A group of Tamil people celebrates their festivals and other auspicious occasions by performing a folk dance known as Kummi dance. The word Kummi originates from the Tamil word Kommai. It translates to ‘Dancing with the clapping of hands’.
Kummi dance is among the oldest and the simplest of folk dances. This dance is also popular in Sri Lanka. The preparations required for the dance are minimal, but the ambiance it creates is not second to any other dance.
Kummi Dance Performace
Mostly, the women of the community perform Kummi dance. Men also join during specific festive dancing. Kummi dance is performed in simple steps like synchronized forward and backward jumping, accompanied by the rhythmic clapping of hands. The dancers make hand movements resembling the reaping, and harvesting of crops.
This folk dance is performed on festivals like Pongal, Onam and also on auspicious occasions like marriages, birthdays, and other temple festivals.
Kummi dance form originated before there were any actual instruments. Therefore, the sounds of claps are used as music traditionally. The women initiate the dance by singing a song and start moving in a circle. There are several special Kummi songs used for this.
Later, other women join them and also burst into a song upon joining. When the men and women perform this dance together, men dance in the outer circle encircling the dancing women. The men carry sticks in their hands to make rhythmic sounds by beating the stick together and clapping hands. The dance is usually performed on the ground, and the area is decorated with banana leaves.
Kummi Dance Costume
Kummi dance attires of the performers are very simple and casual. The women drape sarees and the men wear their usual white loincloth and kurta or a shirt.
Music Instruments
As mentioned earlier, the Kummi dance is one of the oldest dances. People have been performing it from before the invention of instruments. Thus, there are no specific instruments to this dance. Clapping of hands and the beating of sticks accompanied by the women’s melodious singing is enough to make people move their feet.
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