"When the Mughals took control of India, they had many of the original Hindu storytellers of the region of Rajasthan, India, brought into the courts as entertainers. In the courts, because stories from Hindu mythology were not of interest to the Mughal rulers, what was once the dance Kathak became infused with fast spinnings, swift movements, and graceful hand gestures of Persian influence - the birth of mujra. After the mainstay of Mughal emporers died away, the mujra dance was performed in separate kothas (buildings) by dancers called tawaifs for audiences made up of mostly upper class young men. These dancers were labeled "whores" after the British colonial Anti-Nautch (anti-dance) movement left many from these dancing families at the feet of prostitution, and this is the pervasive sentiment attached to the mujra even today."
"Mujra is a form of dance originated by North Indian tawaif (courtesans) during the Mughal era. Mujra incorporates elements of Kathak dance and is based on thumris, ghazals or popular poems from the likes of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Bahadur Shah Zafar etc. Mujra was traditionally performed at mehfils and in special houses called kothas. In Jaipur, the tradition of performing mujra was a family art and often passed down from mother to daughter. Although tawaif later became a synonym for prostitute and kotha a synonym for brothel, earlier tawaif were artists and entertainers.
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 mujra performances provided an opportunity for revolutionaries to meet and many tawaif were also actively involved in the movement. As a result, many kothas were confiscated by the British after the rebellion, disrupting the traditional tawaif succession.By the early 1900s, many tawaif had moved into the prostitution industry as the traditional system had broken down. Some tawaif moved to the film and music industry like Gauhar Jaan and Bollywood actress Nargis.
Mujra has experienced a modern revival in India and other countries such as Russia. Modern mujra dancers perform at events like weddings, birthday events and bachelor parties, often performing a modern form of mujra along with popular Bollywood dance styles. Mujra has been depicted in Bollywood films like Umrao Jaan, Devdas and Yatra."
"Most mujra dances are females wearing tight shalwar kameez and pajama. They move their bodies like swing rubber. A Mujra dancer normally has a flexible body, making her move at all directions..."
Forget about all the notions that this dance is for whores or that it is scandalous. Just learn the dance, build self-confidence through it, stay fit and explore your sensuality. You can just imagine how this dance can make wonders to your bonding time with your partner
[youtube src="W4GT59uwLI0"/]
Sources:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061104074339AAP7sYp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujra
http://hubpages.com/hub/paki-mujra
Pictures from:
http://mujra.pictures-images.com/mujra_the_dance.html
http://www.bollyan.com/shilpa-shettys-mujra-dance-sets-zara-nachke-dikha
http://motionflicks.com/desi/search_result.php?search_id=mujra
Video URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-C4GxUuAQY
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