Folk Dances of India
1.Chhau:
- The word Chhau emerges from "Chhaya" meaning shadow.
- It is a form of mask dance that uses vigorous & energetic martial movements to narrate mythological stories.
- Some chronicles also use natural themes such as Sarpa nritya (serpent dance) or Mayur nritya (peacock dance).
- Mayurbhanj Chhau artists do not wear masks.
- In 2010, UNESCO stamped Chhau in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- Saraikella Chahau- in Jharkhand
- Mayurbhanj Chhau - in Odisha
- Purulia Chhau - in West Bengal.
2.Garba:
- It is a popular folk dance of Gujarat, which is held at the time of Navaratri.
- It refers to "Garbha deep" - an earthen pot with holes, in which a lamp is lit and women dance around it in circular movements with rhythmic clapping.
3. Dandiya Raas:
- It is an energetic, lively dance form in which polished sticks or dandiya are used.
- It represents a mock fight (sham fight) between Durga & Mahishasura.
4. Tarangamel:
- It is the folk dance of Goa that celebrates the youthfulness (zestfulness) of the region.
- It is performed during Dussehra & Holi.
- The use of rainbow-like costumes with multi-colored flags and streamers make is a visual spectacle.
5. Ghoomar or Gangore:
- It is a traditional folk dance performed by the women of the Bhil tribe in Rajasthan.
- It is characterized by pirouetting (whirling) movements of the women, which brings into prominence the multi-colored vibrancies of the flowering Ghaghra.
6. Kalbelia:
- It is a sensuous folk dance performed by the women of the Kalbelia community of Rajasthan.
- "Been" = wind instruments played by snake charmers, is the popular musical instrument of this dance form.
- In 2010, UNESCO has inscribed these songs & dances in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
7. Chabra:
- It is a popular dance of Himachal Pradesh, performed during the Dussehra festival.
8. Bhangra/Giddha:
- It is a highly energetic folk dance of Punjab.
- It is accompanied by infectious and catchy drum beats, which is a popular form of celebration during the festive season.
- Giddha is the female counterpart of the male Bhangra.
9.Dadra:
- It is the semi-classical form of the dance form popular in Uttar Pradesh, which is accompanied by the music of the same style.
- It is extremely popular among the courtesans of the Lucknow region.
10. Jwara:
- It is the harvest dance popular in the Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh region.
- It includes balancing a basket full of jawar on the head and is accompanied by heavy instrumental music.
- It is performed by the women of the Malwa region on the occasions of the wedding and another festival.
- It is mainly performed Solo while balancing several earthen pots on the head.
- Aada & Khada Nach are popular variants of the Matki dance.
- It is an important ritualistic dance form of the Muria tribes who live in Bastar, Chattisgarh region.
- The dance imitates the movements of a bison and is performed in the group by both men and women.
- It is a rural dance-drama performance prevalent in the Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand and Murshidabad & Malda regions of West Bengal.
- It is performed by the troops of 10-12 dancers, accompanied by one or two lead singers known as gayens.
- The troops perform popular folklore and mythological stories, win which the dance is interspersed with comical sketches known as kap.
- The dance is associated with the Gajan festival of Shiva.
- It along with its variant, Bidesia, is a popular form of entertainment in rural Bihar.
- It is a portrayal of the pin of the women, whose partners are away from the home.
- However, this dance form is practiced solely by males, who play the role of the female characters as well.
- It is a martial folk dance performed in the southern parts of Odisha.
- The dancers are armed with wooden spears & shields and show their skills and agility in infantry like formations.
- It has a martial art character.
- The wood Paika signifies - battle.
- Bagurumba is a folk dance performed by the Bodo tribe of Assam and is related to nature & the environment.
- Musical instruments that accompany Bagurumba performance are Sifung, Kham, Serja, etc.
- It is popular in the parts of Bihar, especially in the regions of Mithila.
- This dance form is unique in its representation of the tender love and quarrel of a married couple.
- It is a popular harvest dance, performed by the tribal people of Jharkhand and Odisha.
- It has two variations: Janani Jhumair- performed by women and, Mardana Jhumair- performed by men.
- It is the major attraction at many fairs & festivals.
- The Danda Nata or Danda Jatra is one of the oldest folk art of India, mainly popular in Odisha.
- It is a unique blend of dance, drama & music.
- It mainly narrates stories and lore about Shiva.
- The theme is generally social harmony & brotherhood.
- It is a popular dance of Assam, performed in a group by both men and women.
- The dancers are dressed in colorful traditional dressed to celebrate the pomp and gaiety.
- The dance performance includes group formations, rapid hand movements, and brisk footsteps.
- It is an exclusive dance form of Manipur.
- Thang = sword, and Ta = spear.
- The dance performance is a unique display of skill, creativity, and agility in which the performers enact a mock fight sequence- leaping to attack and defend.
