Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: LIGHTING STICK AND METHOD OF PROVIDING A SPECIAL
EFFECT TO A TRADITIONAL DANCE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of
technological improvements to traditional arts. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a novel method of lighting a surrounding during a
traditional dance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many different traditional dances originate from all around the
world. Originating in North India, Raas and Garba are the featured dances of
the Navratri evenings. Navratri is a Hindu festival celebrated all over India.
It
lasts for nine consecutive nights and is meant to praise Lord Rama (Hero of
the Epic Ramayana) and Goddess Durga. The Navratree, which means nine
nights, festival typically extends from the end of September to the beginning
of October.
This dance form, originating as devotional Garba dances, was
performed in Durga's honor. The dance actually represents the staging of a
mock-fight between the Goddess and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king.
This dance form is nicknamed "The Sword Dance" where sticks are used to
represent the sword of Durga. For the dance, women wear traditional dresses
such as colorful embroidered choli, ghagra and bandhani dupattas (traditional
attire) decorated with mirrors jewellery. Men typically wear special turbans
and kedias. The dancers whirl and move their feet and arms in a
choreographed manner to the tune of the music. The musical instruments
used typically include the dhol and percussion instruments such as the dholak
and tabla. The complicated dance choreography gets very energetic. The
Although somewhat similar, the Garba and Raas dances have different
meanings: the Garba dance is performed before Aarti (worshipping ritual) as
devotional performances in the honor of the Goddess while the Raas dance is
performed after it, as a part of merriment. Garba is performed exclusively by
women while women and men join in for Raas. Raas is also known as "The
Dance of Swords". The dancers use a pair of colorfully decorated sticks, the
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Dandiya stick, as symbols of the swords and perform circular movements
which get even more complex than that of Garba. These dance performances
seem to originate during the living years of Lord Krishna. Today, Raas is not
only an important part of Navratri in Gujarat, a region of India, but is also
part
of other festivals celebrating harvest and crops (source: Wikipedia).
Traditionally, the colorfully decorated sticks are made of painted
wood and are struck against each other during the dance. However, the sticks
often get their paint chipped due to the repeated strikes. Their nice
appearance is therefore damaged for the remaining of the festival and they
need repainting to regain their original appearance.
There is therefore a clear need for improved Dandiya sticks that
address the problems of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a stick used in a
traditional dance that solves the problems of prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a Dandiya stick
that does not get damaged when struck against another Dandiya stick and
retains its nice appearance during a whole festival.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a Dandiya stick
that has increased visibility.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of
providing a special effect using lighting Dandiya sticks during a traditional
dance.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a light stick for use in a traditional dance. The light
stick
comprises an elongated impact resistant body having a striking surface and at
least one light source imbedded in the body, placed set back from the striking
surface. The body is at least partly permeable to the light coming from the
light source. Permeable to the light just means that the body is adapted to
let
the light fro the light source go through to the exterior such by being
translucent or by being equipped with openings. The light source may either
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be chemiluminescent or electrical. In the later case, an electronic circuit
for
controlling the at least one light source and a power source for powering the
electronic circuit and the at least one light source. The at least one light
source is placed set back from the striking surface such as to not be damaged
by the striking of two sticks together. The electronic circuit and the power
source are contained within the body.
Preferably, the at least one light source is completely imbedded
in the body. More preferably, the body comprises a solid striking portion.
Most
preferably, the body has a circular cross-section.
The light stick may optionally be equipped with a semi-
transparent shade containing the at least one light source. The semi-
transparent shade is used to diffuse the light from the light source.
Preferably,
the body of the light stick is at least partly made of polycarbonate, glass
fiber,
metal, wood or any combination thereof.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a method of providing a special effect to a
traditional dance. The method comprises providing an impact-resistant lighting
stick and illuminating the surface of the impact-resistant stick with imbedded
lights. Preferably, the method further comprising the step of making the
lighting stick flash. More preferably, the lights of the lighting stick flash
in a
pattern. Most preferably, the lights of the lighting stick are made to flash
sequentially from a proximate end to a distal end of the stick.
