Punjab Di Mitti: Punjabi Folk Dance- SAMMI And KIKLI

Monday 18 November 2013

Punjabi Folk Dance- SAMMI And KIKLI

SAMMI

This is a popular dance of Sandal Bar. This is a women's dance and like the Giddha it is danced in a circle. The dancers stand in a ring and swing their hands bringing them up from the sides, right in front, up to the chest and clap. They take the hands down in accordance with a rhythm and a system and clap again. Repeating this gesture, they bend forward and clap again and go round and round in a circle, as the rhythm is maintained with the beat of the feet. Various kinds of swinging movements are performed with the arms.

This is a very simple dance. Most of the gestures and confined to the movements of the arms, clicking and clapping. No instrument is required as an accompaniment to this dance. Rhythm is kept up with the beating of feet and clapping. The dance is named after the young heroine of a legend, Sammi, who was madly in love and used to sing and dance as best she could for the sake of her lover.

The tribal communities of Punjab perform the Sammi Dance, which is popular in Sandalbar, which now is in Pakistan. Wearing vibrant kurtas and lahangas, the women of Punjab perform the Dance of Sammi. The unique feature of this Dance lies in a traditional hair adorning jewellery that is used by the Dancers.

KIKLI

Kikli is a highly popular folk dance among the young girls of Punjab. This dance is generally performed in pairs. Two girls stand facing each other as they get ready to perform the Kikli dance. As the dance performance starts the folk dancers move in circles in fast rhythmic movements. It makes for a beautiful experience as the dancers swirl their whole body with their colourful orhnis` or `daupttas`.

Traditional folk music and songs are also important part of Kikli dance and are used to enhance the charm of this impressive folk dance of Punjab. Kikli is generally popular with the younger girls. They form pairs and then the two girls of each pair stand opposite each other holding each other's hands crosswise. Then they lift their heels and swing round and round on their toes. The movements gets faster and faster, the upper part of the body bends backward and the arms remain fully stretched. As the spinning gathers momentum, it creates an ecstasy and the girls go on and on till they reach the point of exhaustion. Even though they move very fast, they are very careful to maintain rhythm and keep singing various kinds of songs about the mother, the father, the brother, the mother-in-law and about various incidents connected with daily life.