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Artful Mandó Dancing By Dr Francisco Colaco Three elements of our Mandó have been studied in much detail by different scholars: the music, the lyrics and the dance. However, while a lot of the attention seems to have been devoted to the first two, to my knowledge, Mandó as a dance has not been given so much thought except in the exhaustive work, "Song of Goa" by José Pereira and Michael Martins. Even here, some nuances do not appear to have been dealt with like the basic footwork and the mannerisms of the Mandó dancers. What I am trying to do now, within constraints on space, is a small attempt to put together what I learnt from others as well as from my own personal experience with regard to Mandó dancing. I must confess, first of all, that I have had the good fortune to be able to be able to dance the Mandó through the many of years of my life at weddings, social clubs, cultural evenings and five-star hotels. I also consider myself lucky to have watched some of the best dancers of yesteryears who took to the floor to wholeheartedly indulge in this quintessential form of art. As is well known, Mandó is a hybrid of the Minuet and the Contredanse. Admittedly, it also owes much to the Waltz; nevertheless, the waltz, (though written like the Mandó in triple rhythm bears the signature ¾ with emphasis on the first beat. Differing somewhat, the Mandó, has six distinct beats and is written as a 6/4 (simple sextuple); moreover, its essential rhythmic fifth beat is absent in the waltz. It is a pity that many dancers today dance the Mandó in the guise of a waltz, impairing the natural flow of music and spoiling its beauty as an artful dance. How it all started: Around the year 1950, Fr Lúcio da Veiga Coutinho and Dr António Colaço, two stalwarts from Margao, started the famous sessões culturais (cultural evenings) in the Clube Harmonia. The emphasis would be, they averred, on Goan folklore. As an incentive to youngsters like me, we would be taught Mandó dancing by none other than the graceful and gentille, Dona Nini Barreto. To be truthful, had she been alive today she could have herself said it all; yet,nothing would be complete unless one watched her in action. She was indeed the picture of perfection. Amidst kisses and hugs she taught me (and a few others) much of what I know today. She took trouble to explain: the gentleman's attire is either casaca or fraque (tailsuit), varying according to the time of the day when the action would take place. An immaculate silk handkerchief had always to be at hand. The pose was never uniform for men in Mandó dancing, and much depended on each individual. I recollect that while the revered Maestro António Figueiredo, would assume a dignified, sculpture-like pose, António Bruto de Costa, contorted his body every now and then, ever gracefully, imparting meaning and life to almost each and every step he danced. Hands, could be hanging loosely behind the back or leisurely on the sides, or at times, folded in front around the waist. Heads ought to ceremonially tilt on either side. Manly eyes had to be always challenging, always provoking. While taking the first step to the left the torso would necessarily bend onto that side, and vice-versa. Men always were to take long steps, the sole of their well-polished shoes lightly scratching the ground. As far as the ladies were concerned, the dress was the ceremonial thorop (also known as the fot), made of velvet, and embroide-red with gold. A white shawl would be hanging loosely on the left. The lady's poise was always straight, the mien bashful, the ostrich- feather- fan handy to hide the shy face every now and then. Well-measured, short steps for ladies was the order of the dance. Passer and repasser: Mandó could entail a single couple or a group dancing. Partners faced each other at the start keeping some distance between them. As the gents advanced, ladies receded and vice versa. At times, meeting halfway across the hall, both partners would cross each other once (passer) or twice (repasser), as the group leader shouted instructions loudly (in his absence, the turns were decided only by eye contact). Mandó lyrics were, as we all know about forlorn love and local socio-political events. Immaterial of what was being sung, Mandó dancing has its fixed sequence. Starting at a slow leisurely pace, the dancers go on to a moderate tempo. The finale is ushered with the frenetic gallop pace of the dulpods (a real test of endurance as if dancers were engaged in a contest, beads of sweat pouring from their foreheads). At the end of those fifteen minutes or so, men had to gracefully bow to their ladies, thank them profusely and safely reach them to their seats. The Mandó cadenza throughout is 1-2-3/4-5-6/slow-quick-quick/slow-quick-quick. As in the diagram, the left foot moves first angularly forward at the first beat – slow (to the left side of an imaginary centerline at the count of 1), the right foot then joins the left at the count of 2, and rests closely without moving at the count of 3. Swinging of legs is from the hips mostly in the form of an arc. The right and left feet then reverse the sequence on the other side of the centerline, and this goes on and on. Partners keep advancing and receding in opposite directions except when it is time for passer and repasser. -- May your God be with you. Gabe Menezes. London, England