Coimbatore: Oyilattam made its debut in the city at Santhosh Nagar in Kaniyur, near Karumathampatti.
Coimbatore: Oyilattam made its debut in the city at Santhosh Nagar in Kaniyur, near Karumathampatti.
Over 60 participants, ranging from as young as 3 years of age up to 60 years, performed at the event.
The Government School Principal Kanagaraj has revived the dance form of Oyilattam by teaching the dance in villages. The dancers opined that 'Oyilattam' refreshed them both physically and mentally. Principal Kanagaraj said that over 1000 Oyilattam dancers have been trained in the last nine years and aim to take the traditional dance form to the international stage by performing across different countries where there are Tamilians.
Oyilattam is known as the 'dance of grace' which is actually a folk dance with origins in the Madurai region of Tamil Nadu. It is primarily performed in Madurai district, Tirunelveli district and Tiruchirapalli district. In the dance, a few men stand in a row with handkerchiefs and perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment, with the number of dancers increasing.
Over the past decade, women have also started performing this dance. Typically, the musical accompaniment is the Thavil and the performers have coloured handkerchiefs tied to their fingers and wear anklets. Mainly Oyilattam is performed at village festivals and basically describes the renowned epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and also Lord Muruga's history.
Over 60 participants, ranging from as young as 3 years of age up to 60 years, performed at the event.
The Government School Principal Kanagaraj has revived the dance form of Oyilattam by teaching the dance in villages. The dancers opined that 'Oyilattam' refreshed them both physically and mentally. Principal Kanagaraj said that over 1000 Oyilattam dancers have been trained in the last nine years and aim to take the traditional dance form to the international stage by performing across different countries where there are Tamilians.
Oyilattam is known as the 'dance of grace' which is actually a folk dance with origins in the Madurai region of Tamil Nadu. It is primarily performed in Madurai district, Tirunelveli district and Tiruchirapalli district. In the dance, a few men stand in a row with handkerchiefs and perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment, with the number of dancers increasing.
Over the past decade, women have also started performing this dance. Typically, the musical accompaniment is the Thavil and the performers have coloured handkerchiefs tied to their fingers and wear anklets. Mainly Oyilattam is performed at village festivals and basically describes the renowned epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and also Lord Muruga's history.