Kaura (dance)
 Kaura dance performance at Everest Day New York 2019 | |
| Native name | कौडा/ कौह्रा/चुड्का |
|---|---|
| Genre | Nepalese Magar/Gurung folk dance |
| Inventor | Magars/Gurung |
| Origin | Rising Ranipokhari,Tanahu Western Nepal |
Kaura, also known as Kauda and Chutka, is a folk musical performance indigenous to the hilly regions of Nepal. Kauda was originated in the Gandaki region, Tanahun no one can claim when people from that region started to perform Kauda Dance .[1] According to historians, it was originally called kauda and belive to be derive from word Kura/karaudai. and also First kauda song was recorded in 2026 B.S in Radio Nepal by Chettra Gurung.
The Kaura is a traditional dance form, originated from the Gandaki region performed by Magar & Gurung community in Nepal. It typically involves rhythmic movements accompanied by traditional music, often performed during festivals or cultural celebrations to showcase the community's heritage and identity.
Some claim the word ‘Kaura’ was formed by distorting the Magar word ‘Kaanraha’ but this indicate "हामी आयु /we came" which dose not show any link betwen dance performance and the claimed explanation, If we go deep inside neplease word dictionary we can find word that matches with Kauda like Kura & Karaudai(conversation & singing loudely) which means talk between Girl and boys, Girls dance in group in the rythem of boys singing in process girl teases boys with their dance and call one of the boys she like from the group to dance with her where as boys sing loudly with rythem in process boys group throw many romantic line toward girls group in a musical rythem to grab girl's attention, this process clearly matches with the word Kura/karaudai (kauda) which indicate exactely about the dance. Besides the Magar community, Kaura is also performed by Gurung, Darai and Dura communities.
It is decided to dance between the young women of one village and the young men of another village by sending letters to each other and also this dance is performed after Ghatu rituals also known as Ghatu khoi to entertain guest that came from diffrent village.
In Kaura, Syahi-Syahi in Magar language means Let's dance, In Gurung language Syahi-Syahi means very nice or blessings.
Talking about the authenticity of the Kaura performance, “The female dancers should be in odd number, starting from minimum three to maximum 13. Only unmarried women were allowed or considered suitable to participate in the performance, while both married & unmarried men could perform.
In Kaura, one verse is sung multiple times to create rhythm for the dancers. It was often mandatory for men to sing to the rhythm of the instrument Khaijandi while women to dance, wearing Jharra in their legs.
Although associated with its distinctive costume, musical instruments and prosody, some have expressed concern that Kaura is losing its authenticity due to perversions introduced by commercialization and external influence, while others have been more optimistic deeming the changes a natural part of the cultural evolution and increasing popularity.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Ghartimagar, Manoj. "Kaura Aura Grips Syangja Youths". My City. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ Ghartimagar, Manoj. "Kaura losing authenticity with time". My City. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
 | This Nepal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |