Heritage of Zandalar
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Male troll dancing

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Male troll dancing Empty Male troll dancing

Post  Zanick Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:36 pm

Here is everything I learned from the elders about the traditional dance of the troll men . . .

Kupara

The traditional dance performed by male trolls is a form of dance called 'kupara'. This is an old Zandali word that means 'provoking a foe'.

In ancient times kupara was a ritual dance performed by warriors before a battle. The ritual proclaimed their strength and skill in combat, and called on the spirits, especially Ogoun, the Loa of War, to aid them. Kupara would usually be performed in view of the opposing forces and accompanied by loud drumming. The purpose of kupara was also to intimidate and discourage the enemy.

Kupara is no longer exclusively a war dance. It is performed for various reasons: for amusement or exercise, as a welcome to distinguished guests, or to celebrate great achievements or occasions. Whenever possible, kupara should be accompanied by drumming. The rhythm of the drums sets the pace of the dance.

The dance is composed of fluid acrobatic movements, including feints, groundwork, sweeps and kicks. These moves are all designed to show the troll's strength, agility, balance and skill in combat. To become an expert in dancing the kupara takes many years and requires frequent practice.

Rocking back and forth from one leg to the other is the fundamental movement in the kupara. This is done to prepare the body for other movements. During this rocking, the dancer performs defensive moves: he uses his arms to block attacks on the body, he leans back to avoid hits and leans forward to create opportunities to strike. During the rocking movement the dancer may use feints so that the observer cannot tell which move will be performed next. These tricking movements are an important part of the dance.

Kupara involves acrobatic movements based on either attack or evasion. The traditional attacking moves are a turning high-level kick, a turning low-level kick ( leg sweep) and a high-level heel kick (reverse roundhouse kick).

Evasive movements are used to quickly avoid an attack and manoeuvre around the opponent to get in a position to counter-attack. The most traditional evasive moves used in kupara are a sideways flip and a one-hand stand.

It is the combination of attacks and evasive movements that gives kupara its fluidity.
Zanick
Zanick
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Join date : 2007-10-08
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