- It is the war dance of the Nagas.
- They dressed in colorful costumes, jewelry, and colorful headgears.
- The dancers enact mock war formations and traditions.
- The Singhi Chham is a popular mask dance of Sikkim.
- The dancers are dressed in furry lion costumes symbolizing the snow lion and pay tribute to Khang-Chen Dzong Pa (Kanchenjunga Peak).
- Kummi is a popular folk dance in the region of Tamilnadu & Kerala.
- The dance is performed by the women, standing in a circular formation.
- A unique feature of the dance performance in the absence of any accompanying music. The beats are generated by the rhythmic clapping.
- The dance is generally performed during Pongal and, other religious festivals.
- Kolattam & Pinnal Kolattam are close variants of this dance form.
- Mayilattam is the folk dance of Kerala and Tamilnadu in which young girls are dressed as peacocks, with colorful headgears, beaks, and feathers.
- Similar dances include Kaalai (bull dance), Karadi Attam (bear dance), Aali Attam (demon dance) & Pampu Attam (snake dance).
- It is a popular dance form of the West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh.
- The dancers wear masks of the different characters, resembling toy-like shapes, and entertain through delicate movements & non-verbal music.
- It is a popular temple dance of Kerala.
- It is performed by both men & women at the time of Onam to celebrate the rich harvest.
- Airukali & Tattamakali are similar forms of this dance.
- It is a martial dance performed in the Bhagvati temples of Southern Kerala.
- It means rows of infantry, and it is a very rich and colorful affair
- The dancers were huge masks known as kolams and present interpretations of divine and semi-divine narratives.
- Some of the popular characters are Bhairavi, Kalan (God of Death), Yakshi, and Pakshi, etc.
- It is performed to worship Goddess Kali.
- It is a popular martial art dance in the areas of Southern Kerala & Lakshadweep.
- Kol = stick, Paricha = shield.
- The dancers use mock weapons made of wood and enact fight sequences.
- The performance starts at a slow pace, but slowly builds up the tempo, and reaches a climax in a frenzy.
- It is a popular dance form in Mysore, Mandya districts, Bengaluru.
- It is a religious dance performed by men who use long bamboo poles decorated with colorful ribbons, known as pata.
- The colorful exuberance makes it a visual spectacle and is extremely popular among the masses of all religions.
- It is an art form of Kerala.
- It is a solo performance, where the performer dresses as a snake.
- It is a combination of prose & poetry and is the narration in Malayalam.
- It has been traditionally performed by the Chakyar community = priest caste.
- The performer wears colorful headgear, a large mustache, and red spots all over his body.
- It is performed by tribal Sikhs in Punjab and adjoining areas during the harvest season.
- It is performed in a circle.
- Movements of arms are the most important part, on the tune of the drums.
- Costumes are the same as in Bhangra. It was carried to India by the traders from Balochistan.
- It is performed during the tribal festival of "Karma" utilizing tribes of Eastern India, especially in the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
- Dancers form circle and dance with arms around each other's waist.
- It is performed in Chhattisgarh by the Yadav community, especially during the festival of Diwali.
- It is performed in Jammu & Kashmir by the Wattal tribe.
- It involves colorful costumes with a tall conical hat for men.
- Performers dance and sing to the drum beats.
- It is performed in the Konkan region of Maharashtra & Goa during festivals by women.
- The dance is varied formations, in circles or rows
- It has many sub-types as per local customs.
- It is the fork dance of Mizoram and is performed using bamboo sticks.
- It is likely to have a foreign origin.
- Men tap long pairs of bamboo in rhythmic beats, and girls dance to the beats of bamboo.
- It is mostly performed during the Dussehra in Odisha.
- It is performed by the tribes and many musical instruments are used.
- Events from Ramayana & Mahabharata, stories of Lord Krishna, etc. are represented.
- It is performed in Karnataka.
- It involves male dancers painted like the tiger who dance and portray an angry tiger to honor Goddess Durga whose favorite animal is the tiger.
- It is performed during the Navaratri festival.
- It is originated in the region of Gujarat.
- It is performed by women who beat the floors with tippani (two long wooden sticks joined by square wooden or iron black) on the beats of a folk song.
- It is a famous folk dance of Puducherry and is performed to celebrate the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana.
- The dancers distinguished as "Vanars" = Monkey, celebrate this victory.
- Dancers wear 10 "Anjalis" = iron rings on each of their legs.
- It is performed by the "Kamar" tribe of Rajasthan.
- Women sit on the ground while performing Tera Tali and cymbals (Manjiras) are tied to different parts of the body of a performer, which is quite unique.
- It is a famous folk dance of Tripura.
- It involves the movement of only the lower half of the body by a group of four to six women or young girls.
- It is performed during Lakshmi puja.
- The female dancers balance earthen pitchers as well as other props while dancing.