The method also comprises the step of striking the stick against
another similar stick. Preferably, the lighting sticks are made to flash on
impact.
Advantageously, the Dandiya stick of the present invention does
not get damaged when struck against another Dandiya stick and retains its
nice appearance throughout a festival. Furthermore, the Dandiya stick of the
present invention has an increased visibility, which further highlights its
importance and also provides a nice ambiance during the dance.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
These and other features of the present invention will become
more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to
the appended drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a top view of the Dandiya stick according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cut-away view along line A-A of the Dandiya stick
of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a top view of the Dandiya stick according to another
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a cut-away view along line B-B of the Dandiya stick
of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a cross-section along line C-C of the Dandiya stick of
Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a schematic of the operation mode of the electronic
circuit of the Dandiya stick of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a top view of the Dandiya stick according to another
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a cut-away view along line D-D of the Dandiya stick
of Figure 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 and Figure 2 depict the new Dandiya stick as used for
either the traditional Dandiya Raas dance or Garba dance. The stick 1
comprises a body 5, which in the present embodiment is an outer shell 10.
The outer shell 10 is made of two halves 11 held together by screws,
adhesives or other know suitable attachment means. A translucent and
impact resistant material is used for the shell 10. Preferably, polycarbonate
is
used. An on/off switch 12 is located within the shell 10, having its actuator
protruding from a recess 14 in the shell 10. A grabbing portion 16 of the
outer
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shell 10 holds an electronic circuit 18 that controls the lights 20, which are
preferably leds (light emitting diodes). The lights 20 are placed within the
two
halves 11 of the outer shell 10, imbedded in the middle of the body 5. The
lights 20 are placed in a semi-transparent shade 22, used to diffuse the light
5 emitted by the lights 20. The shade 22 is held in place by circumferential
rings
24. The lights 20 may be of any color. Batteries 23, also located within the
grabbing portion 16, are used to power the electronic circuit 18 and the
lights
20. The grabbing portion 16 is equipped with an access cover 25 to provide
access to the batteries 23.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 depict different views of a second
embodiment of the new Dandiya stick. The stick 1 comprises a body 5. The
grabbing portion 16 of this embodiment is similar to that of the previous
embodiment. However, the striking portion 26 is solid instead of being hollow
as in the previous embodiment. This allows the lights 20 to be directly
imbedded in and held in place by the material of the body 5. The lights 20 are
located in led recesses 28 if the body material is opaque and does not
transmit light. However, if the material of the body 5 is a translucent
material,
then the lights 20 may be completely embedded in the material. The batteries
23, the electronic circuit 18, the on/off switch 12 and the lights 20 are
interconnected and function exactly the same way as previously described.
The grabbing portion 16 is also equipped with an access cover 25 to provide
access to the batteries 23.
Conveniently, in both embodiments, the lights 20 are placed
recessed from the striking surface 30 of the striking portion 26. This
prevents
the lights 20 from being damaged by striking the Dandiya sticks 1 together.
In use, the user turns on the Dandiya stick 1 by depressing the
on/off switch 12. The electronic circuit 18 lights up the lights 20 according
to a
first lighting pattern. A second depression of the on/off switch 12 makes the
electronic circuit 18 turns on the lights 20 according to a second light
pattern.
Many such patterns may be programmed in the electronic circuit 18 such that
each further depression of the on-off switch 12 commands a different lighting
pattern from the electronic circuit 18. A further depression of the on/off
switch
12 turns the Dandiya stick off. Figure 6 schematically shows the cycle used by
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the electronic circuit 18. Each further pattern is selected by pressing the
on/off
switch 12. The number of patterns may vary according to the preferences of
the manufacturer but is preferably kept under ten since the user has to cycle
them all to turn off the Dandiya stick. Optionally, the Dandiya stick 1 may be
used with two switches, one on/off switch and one for selecting the lighting
patterns.
