East Indian Folk- ‘Jharoo’ and ‘Kollatam’
The Jharoo is a broom dance, with short brooms being made of the ribs of coconut palm leaves. The Kollatam uses short sticks and songs, chants and traditional instruments accompany the dance much the same as in the Jharoo.
East Indian Classical
There are eight (8) styles of classical dances that originate in India, four which are practiced in Trinidad and Tobago. Many of these dances are done in temples or at religious ceremonies. The four (4) classical dance style in Trinidad and Tobago are:
- Kuchipudi
- Odissi
- Bharantnatyam
- Kathak
Each style of East Indian Dance can be identified by costume, style/movement, make-up, music- Taal and hairstyle. There are nine facial expressions called Abinaiya that are used in classical indian dance which are love, surprise, sadness, disgust, fear, courage, anger, laughter and peace. The hand gestures associated with classical indian dance are Modras.
