This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Music of India | ||||||
Genres | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional
Modern |
||||||
Media and performance | ||||||
|
||||||
Nationalistic and patriotic songs | ||||||
|
||||||
Regional music | ||||||
|
||||||
Saang (Hindi: सांग), also known as Swang (meaning "imitiation")[1] or Svang (स्वांग), is a popular folk dance–theatre form in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.[2] Swang incorporates suitable theatrics and mimicry (or naqal) accompanied by song and dialogue. It is dialogue-oriented rather than movement-oriented. Religious stories and folk tales are enacted by a group of ten or twelve persons in an open area or an open-air theatre surrounded by the audience. Swang as an art of imitation means Rang-Bharna, Naqal-Karna.
Swang can be considered as the most ancient folk theatre form in India. Nautanki, Saang, Tamasha originated from the Swang traditions. Old Swang traditions are:
"EK MARDANA EK JANANA MANCH PAR ADE THE RAI"
means one male and one female performers start the story.
"EK SAARANGI EK DHOLAKIA SAATH MEIN ADE THE RAI"
means one sarangi player and one dholak player joins the performance. This Swang/Saang performance was active at the time of Kabir Sant and Guru Nanak.
Tradition credits Kishan Lal Bhaat for laying the foundation of the present style of Swang about two hundred years ago. During the Mughal period, and specifically at the time of the Aurangzeb, women were strictly banned from public performances. Since women did not participate in the dance-drama form, men have traditionally enacted their roles. Later on different performers changed the style according to the socio-political situations.