Referring to Figure 6, the activation of the on/off switch 12 turns
on the Dandiya stick 1 and turns all leds on, as per pattern A 100. A second
activation of the on/off switch 12 selects pattern B 110 where all leds flash
rapidly (0.2 seconds). A third activation of the on/off switch 12 selects
pattern
C 120, flashing all leds slowly (0.5 seconds). A fourth activation of the
on/off
switch 12 selects pattern D 130, flashing the leds sequentially from the led
closer to the grabbing portion 16 to the led closer to the tip 32 of the
Dandiya
stick 1. A fifth activation of the on/off switch 12 selects pattern E 140,
flashing
the leds sequentially from the led closer to the tip 32 of the Dandiya stick 1
to
the led closer to the grabbing portion 16. A sixth activation of the on/off
switch
12 selects pattern F 150, flashing the leds sequentially from the led closer
to
the grabbing portion 16 to the led closer to the tip 32 of the Dandiya stick
and
back to the led closer to the grabbing portion 16. A seventh activation of the
on/off switch 12 turns off the lights 160 of the Dandiya stick 1.
The Dandiya stick of the present invention is impact resistant
due to its use of polycarbonate. In use, the user strikes one Dandiya stick
against another on their striking portion 26. Advantageously, concealing the
electronic components within the grabbing portion16 keeps them away from
the impacts. It has also be found that equipping the electronic circuit 18
with a
capacitor, such as a capacitor of 47 F helps in maintaining the lights 20
constantly lit through impacts. The capacitor acts as a buffer of energy to
power the lights 20 during the impacts. The electronic circuit 18 is a long
strip
having holes receiving the lights 20 such that they can illuminate both sides
of
the electronic circuit 18.
Referring now simultaneously to Figures 7 and 8, there is
depicted yet another embodiment of the present invention. Shown here is the
Dandiya stick 1 with its outer shell 10, the grabbing portion 16 and the
striking
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portion 26. The outer shell 10 is provided with a cavity 34 for inserting a
chemiluminescent tube 36. The chemiluminescent tube 36 is a disposable
tube containing a chemical liquid having luminescent properties such that
upon activation, the chemiluminescent tube 36 lights up for a period of time,
normally for a few hours. When the chemiluminescent tube stops fades away
and stops lighting, it may be readily replaced by a brand new
chemiluminescent tube 36. The light produced by the chemiluminescent tube
36 escapes from inside the Dandiya stick 1 through a multitude of orifices 38.
The orifices may take many shapes such as slots or holes. This is a low cost
alternative as no electronic parts are necessary.
It will of course be appreciated that many modifications and
alternative embodiments are possible within the broad scope of the present
invention. For example, the body could be made of either a single part or a
plurality of parts. For example, it will be readily apparent to a person
skilled in
the art that a multitude of different patterns may be generated. An impact-
sensitive device may also be used to detect impacts of the two sticks together
such that the electronic circuit generate a pattern accordingly, simulating an
impact, or just flashing the lights 20 in any desired pattern. Furthermore,
the
light source the number and the color of lights 20 may be varied. For example,
a single light source could be used close to the grabbing portion 16 and optic
fibers could be used to bring the light in the striking portion 26. A pattern
could
be created with a single light source. For example, the single light source
may
be flashed according to a specific rhythm or sequence, such as Morse.
Moreover, different materials, or a combination of different materials may be
used for the stick. For example, wood, metal or composite materials may be
used. An outer shell of metal may also be combined with an outer shell of
polycarbonate, for example, providing different sound characteristics
depending on which half is stricken.
The present invention has been described with regard to
preferred embodiments. The description as much as the drawings were
intended to help the understanding of the invention, rather than to limit its
scope. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various
modifications
may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the
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invention as described herein, and such modifications are intended to be
covered by the present description.
