Talk:Outdoor Sports:Lezim
By Vishal Agarwal and The Hindu Society of Minnesota
Lezim (लेिझम) or lazium is a folk dance form, from the state of Maharashtra in India. Sometimes also spelt as "Lezium", Lezim dancers carry a small musical instrument with jingling cymbals called the Lezim or lezium, after which the dance form is named. There are minimum 20 dancers in lezim. This dance is named after a wooden idiophone to which thin metal discs are fitted which produce a jingling sound and the dancers use this while classical dancing.
Dholki, a drum instrument is used as the main percussion music. It is performed dressed in colourful costumes. The dance is frequently used as a fitness drill by schools in Maharashtra, militias and other institutions because it involves many calisthenic moves and can be quite strenuous. Lezim is more of a vigorous physical exercise and drill than a dance; the formations can be in two's, fours and even in a circle.
Historically, variations of the lezim is practiced in the villages of Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat. One variation used a 2.5-foot-long bamboo pole (Reedh) with an iron chain (Dhanusyasarakhi). This was used more as a form of exercise than dance, as the lezim was heavy. Such lezins were invariably handmade.
