Folk Dances of India By Uttam School for Girls Ghaziabad

Folk Dances of India
By
Uttam School for Girls
Ghaziabad
Lavani is a genre of music popular in
Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Lavani is a
combination of traditional song and dance,
which particularly performed to the beats of
Dholak, a percussion instrument.
Bhaṅgṛā refers to several types of
Punjabi-style dance. The earliest
developed of these was a folk dance
conducted by Punjabis in the central
northern areas of the region to
celebrate the harvest, and whose
general practice had ended by the
Partition, 1947. In the 1950s, a new
folkloric dance, representative of the
state of Punjab and composed of
glimpses of men's Punjabi dance styles,
was created and eventually received
the title of bhangra. First developed in
India and attaining a rather
standardized form by the 1980s, the
folkloric bhangra was exported to other
counties by Punjabi emigrants.
The Bihu dance is a folk dance from the
Indian state of Assam related to the festival
of Bihu. This joyous dance is performed by
both young men and women, and is
characterized by brisk dance steps and rapid
hand movement. Dancers wear traditionally
colorful Assamese clothing.
Though the origins of the Bihu dance is
unknown, the first official endorsement is
cited to be when Ahom king Rudra Singha
invited Bihu dancers to perform at the
Ranghar fields sometime around 1694 on
the occasion of Rongali Bihu.
The Bihu is a group dance in which males
and females dance together but maintain
different gender roles. In general, females
follow stricter line or circle formations. The
male dancers and musicians enter the
dancing area first, and they maintain their
lines and follow synchronized patterns.
Dandiya Raas
Raas or Dandiya Raas is the traditional folk dance form of Vrindavan, India,
where it is performed depicting scenes of Holi, and lila of Krishna and
Radha. Along with Garba, it is the featured dance of Navratri evenings in
Western India.
The word "Raas" comes from Sanskrit word "Ras". The origins of Raas can
be traced to ancient times. Lord Krishna performed Rasa lila" (Lila means
Lord Krishna's playful dance. The word "Lila" also refers to things that God
does that we do not fully understand).
Forms of Raas
There are several forms of Raas, but "Dandiya Raas", performed during
Navaratri in Gujarat is the most popular form. Other forms of Raas include
Dang Lila from Rajasthan where only one large stick is used, and "Rasa lila"
from North India. Raas Lila and Dandiya Raas are similar. Some even
consider "Garba" as a form of Raas, namely "Raas Garba".
Ghoomar
Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan
which was developed by the Bhil tribe and was adopted by
other Rajasthani communities. 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
colors 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.
Sarhul
Sarhul is celebrated during spring season and Saal
trees get new flowers on their branches. It is a
worship of the village deity who is considered to be
the protector of the tribes. People sing and dance a
lot when the new flowers appear. The deities are
worshiped with Saal flowers.