Bajaari theatre is a traditional form of performance art which has origins in the elaborate ritual folktale performances of pre-colonial tribal Syan culture, a tradition dating back hundreds (and possibly thousands) of years.
Whilst modern plays/musicals are common in present-day Syana, bajaari performances are still a staple of Syan culture. Longer bajaari di-roa performances are associated with wealthier citizens since they are often performed in upper-class performance halls, when compared to the more contempary and shorter bajaari di-minil variety of the artform.
Bajaari performances always follow a formula that has 3 key elements:
Ninaasa Di-miakaa (character poem) is when a character is introduced to the story, which comes in the form of a ninaasa poem read aloud over drumming accompaniments. Heroes or characters helping the hero are given slow rhythmic drumming, whilst villains/antagonists are given frantic and rapid drumming to show the danger of their character. These poems describe the moral attributes and personality of the characters s they are when the character enters the story, with the intention of setting up moral arcs and character development by the end of the performance.
Syamyaal Di-daala-o'lalaa (narrative dance) makes up the bulk of a bajaari performance. These dances are how the plot of the story is delivered to the audience, with all physical events beig portrayed by these segments. Whilst not always the case, some performances feature a narrator of sorts who describes the events of the story as they unfold in the dance (this is more common in bajaari di-minil performances, since they are intended to be easier to digest and understand than the often abstract and multi-hour bajaari di-roa performances).
Ninaasa Di-o'daalidaa (poem of emotions) is the counterpart to the o'ninaasa di-miakaa. These poems take place after every syamyaal di-daala-o'lalaa and feature the focal character of the dance segment describing themselves after the events of the story thus far. This shows the emotional arcs of the characters as well as doing a lot of the personal story-telling, due to bajaari performances having no dialogue outside the ninaasa poems.
In performances that have long run-times or lots of characters/events, there can be multiple o'ninaasa di-o'daalidaa after each syamyaal di-daala-o'lalaa. In this case, each focal character will deliver a ninaasa poem on themselves at this point in the story before another dance segment furthers the plot.
This 3-part cycle repeats until the performance is complete, when every character delivers a final ninaasa di-o'daalidaa describing who they are as a person by the end of the story. However, these elements are not bound to follow this exact order. Characters can be introduced at any point during the performance (even during a syamyaal di-daala-o'lalaa, in which the dance would stop for a ninaasa to be read and then resume).
The different characters in a bajaari performance were traditionally portrayed through carved and painted wooden masks, along with minimal (if any) costuming. This approach is still the most common in bajaari di-roa performances, however many modern performances have the performers wear skin coloured bodysuits as opposed to performing naked.
In the contemporary bajaari di-minil branch of bajaari theatre, costume design is much more elaborate and features fully designed costumes and, instead of masks being used, the performers use their actual face so that they can convey emotion during the (often hard to undertsand) speechless syamyaal di-daala-o'lalaa segments.
Set design in all bajaari performances is highly minimal. Most performances opt for simply an empty stage for the performers to use, however some higher budget modern performances may incorporate simple scenery elements for each dance segment (especially if the performance is a retelling/adaptation of another piece of media).