CRA ARTS

Karakattam (Tamil: கரகாட்டம் or "karakam (கரகம் 'water pot') dance") is an ancient folk dance of Tamil Nadu performed in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman.The ancient Tamil epic says that this type of dance has derived from Bharatham and a mixture of multiple forms of Tamil Dance forms like Bharatanatyam postures,mudras.The offering of this dance is to the goddess to bless Rain. The song accompanies be of any song like folk, Carnatic (Amrithavarshini). The performers balance a pot on their head. Traditionally, this dance is categorized into two types- Aatta Karakam is danced with decorated pots on the head and symbolizes joy and happiness. It is mainly performed to entertain the audience. The Sakthi Karakam is performed only in temples as a spiritual offering. Karakkatam ceremonial dance to invoke rain through a classical Tamil dance.The song commonly composed in Amrithavarshini Ragam ( Ragamalika) that invoke rain.Tamils believed that the mother nature gives bo...

Oyilattam (meaning: dance of grace) is a folk dance with origins in the Madurai region of Tamil Nadu. The dance has its origins in southern Tamil Nadu and is primarily performed in Madurai district, Tirunelveli district and Tiruchirapalli district. It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row with two kerchiefs perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment, with the number of dancers increasing; over the past ten years 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 ankle bells. Oyilattam is one of the folk arts identified for mainstreaming by the Tamil university. Mainly Oyilattam is performed at village festivals. It is basically describing the great epics like ramayana, mahabaratha and also lord muruga's history.

Parai Attam, or Thappattam, is a dance in which folks beat Parai and dance to its rhythm. It is one of the oldest traditional dances, originally performed for multiple reasons, ranging from warning people about the upcoming war, requesting the civilians to leave the battlefield, announcing victory or defeat, stopping a breach of water body, gathering farmers for farming activities, warning the wild animals about people's presence, during festivals, wedding, celebrations, worship of nature and so on. Thappu is the name of a rhythmic beat instrument and Thappattam is practiced among the suppressed Dalits classes of the people of the Tamil Nadu. The subtle form of dance accompanied by captivating music, is an ancient rural folk art which is even now popular in urban slum areas in villages.