Kolattam Dance

About Kolattam Dance

The charming and most alluring folk dance of Tamil Nadu is known as Kolattam. It is performed by young girls and ladies in many southern states of the country.

The dance form got its name from Kol meaning stick and Attam meaning play. So, the females performing this dance style make use of sticks for creating the rhythmic sounds.

This folk dance gets performed in many festivals of the villages. The rural women celebrate by performing this dance after they sow seeds of millets, red gram, and paddy.

Origin:

This dance mainly originated from the regions of Taripatri and Mahabalipuram. It is connected with several forms of other art like Ramappa, Hampi, and Macherla.

There is nice folklore on this dance form which says that once there was a demon named Basavasura who was known for his inhuman acts. One day, some girls performed Kolattam dance in front of him after which he was so pleased that he gave up doing all his evil acts.

Dance Style:

A group of 8 of 40 girls or ladies perform this dance style. There is a troupe leader who guides all the dancers and the steps get synchronized well. Two circles are made by the dancers.

Those in the circle outside create sounds with their sticks and those in the inner part get them in the form of tandem to create rhythms. The best version of this style is the Pinnal Kolattam.

The main highlight in this dance is the use of colourful ropes by the dancers. It is pretty charming to see little girls dancing with small sticks.

Jewellery And Costume:

The dancers performing Kolattam are called the Hallisaka. The girls wear bright and flowy skirts while performing this dance and the jewellery worn is also quite attractive and gorgeous.

The dance mainly starts with the mantra chanting of Lord Ganesha. The musicians play harmonium and mridangam while the performance.