Beautiful folk dances of India
India is a country with diversity in all its forms. Like the diversity of religions, traditions, languages, costumes, and food options, the country also boasts of great diversity in classical and folk dances. Each dance form is unique to a specific state or religion and is different with respect to its structure, style, and form encompassing uniqueness in costume, dance pattern, and makeup.
Folk dances are actually traditional dances from different states that reflect the traditional beliefs, values, principles and lifestyle of the respective religion. As for example, Bihu is the folk dance of Assam and is a clear reflection of the cultural beliefs of Assam. These dances are mainly performed during the religious rituals and ceremonies of a particular community. Most of these are dedicated to worshiping the specific God of the specific community. Each community enjoys specific dances belonging to their religion with colorful traditional costumes and jewelery. One thing that is common in all forms is the peace of mind and joy it brings.
Some of the most popular folk dances in India are from Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
Rajasthan is a hometown of dances such as kalbelia dance, chari dance, fire dance, and ghoomar dance. The Kalbelia dance is dedicated to the Kalbelia community, whose main occupation in history was catching snakes and trading snake venom. Chari dance is a way in which dancers carry a lit brass pot on their heads and show a perfect union of patience, balance and flexibility. The fire dance is related to the Banjara community and is worthy of appreciation. The dancers use fire sticks, kerosene oil, and fire rods while dancing. The Ghoomar dance belongs to the Rajput community, where women dance gracefully to convey the spirit of any sacred or religious ceremony.
Punjab is also a hometown of well-known folk dances. The most popular among them are bhangra and gidda. Bhangra is performed mainly by men during the Baisakhi festival. On the other hand, gidda is a counterpart to bhangra, as it is performed by Punjabi women. Both dance forms are colorful and joyful. People enjoy the rhythms, rhythm and even the costumes of these dances from the state of Punjab.
Garba and dandiya are the main folk dances of Gujarat. Garba is an elegant dance that was previously associated with the legend of Lord Krishna. In today’s era, it is one of the most popular dance forms across the country that is mainly performed during the nine days of Navratri to please the goddess Durga. Dandiya is also energetic and colorful like garba, but is played with dandiya sticks.
In the state of Maharashtra, Lavani dance and Dindi dance are very popular. Lavani is a musical form that is dedicated to the celebration of the arrival of the spring season mainly in the Thanjavur district. Dindi is the state’s religious dance form and is performed mainly on the eleventh day of the kartik month.
Apart from these, there are many other folk dances throughout the country. To name a few more, there are dhamal, gair, gatka, karagam, laathi nauch, kikli, kavadi, saami, sakhi nata, terehtali, mathuri, and luddi. All of these forms are astonishingly beautiful and full of euphoria, joy, and spirituality.
