The Bull and the Dancers

Enter the Bull, swift, strong and cunning.
The King shakes his head, his deadly crown swinging,
His sleek black flanks shine in the hot midday sun.
A pause, a bellow, a challenge delivered. A glad shout responds, hailing the King.
Wheeling, he finds his foes: bright colors flash as the dancers all bow.

Dirtbound thunder, the bull engages. To tear, to trample, to bloody his crown.
Colors part like a curtain, running every direction: Spinning, sliding, dodging, rolling.
Turning to throw vaulters, hands planted, then spinning
Bright colored handprints bedeck the Bull's flanks.
Now he stops and snorts, considering strategy. Pacing to see what the dancers will do.

The dancers spread out, trailing bright ribbons.
Breaking the silence with coaxing and praise.
Charging one, then the other, the Bull dances among them.
They, sliding under, vaulting over, weaving ribbons between them.
King's crown now a rainbow that streams with each charge.

Haughty, He circles , starts and then stops, conserving his strength.
Dancers now gather to pay their last homage: garlands of flowers hang from their necks.
Now he charges at the center, but on either side leaps a dancer to catch hold of his crown.
Their feet braced on his shoulders, the kings' head is lowered.
He suffers the garlands and dancers' reverent touch.

As one they spring, leaping and dancing.
The Bull shakes his head, and looks for revenge.
One last dance to give him a chance to wreck vengence
They dodge and leap and beccon and spin
Then the dance done, they forfit the grounds finding refuge behind walls of stone.

Stands the Bull, heaving and pacing. His head high and proud.
Youths have been tested, bodies and souls.
Sweaty flanks painted in handprints of chalk.
Garlands and ribbons drape from his crown.
But still he is noble, the strength of our land.

How to witness a Bull Dance

Sometimes the Dance is a stand-alone event, held as a act of devotion to the gods. Most often, however, it is part of a panikos, and is a team competition event. The Vantage Panikos

Conflict Type

Duel

Battlefield Type

Stadium

Belligerents

The Bull

The Dancers

Strength

A Makasing Auorch Bull stands around 180 cm at the shoulder, and weighs in at over 750 kg. He has no natural preditors, and no reason to fear people.

Five adult humans

Casualties

In almost every case, the bull leaves the arena without suffering any damage. There are records of one or two freak accidents, but these are rare and the documentation is questionable.
In ancient times, the bull would be sacrificed to the gods after the dance. However, today a bull that performas magnificently in the areana may expect a long life of ease and many wives.

It is not uncommon for a dancer to be injured by a bull's horns and/or hooves. For this reason Dancers are highly respected athletes.
During the reign of Fornradur, fallen dancers were claimed as tribute, and presumably consumed by the dragon.
In modern times, when an injury occurs, the dancers have the right to forfiet and leave the arena without shame.

Objectives

Quite simply, the bull wishes to gore and trample the annoying humans who are disturbing its peace.

The dancers strive to complete all three acts of the dance and then exit, without taking any touches. A secondary objective is to decorate the bull with colored chalk, ribbons, and flower garlands.