Folk Dance Forms of Rajasthan

 Folk Dance forms of Rajasthan 

 Dance is only a word for some while it is a feeling, an emotion and life for the people who love to dance. The literal meaning of Dance is the movement of the body in a rhythmic way ordinary to music but Dance doesn’t limit to its literal meaning. Some people find a kind of happiness, joy and pleasure in dancing. They forget the world while dancing. They can compromise anything over Dance. India is a diversified country. Its state has its own culture, language, food, traditions, values and taste and preferences just like that every state has its own dance forms and they are known as the folk dance forms of that place. 

For example: Kathakali is a dance of Kerala, Bharatanatyam is the dance of Tamil Nadu, Manipuri is the dance of Manipur, Odissi is the dance of Orissa, Bihu is the dance of Assam, Garba is the dance of Gujrat, and so on. All dance forms have their own importance in its culture or states. 

My personal favourite dance form is folk dance of Rajasthan which is performed by People of Rajasthan. Their dance includes a different kind of enthusiasm and energy. It's difficult to find a substitute of a Rajasthani folk dance or in my view it is impossible. There are eight forms of Rajasthani folk dance let’s discuss these forms in detail:- 

Ghoomar :- It is the traditional dance of Rajasthan. Initially ghoomar was performed by the Bhil tribe later on it was adopted by other Rajasthani communities. Ghoomar is performed by veiled women wearing flowing and colorful ghagras. Dance is performed by women by pirouetting in and out of the wide circle. The word Ghoomar is derived from the word Ghoomna which describes the twirling movement of the dancers. It can be performed by women or girls of any age as it includes only swaying movements. There is no time limit for ghoomar, one can perform it for the whole night. According to some traditional rituals, newly married brides have to perform ghoomar when she is welcomed by her in-laws in her new home. It is so fascinating to see the professional dancers of ghoomar and their enthusiasm and love towards their folk dance. 

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Kalbelia Dance :- It is particularly performed by a Rajasthani tribe Kalbelia. It is also known as Sapera Dance. The dance is accredited by UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage from the year 2010. This dance is particularly performed by the Kalbelia tribe which is known to move frequently from one place to another instead of staying at one place. In this dance women perform dance and men play instruments. A lot of energy is required while performing this dance as it includes so many tough movements.

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Chari Dance :- This dance represents the love of a women for their family. They travel miles to collect water in chari and the joy can be seen in dance. This dance is performed by women. In this dance a Chari (Steel Pot) is placed on the head of a woman with a lighted lamp. Women need to balance the Steel Pot  in the whole dance while doing some simple dance moves, so much patience and perfection is required while performing this dance. This dance is usually performed on special occasions like on birth of a male child, on marriage or in big festivals. This dance belongs to the Gujjar community of Kishangarh. The lighted lamp looks so beautiful in the dark night . 

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Terah Taali :- This folk dance is particularly performed by the Kamada tribe who are traditional snake charmers. This dance is performed by women who sit in front of the picture of Baba Ramdeo. In this dance thirteen manjiras are tied to various parts of their body. They perform this dance by striking the thirteen manjiras with the other manjiras which they hold in their hands. Sometimes to make the dance more attractive they may take some pots in hands and sword in their mouth. The sound of striking manjiras create rhythm on which dancers move and they also chant slowly in rhythm. This dance is usually performed by the skilled dancers.

Kathputli Dance :- In word Kathputli Kath stands for wood and putli stands for doll. This dance form was created by Bhat tribe. Unlike other dances it is indirectly performed by humans. This dance is performed by coloured puppets (Kathputlies) which are controlled by artists through strings. Artists give their voice to their katputlies and it all seems so real. Kathputli dance narrates the mythological stories of India and also social problems prevailing in the country. The artists show their art by going to colonies and villages in exchange for some money. 

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Kachchhi Dance :- This dance is performed by men wearing dhoti kurta and turban while riding on decorated dummy horses. Men use swords to mock fights to accompany the rhythm. The rhythm of the music includes the sound of flute and drums. The dancers depict the story of local bandits of the region. It does not require special skills one can perform this dance with some practice.

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Bhavai :- It is one of the most difficult folk dance form of Rajasthan. This dance is usually performed by women belonging to Kalbelia, Bhil , Jat and Meena. In this dance a woman needs to carry at least 8 to 9 earthen pots on her head and have to dance while twirling on a brass plate or on some glasses. Only a perfectionist can perform this dance and to be a perfectionist one must have to work hard.

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Fire Dance :- This dance form is mainly performed by the Banjara community. This dance form represents the lifestyle of the people of Bikaner and Churu, districts of Rajasthan. In this dance the performer takes two flamed sticks in his hands and fills his mouth with kerosene oil and then performs stunts on the drum beats. 

These were the folk dance forms of Rajasthan. Each dance shows the tradition of Rajasthan beautifully. The colourful dresses and enthusiasm of dancers add more beauty in the dance. Hope you have enjoyed the reading.