Indian Dances

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Indian Classical and Folk Dance

India is a place where you will find rich cultures and heritage everywhere. Even the dance forms of India has so much rich heritage. There are different classical and folk dances in India that differ from state to state. The questions related to different dances are very common in banking exams. Today we are going to focus on classical and folk dances of India.

Andhara Pardesh

Kuchipudi is an eminent dance form that originated in Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is not only a dance, but a fine amalgamation of dance, gestures, speech and song. A Kuchipudi dancer is required to be well versed in dancing, acting, music, various languages and texts. In the 17th century, Siddhendra Yogi started this dance during the 'bhakti' movement.

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Assam

Folk dances of Assam include the Bihu and the Bagurumba (both danced during festivals held in the spring), the Bhortal, the Satriya and the Ojapali dance. Assam is home to many groups: Mongoloid, Indo-Burmese, Indo-Iranian, Aryan, Rabha, Bodo, Kachari, Karbi, Mising , Sonowal Kacharis, Mishimi and Tiwa (Lalung). These cultures come together to create an Assamese culture. Residents of the state of Assam are known as "Axomiya" (Assamese). Most tribes have their own language, although Assamese is the primary language of the state.

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Bihar

Bideshiya a form of dance drama which holds a unique place amongst folk dances from Bihar. It is believed to be created by Bhikhari Thakur, a person who was barber by profession and left everything for his passion of drama. Bidesia deals with social issues & conflict between the traditional and modern, the rich and the poor and delicate matters like emotional battles. In old days, Bidesia was famous as it gave voice to many social concerned topics like the cause of poor laborers and tried to create awareness about the poor status of women in Bhojpuri society. Sometimes, the tone of Bidesia is sarcastic but it uses vibrant dance moves and music with emotional stories.

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Chhattisgarh

Raut Nacha is a traditional folk dance usually done by Yadavs (a caste which considers itself as descendants of Krishna) as symbol of worship to Krishna. Done at the time of 'Dev Udhni Ekadashi' (time of awakening of Gods after brief rest) according to Hindu panchang (calendar). The dance is a close resemblance of Krishna's Raas leela (dance of lord with his village's girls called gopis) with gopis.

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Goa

Fugdi is a Goan folk dance performed by the women in the Konkan region during Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Vrata or towards the end of other dances like Dhalo.

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Gujrat

Dandiya Raas is an energetic, vibrant dance originating in the state of Gujarat. Often called the "stick dance" because it uses polished sticks or dandiya, it represents a mock-fight between Durga and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king. It is nicknamed "The Sword Dance" because the dandiya represent the sword of Durga and are hit together. The combination of garba and raas has become very popular at the collegiate level in the United States. Garba-Raas competitions are increasing in number. Popular ones include Dandia Dhamaka,Raas Chaos,Garba With Attitude, Dandia on Fire and Maryland Masti among others.

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Himachal Pradesh

Nati refers to the traditional dance of Sirmaur district Kullu and Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. The dance is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as largest folk dance. It is quite popular in whole Himachal Pradesh. Dance is also popular in Chandigarh where Himachali youth perform this on cultural programmes. This dance is also popular in jounsari community in uttrakhand.

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Haryana

Source Like any other region of India, Haryana also has its traditional form of dance and music which is quite popular among people from all over the globe. The famous traditional dance forms include-Ghoomar, Gangaur and Khoria dance. The ancientfolk music of Haryana is mainly of two types- classical and countryside.

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Karnataka

Veeragase is a vigorous dance performed by women. Based on Hindu mythology, it involves intense energy-sapping movements and is performed during festivals mainly in the Hindu months of Shravana and Karthika Hulivesha is a powerful dance form performed by males in the coastal area of Karnataka. The dancers are painted like the tiger and performed like angry tiger

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Jammu & Kashmir

Dumhal is a dance performed by men of the Wattal tribe on specific occasions. The performers wear long colourful robes and tall conical caps that are studded with beads and shells. The party moves in a procession carrying a banner in a ceremonial fashion. The banner is then dug into the ground and the men dance, forming a circle. The accompaniment comprises a drum and the singing of the participants. Dumhal is performed on set occasions and at set locations.Rauf is a folk dance form which is mainly practiced by the women folk of the Kashmir valley. There are several folk dance forms which have particularly originated and flourished in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In this beautiful dance form, there are women who line up in two rows facing each other and perform this beautiful dance during the spring time in beautiful costumes.

