Himachal Pradesh has a vibrant culture, and dances play a vital role in the lives of the people of this region. Himachali dance forms are highly diverse and complex. No festivity here is complete without dancing. Some of the dance forms like Dhulshol, Dharveshi, Drodi, Dev Nritya, Rakshash Nritya, Lahadi, Nati, Dangi, Lasa, and Nagas are danced all over the region.
Some of the more popular traditional dances of Himachal Pradesh are described here.
Naga Kayang and Shona Kayang
The Naga Kayang is a dance form that copies the snake’s moves. The Herki Kayang is traditionally danced on romantic occasions and is faster in rhythm. Young men and women dance.
The Shona Kayang dance is danced in most of the villages, and its rhythm combines both slow and fast movements. This represents scenes from life in the village and the forests.
The Kayang Mala Dance
The Kayang Mala Dance is the most popular traditional dances of Himachal Pradesh. In this, the dancers are attired in their traditional clothes; weave their arms together to form a sort of a criss-cross pattern to resemble beads in a woven garland. Before this dance, they drink chhang (a rice brew).
The Nati Dance
Nati is among the most prominent dance forms among the Performing Arts of Himachal Pradesh. The dancing men and women embrace their New Year through the slow swaying movements of their bodies.
Nati-Folk Dance is performed by people dancing in the form of rows or circles. The performers generally wear richly hued costumes; attach a feather in their hair and with a sweet smile dance in a slow rhythm.
It is said that Nati-Folk Dance in Himachal Pradesh is ‘Losar shona chuksom,’ which announces the forthcoming of New Year.
Tweet
The Rakshash Dance
This dance form originates from the Kinnaur and nearby areas, is reminiscent of the historic period. The Kinnaur folk are being compared to deer.
The dance form is presented with demon masks that represent the invasion of the demons on the crops and their ritual trailing away by the powers of good. Chhambha is more or less alike to the Punjabi dance Bhangra.
These dance forms are usually organized in areas having a thick population. During their regional festivals like Chaitol and Bishu, such a type of social dancing can be observed. In this form, their leader is known as Ghure. The men and women hold hands and dance and others follow in his steps.
Lahadi Dance
Lahadi is a traditional dance of hill communities and is performed by women. In this dance, women stand face to face after forming two teams. Women of the first team initiate the singing and the second team covers as the singers twist at the waist, clap and move forward. Then the first team goes to its original position, and this is then repeated by the other team. This lasts for a long time. This dance form uses no musical instruments, and the dancers clap their hands.
Ghooghati Dance
In this, the dancer stands in a line in this dance form, and the one in the back puts his hand on the shoulders of the one in front of him. The first couple of dancers sing the song as the rest repeat the lines.
This dance places a lot of emphasis on physical movement. As they sing, the dancers move backward and forward and bend sideways. This presents a fascinating choreographic composition.
The Dance and Music showcases a mesmerizing facet of the culture of Himachal Pradesh. And no matter how much we try giving you a virtual tour the soul-stirring experience would be when you visit these beautiful destinations yourselves and live and soak yourself in these traditions which are often underrated!
Contributed By : Amit Singh
