English | English For the sang mote males posit themselves in a semicircle shoulder by shoulder. A singer who in most cases also leads the dance starts to sing. The others fall in as a chorus. Following this stationary phase the dancers turn for 90°, and forming a row the leader starts to run in a spiral into the interior of the semicircle followed by those behind him while the other side closes around them, so that dancers form a compact group singing and rocking rhythmically up and down on the spot. The dance ends when the group returns to the starting position which opens the next dance. The text of the songs does not necessarily refer to the motive of the dance. Thus the filmed dance expressed gratitude for presents we had given. But the songs referred to the consequences of the recent earthquake, and expressed sorrow about its victims. In another song, a man boasted of carrying away a woman by force, while others criticzed him for that. Whereupon the boaster gave in. |