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Jharkhand

It is slower and more rhythmic form. The word "Jhumar" comes from Jhum/Jhoom, which means Swaying. The songs evoke a quality which reminds of swaying. Though the content of these songs is varied - they are usually love with emotional songs too. The Jhumar is a dance of ecstasy.[1] Jhumar is performed at the wedding ceremonies usually. It is a living demonstration of the happiness. The dance is mostly performed by the Balochiand people of Southern and central Punjab. The emphasis of Jhumar is recreating the gaits of animals and birds. The movement of animals, the ploughing of the field, sowing of seeds and harvesting are shown in the original progression. The dance is also performed in circle, to the tune of emotional songs.

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Kerala

Kathakali originated in the 17thcentury and still popular and widely performed in various parts of the state.The drama portrayed generally involves mythology.This drama depicted in dance is either adapted from The Mahabharath or The Ramayana or The Puranas. Kathakali is one of the most noteworthy dance as people recognize Kerala and its art and culture through this folk dance

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Madhya Pradesh

Grida Dance - crops sway in the fields in the full bloom, the parties from different villages join together and perform the Grida dance. It continues from morning till evening. The host village returns the visit next year by going to the village of their guests of the preceding year.

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Maharashatra

Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which is particularly performed to the beats of Dholki, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm and erotic sentiment. Lavani has contributed substantially to the development of Marathi folk theatre. In Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, it is performed by the female performers wearing nine-yard long saris. The songs are sung in a quick tempo.

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Nagaland

The Chang Lo (also known as Sua Lua) is a dance of the Chang tribe of Nagaland. It was performed to celebrate the victory over enemies in the earlier times. Presently, it forms a part of all the community celebrations, such as Poanglem, a three-day festival preceding the harvest season. There are dramatic costumes of the traditional Naga warrior and finery of womenfolk.

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Punjab

The 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 Dhol, 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, Phumnian. 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.

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Rajasthan

Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan. It is performed by groups of women in swirling robes accompanied by men and women singing together. This folk dance gets its name from ‘ghoomna’, the pirouetting which displays the spectacular colours of the flowing ‘ghaghara’, the long skirt of the Rajasthani women. There is an amazing grace as the skirt flair slowly while the women twirl in circles, their faces covered with the help of the veil. They dance in measured steps and graceful inclinations of body, beating palms or snapping fingers at particular cadences, while singing some lilting songs.

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Tamil Nadu

Bharatanatyam is a major genre of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. Traditionally, Bharatanatyam has been a solo dance that was performed exclusively by women, and expressed South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, but also of Vaishnavism and Shaktism . Bharatanatyam may be the oldest classical dance tradition of India. Bharatanatyam style is noted for its fixed upper torso, legs bent or knees flexed out combined with spectacular footwork, a sophisticated vocabulary of sign languagebased on gestures of hands, eyes and face muscles.

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Uttar Pradesh

Kathak (Hindi: कथक, Urdu: کتھک‎) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance.The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards of ancient northern Indiaknown as Kathakars or storytellers.The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means "story", and Kathakar which means "the one who tells a story", or "to do with stories".Wandering Kathakars communicated stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs and music. Kathak dancers tell various stories through their hand movements and extensive footwork, but most importantly through their facial expressions. Kathak evolved during the Bhakti movement, particularly by incorporating the childhood and stories of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as independently in the courts of north Indian kingdoms. Kathak is unique in having both Hindu and Muslim gharanas and cultural elements. Kathak performances include Urdu Ghazals and commonly use instruments brought during Muslim rule.

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West Bengal

The folk dance/theatre of Gambhira originated among the Hindu community of Maldah in West Bengal. After Partition of India, Chapai Nawabganj in Rajshahibecame the main center of Gambhira. With time, Gambhira has undergone many changes in terms of theme and style of its presentation . Muslims also became the custodian of the dance, and thereby it became an integral part of their culture. May be for that reason the dancer now wears the Lungi. Gambhira comprises a few characters with dialogues in an atmosphere of music, its themes now being contemporary social problems, fakeness and selfishness of people and so on.

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Indian folk dances