Folk

Dances of

India

Folk dances of Punjab

Punjabi dances are an array of folk and religious dances of the Punjabi

people indigenous to the Punjab region, straddling the border

of India and Pakistan. The style of Punjabi dances ranges from very

high energy to slow and reserved, and there are specific styles for men

and women. Some of the dances are secular while others are presented

in religious contexts.

The dances are typically performed at times of celebration, such as

harvest (Visakhi), weddings, melas (festivals) like Lohri, Jashan-e-

Baharan (Spring Festival) etc., at which everyone is encouraged to

dance. Married Punjabi couples usually dance together. The husband

dances in the style of male Punjabi dances, frequently with arms raised,

and the wife dances in the style of female Punjabi dances.

The main Punjabi folk dance for females is giddha or giddhah and for

men or for both men and women is bhangda or bhangra.

BhangraThe dance known as Bhangra is one of

Punjab's most popular dances and the name of

the music style. Bhangra is done with classic

style Punjabi dresses, and with instruments

including a Dhool, Chimta, Algoza etc. It was

originally danced during the harvest season,

but now is a popular form of celebration at any

time such as weddings and festivals. Bhangra

is a very popular style of music and dance in

Punjab, but is also very popular in the

diaspora, specifically in Canada and the U.K.

where many Bhangra competitions are now

held. Creating Bhangra teams has become very

popular and influential with teenagers.It is a

mixture of many steps like dhamaal, jutti,

Fulka, Sialkoti, Dankare, Jugni, Mirzi,

Fumnian. Other folk dance of Punjab like

Jhummar, Sammi, are included in Bhangra.

Giddha

• The counterpart to male bhangra, giddha is a female folk dance from Punjab. It is an energetic dance derived from ancient ring dancing that highlights feminine grace and elasticity. It is often accompanied by singing folk couplets known as bolliyan.

Malwai Giddha

Malwai Giddha is a form of Giddha in which only male members participates.

Kikkli

• Kikkli is normally performed bytwo girls holding hands andtwirling each other in circle andbalancing their positions incircular motions. The two peoplepair up and hold each other'shands (right with right and leftwith left) and spin around at highspeed without leaving hands.Sometimes one of the partnersbends knees (goes down andcomes up) or even lifts both feetoff the floor (spinning in the airchanging to various footpatterns) while spinning andperforms different antics if theother partner is strong enough tohold on

Folk dances of Rajasthan

Rajasthan has many forms of folk dances which are attractive, skillful and

somewhat enjoyable by any age group. Rajasthani folk dances are popular

all around the globe. Some of the Rajasthan’straditional dance forms are

very much different as only skilled person can do it. The Ghoomar dance

from Udaipur and Kalbeliya dance of Jaisalmer have gained international

recognition. Folk music is a vital part of Rajasthani culture. Kathputli,

Bhopa, Chang, Teratali, Ghindr, Kachchhighori, Tejaji, etc. are the

examples of the traditional Rajasthani culture.

Among all Rajasthani folk dances, Ghoomar, Kathputli (Puppet) and

Kalbelia (Sapera or Snake Charmer) dance attracts tourists very much.

Rajasthani folk dances are originated from different tribes and mainly used

at past time to entertain Kings. Folk songs are commonly ballads which

relate heroic deeds and love stories and religious or devotional songs

known as bhajans and banis.

Ghoomar

Ghoomar is a traditional women's folkdance of Rajasthan. It is performed bygroups of women in swirling robesaccompanied by men and womensinging together. This folk dance getsits name from ‘ghoomna’, thepirouetting which displays thespectacular colours of the flowing‘ghaghara’, the long skirt of theRajasthani women. There is anamazing grace as the skirt flair slowlywhile the women twirl in circles, theirfaces covered with the help of the veil.They dance in measured steps andgraceful inclinations of body, beatingpalms or snapping fingers atparticular cadences, while singingsome lilting songs.

KalbeliaKalbelia is performedby Naachato Rajasthan thewomen's group of the Kalbeliacommunity of Rajasthan. Themain occupation of thecommunity is catching snakesand trading snake venom.Hence, the dance movementsand the costumes bearresemblance to that of theserpents. Dancers attired intraditional black swirling skirtssway sinuously to the plaintivenotes of the 'been' — thewooden instrument ofthe snake charmers.

Kachchhi Ghodi

Ghodi and Kachchhi Ghodi isan Indian folk dance thatoriginates from theShekhawati region ofRajasthan. Dancers wearnovelty horse costumes andparticipate in mock fightswhile a singer narrates folktales about local bandits. It iscommonly performed duringwedding ceremonies towelcome and entertain thebridegroom's party, andduring other social settings.

Tera TaliTera Tali is another famous folkdance of Rajasthan. Performedby the ‘Kamar‘ tribe. Thewomen folk sit on the groundwhile performing the Tera Tali.Men? Well they just sing. Aninteresting part of the Tera Talidance is tying of metal cymbals(Manjiras) to different parts ofthe body, mostly on the legs. Onmany occasions the womenclasp a sword in between theirteeth and balance a decorativepot on their head.

Folk Dance of Himachal

• Himachali dance forms are highly varied and quitecomplicated. These dances are very vital part ofthe tribal life. It reflects the culture and the traditionof Himachal. Hardly any festivity here is celebratedwithout dancing. Some of the dance forms like Nati(dance) are danced all over the region.

Nati • Nati is the most famous dance

of Himachal Pradesh. Dance is listed in Guinness world record book as largest folk dance. It is mainly originated from Sirmaur district. But now it is quite popular in whole Himachal Pradesh and in Chandigarh where Himachali youth performed this on cultural programmes in colleges, universities. Nati (dance) is performed on every occasion like Marriages, Functions etc.it is really a wonderful dance form.

