Chart 172 - Folk Dances of India 1

Folk Dances of India Chart

Spectrum Chart - 172 : Folk Dances of India

1. Rouf Dance (Jammu & Kashmir) - In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Rouf is considered as one of the most prominent dance form. This dance form is practised on festive occasions like Eid. It is performed by group of women standing face to face to each other but the most notable feature of this dance form is the footwork of the dancers.
2. Neyopa Dance (Ladakh) – Neyopa Dance of Ladakh is performed at the time of wedding dancers wearing heavy costumes with exquisite beads jewellery. They stand in semi circle and take small steps singing folk songs of wedding to the music of surnai.
3. Dhamiyal Dance (Haryana) - The folk dance of Haryana is known as the 'Dhamyal' or the 'Duph'. The dance can be performed by men alone as well as with women. The Duph, after which the dance form is anmed, is a circular drum, played nimbly by the male dancers, as they dance.
4. Pangi Dance (Himachal Pradesh) - Pangi dance is a fascinating folk dance practiced in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The dance is not performed in any particular festival but is generally performed by the villagers for sheer pleasure and entertainment. This folk art form is usually performed by women.
5. Chhapeli Dance (Uttarakhand) – Chhapeli dance is performed by a male and female accompanied with dance and song. It involves a lot of instruments as well. In the dance, the female dancer holds a colourful handkerchief in the right hand and a mirror in her left hand. The male has slung on his left shoulder a Hudukka and playing on it, provides the rhythmic pattern for the drum.
6. Bhangra Dance (Punjab) – Bhangra is one of the most popular dances of Punjab, performed during the festival of Baisakhi. Among the most virile and captivating dances of India, it is undertaken by men and includes tricks and acrobatic feats. The drummer, usually in the centre of the circle, is surrounded by men dressed in lungis and turbans.
7. Nautanki Dance (Uttar Pradesh) – Nautanki is one of the most popular folk operatic theatre performance forms in northern India. Nautanki performances are operas based on a popular folk theme derived from romantic tales, mythologies or biographies of local heroes. The performance is often punctuated with individual songs, dances and skits.
8. Ghoomar Dance (Rajasthan) – Ghoomar is a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan. Ghoomar was developed by the Bhil tribe and was then adopted by other Rajasthani communities. It is performed by women in swirling robes and accompanied by men and women singing together. Goddess Saraswati is worshiped during this dance & it is usually done in a circle.
9. Bhojali Stilt Dance (Madhya Pradesh) – Bhojali stilt dance is an important tribal dance of the Gonds in Madhya Pradesh. It is performed during the festival held to express gratitude to Bhojali Mata, who is identified with goddess Annapoorna. This unique dance is performed by the youths who sing and take small steps on the stilts.
10. Karma Dance (Madhya Pradesh) - Karma dance is practiced by many aboriginal tribes like Gond tribe and Oraon tribe of Madhya Pradesh. This folk dance is performed during the worship of the god of fate which is known as Karam Devta. People consider the god of fate as the cause of good and bad fortune.
11. Dhunuchi Dance (West Bengal) - Dhunuchi Dance is associated with Durga Worship in West Bengal. To appease Goddess Durga, devotees perform Dhunuchi along with the rhythmic beats of Dhak during Durga Puja. The devotee who performs it known as Dhanucchi who balances the earthen bowl containing burning incense either with his hands or on his forehead or in his mouth.
12. Cheraw Dance (Mizoram) - Cheraw dance is a popular dance performed in the Mizoram. Cheraw dance is characterised by the use of bamboo staves, which are kept in cross and horizontal forms on the ground. While the male dancers move these bamboo staves in rhythmic beats, the female dancers perform by stepping in and out of the bamboo blocks.
13. Lai Maiba Dance (Manipur) - Lai Maiba dance is a well-known folk dance of Manipur. The priest, maibas and his wife, the maibi, play an important part in this dance. This dance recreates the creation of the universe and enacts the story of the love of local deities Khamba and Thoibi.
14. Bihu Dance (Assam) – Bihu dance is a folk dance from the state of Assam related to the Bihu festival. This dance is performed by both young men and women and is characterised by brisk dance steps and rapid hand movement. Dancers wear traditionally colourful Assamese clothing.
15. Singhi Chham Dance (Sikkim) - Singhi Chham Dance is a dance form in Sikkim whereby the dancers perform in a lion costume that represents the snow lion. It is a dance of the Bhutia people. It is usually performed during the Panglapsool festival.
16. Bamboo Dance (Nagaland) – In bamboo dance, dancer moves by stepping alternatively in and out from between and across a pair of horizontal bamboos. They tap the bamboos, open and close in rhythmic beats. The bamboos, when clapped, produce a sharp sound which forms the rhythm of the dance. The dancer steps in and out to the beats of the bamboos with and grace. The patterns and steppings of the dance have many variations.
17. Dandiya Raas (Gujarat) - Dandiya Raas is the most popular dance of Gujarat. The festival is celebrated to pay homage to the nine incarnations of Mata Ambe. Dandia is usually done in a group, by both men and women. The special feature of the dance is the colourful attire worn by the dancers and the colourful sticks carried by them.
18. Garba Dance (Gujarat) - Garba is a Gujarati folk dance celebrated in Navratri, a celebration lasting nine nights. Navratri Garba is the most colourful form of the dance. The performers, both men and women, would clad themselves in colourful and magnetically attractive traditional attire.
19. Lezim Dance (Maharashtra) – Lezim is a folk dance form, from Maharashtra. Lezim is a folk dance form where the dancers carry a small musical instrument with jingling cymbals called the Lezim. In Lezim dance, there are various types of movements like stepping, hopping, squatting and bending.
20. Lavni (Maharashtra) - Lavni is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra. Lavni is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the beats of Dholki, a percussion instrument. Lavni is noted for its powerful rhythm. It is performed by the female performers wearing nine-yard long saris. The songs are sung in a quick tempo.
21. Dance of Fisherman (Goa) - Koli Dance is a popular dance form of the fishermen community know as Dance of Fisherman, residing in the coastal areas of Goa & Maharashtra. It is the dance form which represents the culture and living occupation of the fisher folks.
22. Yakshagana Dance (Karnataka) - Yakshagana is a folk theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up and stage techniques with a unique style and form. This folk style is mainly found in Karnataka. Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. The unique feature of Yakshagana is that the female roles are portrayed by male actors.
23. Ottamtullal Dance (Kerala) - Ottamtullal is a dance and poetic performance form of Kerala. In Ottamthullal, a solo performer, with green makeup and a colourful costume, acts and dances while reciting dance. It is performed in Malayalam language.
24. Poikalkuthirai Dance (Tamil Nadu) - Poikalkuthirai Dance is one of the folk dances of Tamil Nadu. It is a type of dance performed with a dummy horse having a gap inside so that a person can fit into it to perform the dance. This artistic performance is connected to the worship of Ayyanar and prevails mainly around Thanjavur.

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