Indian Folk Dances

Folk dances of India

India is a land of various religions, traditions and traditions. Every region in India has a distinctive culture. The presence of different culture and traditions are reflected in the folkdance and music of that community. Each folk dance form is different as it is performed for the special occasion. Folk dance of India is the asset of the country

Punjab and Himachal Pradesh

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  •  Bhangra : Bhangra is performed by the group to celebrate the harvest.
  • Giddha : This is similar to Bhangra but is performed by females only on Baisakhi or weddings.
  • Roomaal Dance : This is famous folk dance of Himachal Pradesh , where the dancers use roomals to wave and musical instruments like rubab and  santoor are used to play the kashmiri tunes.


Tamilnadu and Kerala

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  • Kurathi : It is the gypsy folk dance of Tamilnadu state of India.It is popular for its bouncy and  upbeat rhythmic patterns.
  • Karagattam :  This dance is performed to praise of the river goddess, Gangai Amman and the rain goddess Mari Amman. In this dance a pot is balanced on the head , which is interesting part of this dance.
  • Oppana : This  dance is carried out during wedding time by the Muslim girls of Kerala from Malabar regions.
  • Velakalli : This is a martial folk dancefrom Kerala.
  • Kaikotikalli  :This is famous folk dance presented in group on the occasion of Onam in Kerala.

Maharashtra and Gujrat

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  • Koli : Koli dance is the traditional folk dance of the fisher community of Maharashtra.
  • Gondhal and Jagarn :  Gondhal is performed to praise of goddess Ambabai  and Jagaran is performed to praise God Khandoba .
  • Lavani: This is performed by group of women as a stage performance. Gan gavlan is also a part of this folk dance.
  • Garba  : This form of dance is performed during Navratri or nine days before Dashera. Women move in circles with clapping in a rhythmic manner . Garba is performed in different manner such as Beda Garba, Taali Garba.
  • Dandiya Raas : It is popular form of folk dance performed by group by clanking dandiyas(sticks). Tippani is performed by women of Chorwad with sticks in hand.

Assam and Orissa

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  • Bihu : Bihu folk dance is performed by women  which involves rapid hand movements and is performed during festival of Bihu(New Year)
  • Ranappa  : This dance is performed by standing on bamboo sticks. The young village dancer of  Orissa ( mainly coastal areas of Ganjam district). Here you can see the skill of balancing and accompaniment of Dhol and Mahuri in this form of folk dance.