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Ghungroos are small brass bells that form an integral part of
Indian dance tradition. This musical accessory is used by dancers
of all classical dance forms like: bharatnatyam, kuchipudi,
odissi, and kathak. Ghungroos are worn immediately above the
ankle
resting on the lateral malleolus and medial malleolus. They can
be worn around either or both the ankles. Number
of bells attatched to a srting of ghungroo varies from twenty to
two hundred. The young girls/dancers start with twenty or fifty
bells string while mature dancers typically wear between 101 and
151 bells string. The bells are made of brass and have small iron
balls inside which add quite a lot of weight to them. These bells
are tied to cotton cord, velvet pad or leather strap. For tying
the ghungroo a buckle or cotton cord is attached to the string.
Ghungroos are made in varied sizes and compositions thus the
sounds produced by them differ greatly in pitch. When tied to the
feet Ghungroos emphasize the rhythmic aspects of the dance and
allow complex footwork to be heard by the audience. |
