INDIAN FOLK DANCES (UNITY IN DIVERSITY)

India offers a number of Classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The eight main styles are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri and Kathakali. Besides, there are several forms of Indian folk dances such as Bhangra, and special dances observed in regional festivals.

Most Indian dance is based on the treatise Natyashastra by the sage Bharata Muni, which explains the Indian art of acting. Acting or natya is a broad concept which encompasses both drama and dance.

Kathak Dance

Indian folk and tribal dances are simple dances, and are performed to express joy.

Folk dances are performed for every possible occasion, to celebrate the arrival of seasons, birth of a child, a wedding and festivals. The dances are extremely simple with minimum of steps or movement. The dances burst with verve and vitality. Men and women perform some dances exclusively, while in some performances men and women dance together. On most occasions, the dancers sing themselves, while being accompanied by artists on the instruments. Each form of dance has a specific costume. Most costumes are flamboyant with extensive jewels.

While there are numerous folk and tribal dances, they are constantly improved. The skill and the imagination of the dances influence the performance.

Some of the famous Indian Folk dances are :

Raut Nacha (Chhattisgarh) A traditional folk dance usually done by yadavs/yaduvanshis (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 pancang (calendar). The dance is a close resemblance of krishna's raas leela (dance of lord with his village's girls called gopis) with gopis.

Bardo Chham (Arunchal Pradesh) A fascinating folk dance of Sherdukpens - a small community of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, Bardo Chham depicts the victory of good over evil.

The dance has an interesting background. According to the local beliefs, forces - both good and evil, rule mankind. The folks believe that in one year, twelve different types of animals, representing evil forces, appear each month and get together. The sherdukpens mask themselves representing the different animals and dance to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals as an act of fighting the evil forces.

Chang Lo (or) Sua Lua (Nagaland) This dance of the Chang tribe of Nagaland was performed to celebrate the victory over enemies in the earlier times. Presently, it forms a part of all the community celebrations like Poanglem - the three day festival preceding the harvest season. The dramatic costumes of the traditional Naga warrior and the finery of womenfolk make this dance a visual treat.

Charkula (Uttar Pradesh) The spectacular dance is performed in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh- the land of Krishna and his consort - Radha. Veiled women balancing large multi-tiered circular wooden pyramids on their heads, alight with 108 oil lamps, dance to the strains of 'rasiya' - songs of Krishna. Charkula is especially performed on the third day after Holi - the day, which Radha was born. According to legend, Radha's grandmother ran out of the house with the charkula on her head to announce the birth of Radha, since then, Charkula has formed a popular dance form of Brajbhoomi, performed during various festivities.

Cheraw Dance (Mizoram) Cheraw dance is an amazing combination of rhythm and skill. Four people hold two pairs of long bamboos across one another on the ground. As the bamboo sticks are clapped together, the main dancers in traditional attires weave patterns through them in time to the rhythm. Cheraw is a major attraction during all festive occasions in Mizoram. Cheraw is believed to have a foreign origin. Similar dances are popular in the Far East and the Philippines. The Mizos must have brought the dance with them when they migrated to their land in India.

To know more about Indian folk dances visit our site. Which have lot of information about culture and traditions http://www.incredibleindia-tour.com/links/folkdance.html