Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-01-16
A CEYLONESE NAUTCH.
:Moncure .. Conway,s Aosoans. Of Eaas
Faaous IInia Danca
rThr INTEREST or :she Nance Tor tire
>Aotieunrian Rather Than thc
Arrisr.--Ghargas ,O3 s4lrt-
esssai n srsic.
k,or. <fn,, Francisco Cl1rou;ck,. !

. GssAai II WSJca
fCor. >tnn Francisco Chrouick.]
One side Of the dnasring,roonl Is partly
c!mn ana from the room beyond we presently
heard q. juggling Of silver "ernsaRants, next
caught Hashes fcc'H ieeseled hair, and after
'thLs tao assash ot:tla'k eyes peesing intos.se
room. Then FIVE s9autch girls entered with
ave neu, Singers oEd rsts4c&ns- The girls
Sat ina ro,sv OH tire 1oo1. fs;;iig US, the 1Iien
-bahi,Si tken->tsns plain snow-whits dress OF
The latter naasrc (, background for the rich
costumes OF the dancers.
THE SArTGH.
The Nautch costumes -til;:lgh glowing
with color and laden with js'vels, were not
CANDY nor even gorgeous; THEY we're 'rar- !
SsloNc enough, bat possessed .withal q certaln
antiquarian character and indicated ia dig
slAified canventioualsa which made them
pleasing. III primitive pictures Of goddesses
and he1oincs -- "D.aupadi," "Damyanti,"
""Eita dresses fare seen somewhat Of the
.Nautch cha "actes, the silEen trousers, how
ever, being no doubt tire addition of a more
prudish age. The s -llgalese- Nautch girls
are dressed with sesupulous regard to de-
'coIum These are all small Of stature, ssv-
~sral Of hem pretty, and the an2@iets over
ths3r bare fest, the pearls And geld they
~wear-~n!~ays excepting Tho nose gems
well become their 3usky beauty. Soon after
they had seated themselves on the floor, all.
n1ssa and women, began to sing whatsp,,ndod
like chant with nsulEtldinsus gruce- notes.
My host, who sat beside,nae. tod aue It WAS q
hymn to silva ! did not like it much 1t
impressed ns;'as;a nasal, rot to say whining,
end decidedly monot0uous. Jhen foiloWeia
love song, and for the first few moments Of
it but little difference Was note, by me be
tween ttas hymn ard the love song. bat IS I
listened closefy-knoHip,r HOW the .iieanInts
Of every vorl and sesataci,iny the ton!-tolA,
soipa and viol--I perccssel that theis wa:
more variety and more scienes inithls nalsc
than my,esrreouid easily ta!zeIa.
sonFESTAl ICslC.'
For the first til1a, it occurred to u1e. sst:lt
tho fault / sou.d witls Oriental music riight
lay il my car beAlAs not :.suffit ientIv ct'slHo.
. politan. at IT, sallla tins i f.'t that this
music was lot IL product OF at III he strict
:sense rs raisun dotre VA. not sins&ly i'eauty
for is vv;u sake; it had plterior 1iurpose> to
move the compassion ofp deity Qua lover; II
vas cry wrung fron. the struggle fes. OK
istence. Ny friend, whose studies Of ss:c,,
things Ar. careful an extensive, calted nay
.attentiaa- 10 the notable fGact that all She
n1ciEnt love songs Of India arc uttered by
.'yopaolA ia men. Judging by these songs, the
2ovt~Eaking used to be done by the, sex that
Jig now wooed Ill India as elsewhere. These
Nauich girls beleag officially to the temple Of
which Musie Cnmana Swauy is me,nhcy.
and hers, as in India, they sing aud dance
only these worry ancient themes, receiving
.thanz eron their predecessors Aay careful in
rs tI1s,
children with extreme literalpsss and fdel-
,ity. The chief performance .et the evening
was a long dramatic love song. Of extreme
antiquity, sung by Ill the performers, male
,.asd female, accompanied by full instrument
.tatlor,
THE DANCE.
1t az dsncedby the leading Na,r5ch girl,
whoA4oue did ,not sing Her gestures were
gvery'axpressive, aud at tunes was reminded
OF the Freleh saying: "What cannot be said
may bo sung and what cannot ba sung may
bs danced The feet had little more to d.,
~ the dance than to bear q few steps back
ward and forward tho swayini, or rather I'M
dulatipg form, while the arms were ever OF the
<salove and the fingers twisted themselves into
a Thousand variations, None Of these hand
movements were tha same, and ench ,neant
ito say, MAS the maiden's first glimpse Of her
.boloved, told in embarrassment, Installation,
melancholy, aud all appeal to the god Of
dove. Then followed the first coquettish at
tee,s rrs t. fasciuate hiu,-nc,v by coyness, next
by 4 display of ca1aras. Then follows dis,nay
the beloved gixas no sign Of retluital. The
suoiaen becomes s,2elancIloly, weeps; she be-
;oosses passionate and tells him her love il,
suou,real accents. He is still cold; she
;psn1lexs che matter (hand nnder. CHM and'ka-
,co,.aes Jealous; but fiuding he loves no other,
she asks what kind Of E. imam he can be who
remains unmoved by sHoman's love. He pro.
fposas Illicit aoye; this she refuses with Oh
indignation that turns to sorrow. Then she
becomes angry stamps her foot, toSses. Eet
head, aud when her anger melts the heart CT
.hey belo nd; also melts; or so we may judge
by. hsr;Enale Of joy. Much in this dance wa:
touching, much exciting, aud it was all Of
absorbing interest. When the girl sat down
breathless. it cor the first time occurred to nj
&kstsh5 mad been dancing without rest fifteen
inmates. But the Last thing. I should aseribt
80 the da1ce is~-beapty. IT. interest is ratha'
for tbs antiquarian than the artist
RELIGIOUS DANCES.
The anthropologist or even the raorali$1
you'd find himself more at home with it
suggestions than the seeker Of amusement
1t strikes one from the west however, US
strange thing that such chant and dane.
SHOULD at tinass.be part Of temple service
sThers is a sublime: secularism about the ftact
(which furnishes q coed point Of visw freru
which to look at the ce!ipate Shakers dane
ing much the same kind Of dance in thei
meeting house 10 na.ss,l hanted texts,'e. s
GAnd David danced before the ark" .Whel
s}asid danced before the ark Gid he tell:t
story Of it.iatssshal.. and afterwards have i
attached to HIMSELF
But ROW there are other dances. Ono o
she most striking is q dance to the words
'"Mother, q scorpion has stung me-" Thes
words a4e endlessly repeated in the accom-
panying chant. though in varying tones an
.cedences, while tbs dancer goes through al
tho draus Of pain, anguish, illness, parting
.yaintnsss aud death. 1t vast Thrilling encug
when she sank on the floor. This dance wa
shilIfully executed by the Nautch girl .wh
had least beauty. Tine dances in which a
the girls ioined--especially one in whic
sahey fencsl with each ,other--wers Dcor
beautiful. But it wns the ancient dances
-> representative 1t love and death--dancs
which time had developets (which were tt
more Interesting. 81 II NIL e 5s FL! z s=i
$ His Sad Fate. = s51 L =
tI,Arkansaw Traveller. n Fl:
:. "Just 10 think said a poor fel.o
r.. who lay on a Man-box, dying, that
/ was kicked by the worst looking hor'
" n III the stable Those blooded horses ha
every opport unity that 3 liberal ma
could give, and yet they, held back ar
allowed, that old bone-yard TO kick II Il