Dancing with the sticks

A traditional folk art of Kerala, South India; the literal translation of the term Kolkali is stick-play. It is a group performance, where the dancers move in circles, beating two handheld colorful sticks against each other to the rhythm of the music.

In Kolkali, the dancers also move in and move out of the circles, as the music rises and falls. The music finally rises to a crescendo towards the final stages of the dance.

The art has religious and regional variations, the main difference being in the folklores woven into the accompanying music. The video here shows the Kolkali of Kurumar tribal cmmunity of Wayanad.