
In Dhandi Jehun, the songs are "Thaara" songs
or "Unbaa" songs and they sung by a lead singer.
However, the group too participates in the song, and as
they sing, they dance and walk to the beat of the song.
Sometimes drums or tambourines are held by two additional
people who would walk behind the group.
In the dance which lasts about an hour, each dancer holds
a "Dhandi" (stick) of about three feet long. As
he dances, he claps hi "Dhandi", to one belonging
to a partner facing him and continue dancing and singing
to the beat of the music as well as to the sound generated
by the clapping of sticks. The dancers do not have any special
dress. However, in any given performance, they will wear
a uniformed dress usually it is a sarong, a T-shirt, a white
head cloth, a sash around waist and a white under-garment.
Dhandi Jehun is believed to have come form Malik (Minicoy
Islands). Is is said there is a similar dance there known
as "Malik Dhandi".
Bolimalaafath
Neshun
This is a dance performed by women. The dance shows the old
tradition of women offering gifts to the sultan, on special
occasions such as Eid festival. The gifts, usually shells,
are kept in a small vase or box known as the "Kurandi
Malaafath". It is kept closed and is intricately decorated
from outside. The vase is covered in a piece of colourful
silk cloth. The women who carry the case too wear bright coloured
local dresses which are fumigated by burning incense.
In the dance there are about 24 people performers. As they
dance and sing to the tune of music, they form into small
groups of two, three, four or even six, and walk towards the
sultan to offer the "Kurandi". The songs usually
express their sentiments or are based on national themes.With
the change of government from monarchy to a republic in 1968,
the tradition of offering gifts to the sultan ceased. But
the dance has survived, and today it can be seen on stage
shows. Bolimalaafath Neshun is still regarded as the most
important of all the dances performed by Maldivian women.
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