Paampu attam (snake dance) (
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
:பாம்பு ஆட்டம்) is a folk dance from
Tamil country,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Snakes considered as the protecting divinity which safeguards the health and prosperity. Snakes are also related to the Hindu deity
Murugan
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...
. Usually girls perform this dance with a
snake skin-like costume.
The performer simulates snake movements, writhing, creeping and making quick biting movements with the head and hands. The hands are also held together to look like the hood of a
cobra.
In the classical dance form
Bharata Natyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
the snake dance is performed in a manner similar to the old folk dance.
References
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External links
Paampu attam or Snake danceSnake dance movements in Bharathanatyam
Tamil dance styles