The Mala (garland) dance• The Kayang Mala dance is

one of the most popular dance in Himachal. In this, the dancers are dressed in their traditional finery, weave their arms together to form a sort of a crisscross pattern in order to appear like beads in a woven garland. They drink chhang (a rice brew) before this dance.

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The Demon (Rakshasa) dance

• This dance form, from the Kinnaur and nearby areas are redolent of the historic period. The Kinnaur folk are being compared to deers. The dance form is performed with demon masks. It represents the attack of the demons on the crops and their ritual pursuing away by the forces of good.[1] Chhambha is more or less same to the Punjabi dance Bhangra. These dance forms are generally organised in areas having dense population. During their local festivals like Chaitol and Bishu, such a type of community dancing can be witnessed. In this dance form men and women hold hands and dance. Their leader is known as Ghure and others follow in his footsteps This Dance Is Fabulas

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Dalshone and Cholamba dances

• The following dance forms belong to the Ropa valley and in these dances the pattern formed by the dancers seems to be as coiled serpents. The Cholambadance is generally performed when a tiger is killed. The dead animal's skin is stuffed and a gold ornament is put in his nose. The remains of the dead is then rotated and people dance around it.The Nagas Kayang is a dance form which copies the snakes's movement. The Herki Kayang is faster in rhythm and is generally danced at romantic occasions. The dance is performed by young men and women.The Shuna Kayang dance is danced in most of the villages and its rhythm combines both slow and fast movements. This represents scenes from the life in the village and the forests.

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Shand and Shabu dances• These are 2 most popular

dances ofthe Lahaul valley and aregenerally danced at theBuddhist Gompas in thememory of the Buddha. Shanmeans a prayer for theBuddha. Dances danced tothese prayers are termed asShan dances. This is a tribaldance which is performedafter the completion of theharvesting of crops. Some ofthe instruments played in thisare drums, shehnai and astringed instrument likea violin.

Tribal Dances

The Keekali dance form is a dance ofyoung girls. The girls hold each other'shand crosswise and rotate swiftly on their

toes.The Bhangra is a male dance which wasoriginated in the Punjab and is alsoperformed in some areas of Una.The tribal dance forms of thetrans Himalayan region differs a lot incontent and music. The old tradition of bothsong and dance in these regions has beenenthusiastically guarded against urbaninfluence. Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti andTehsils of Pangi and Bharmourof Chamba constitute this zone. Theinhabitants in these regions are knownas Kinnauras, Lahaulas, Spitians, Pangwalsand Gaddis. Gujjars and many of thesetribes have their own distinct traditionsof folk dances,songs, dresses and ornaments.

Folk Dance of Haryana

The zest for life present in the natives of Haryana ischannelled into various dance and music forms. Thepeople celebrate all occasions with a lot of pomp andshow, be it a child birth, a marriage or any religious orsocial function. The 'Khoria' is popular when a boy isgetting married, while the 'Ghoomar' and the 'GangaurPuja' dances are religious. The 'Raas' is also an ancientdance and is associated with Krishna, the flirtatious god.

DhamalDhamal is a dance form, whoseorigin goes back to the days of theMahabharat. The Dhamal dance isespecially popular in the areasaround Gurgaon, inhabited byAhirs. In the beginning of thedance, the player gives the first longnote, then Dhol, Tasha, Nagara, pickup the beat and the dance begins.Some of the dancers carry largeDaphs in their hands. These areedged with frills of brightlycoloured fabric, others carry sticks('Shuntis') of medium length,wrapped in tinsel and tasseled atboth ends.

Daph Dance

It is another from ofseasonal dance of farmersdepicting the joyfulemotions on a goodharvest and advent ofSpring. It is a sort ofcommunity dance. The"Daph" the one sideddrum and the sound of theornaments worn by thewomen offer the music.

PhagThe dance done basically in thelunar month of Phalgun seeks tocelebrate the colourful festivalof Holi. The dancers cometogether to the sound of 'Tasha','Nagara' and 'Dhol'. The mencome running & singing thetraditional songs of 'Phalgun',followed by women carrying'Koraras', the knotted lengths ofcloths. They run about the menhitting with the 'Koraras' whilemen defend themselves as bestas they can with 'Shuntis'.

Ghoomar

Marked by circularmovements of the dancers,Ghoomar is generallyperformed by the girls of theareas bordering Rajasthan.The dancers form a circle,and move about clappingand singing, while tempo ofthe dance is accelerated. Theaccompanying songs are fullof satire and humour andrefer to contemporaryevents, while the dancerstwirl around in pairs.

Jhumar Dance

The dance named after anornament called as "Jhumar"commonly worn on foreheadby young married women isexclusively danced bywomen. It is otherwiseknown as 'Hariyanvi Gidda'.Dressed in colourfulcostumes, the ladies dance ingay abandon singing andclapping with the beats of'dholak' and 'thali' whilegracefully moving in a circle.

LoorThe Loor is performed by girls during the month of 'Phalguna' (pring), and is so named because the word 'Loor' means girl in the Bangar area of Haryana. Performed during the Holifestival, this dance marks the spring season and the sowing of the Rabi crops. The song is generally in the form of questions and answers.

Gugga dance

For the Gugga dance, devoteesof Gugga (a saint) dance aroundhis grave in his honour and singsongs in his praise. The Gugga isexclusively a male danceritualistic in nature danceperformed in procession takenout in memory of saint Gugga.Though the dance is very simplebut it evokes spiritual fervouramong the devotees of Gugga.

Submitted By:-Dr. (Mrs.) Pooja Minhas

Deptt. of Dance