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Anjika Manipuri Dance Troupe In the isolated northeast corner of present-day India, near the Burmese border there is an oval shaped valley, known as Manipur - in Sanskrit - "the land of jewels." Manipur is surrounded by nine converging mountain ranges. Its highest peak, the sacred mountain of Koubru, is the lowest point of the Himalayan range. In 1881, Manipur was the last of the regions of India to fall to the British Empire, and the British kept it a restricted area. It was virtually inaccessible until World War II, when the Japanese pushed across the border into India as far as Imphal, Manipur's largest capital town. But even now, travel is difficult. There are two ways to reach Manipur: a one hour plane ride from Calcutta or a series of circuitous train journeys which take three days. Manipur, a region of spectacular beauty, with an abundance of food, forest timber, wildlife and raw materials for weaving cotton and silk, possessed enough of the necessities that having a graceful and beautiful cultural life became normal for many people. The Anjika Manipuri Dance Troupe is devoted to the performance of Manipuri dance and martial arts and dance education. Priti Patel, its director and choreographer, started training at age 12 with the late Guru Bipin Singh, whose traditional teaching included life values along with dance technique. Patel has included this philosophy as part of her teaching. The Manipuri Dance Troupe unlocks a culture that is thousands of years old, sharing many stories derived from the ancient Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabarata, that celebrate Creation and Nature. Dances range from the sublime - with ornate and highly stylized costumes and the accompaniment of bamboo flute, vocals and percussion - to a drum dance with performers leaping and twirling while beating their drums. Manipur is also renowned for its highly stylized martial arts heritage, which was originally developed for self-defense and military exercises in times of war, but has been adapted into graceful and exciting stage spectacles. Its most characteristic forms are the ferocious sword fight, the spear fight and wrestling. For information about attending the One World Performance of the Anjika Manipuri Dance Troupe, call 552-6461 or visit www.oneworldseries.org. Tickets are also available at the Stevenson Union at SOU. LINKS: REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. DAILY TIDINGS: Main | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -