Traditional dances of Himachal Pradesh
Encyclopedia
Himachali dance forms are highly varied and quite complicated. These dances are very vital part of the tribal life. It reflects the culture
and the tradition of Himachal. Hardly any festivity here is celebrated without dancing. Some of the dance forms like Dulshol, Dharveshi, Drodi, Dev Naritya, Rakshas Nritya, Dangi, Lasa, Nati and Nagas are danced all over the region.
s. The dance form is performed with demon masks. It represents the attack of the demons on the crops and their ritual pursuing away by the forces of good.
Chhambha is more or less same to the Punjab
i dance Bhangra. These dance forms are generally organised in areas having dense population. During their local festivals like Chaitol and Bishu, such a type of community dancing can be witnessed. In this dance form men and women hold hands and dance. Their leader is known as Ghure and others follow in his footsteps.
is killed. The dead animal's skin is stuffed and a gold
ornament is put in his nose. The remains of the dead is then rotated and people dance around it.
The Nagas Kayang is a dance form which copies the snake
s's movement. The Herki Kayang is faster in rhythm and is generally danced at romantic occasions. The dance is performed by young men and women.
The Shuna Kayang dance is danced in most of the villages and its rhythm combines both slow and fast movements. This represents scenes from the life in the village and the forests.
s in the memory of the Buddha
. Shan means a prayer for the Buddha. Dances danced to these prayers are termed as Shan dances. This is a tribal dance which is performed after the completion of the harvesting of crops. Some of the instruments played in this are drum
s, shehnai
and a stringed instrument like a violin
.
A similar dance form known as Shabbo is also performed at festivals. It represents the beliefs and lifestyle of the tribal people of the region. These dance forms are linked to the local festival
s.
The Bhangra is a male dance which was originated in the Punjab
and is quite popular in Kangra, Hamirpur
and Una
.
The tribal dance forms of the trans Himalayan region differs a lot in content and music. The old tradition of both song and dance in these regions has been enthusiastically guarded against urban influence. Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Tehsils of Pangi and Bharmour of Chamba
constitute this zone. The inhabitants in these regions are known as Kinnauras, Lahaulas, Spitians, Pangwals and Gaddis. Gujjar
s and many of these tribes have their own distinct traditions of folk dance
s, songs, dresses and ornaments.
In addition to the popular dances like Kayang, Bakayang and Banyangchu there are many ritual dances performed by Lama
s on numerous religious festive occasions. One masked dance form mainly features an important event in the history of Himalayan
Buddhism
when Lama
s effectively carried out a plan of executing a king namely Langdarma. A special event for masked dances is the celebration of the birth of Padma Sambhava (who carried the message of Buddhism to Tibet
.)
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and the tradition of Himachal. Hardly any festivity here is celebrated without dancing. Some of the dance forms like Dulshol, Dharveshi, Drodi, Dev Naritya, Rakshas Nritya, Dangi, Lasa, Nati and Nagas are danced all over the region.
The Mala (garland) dance
The Kayang Mala dance is one of the most popular dance in Himachal. In this, the dancers are dressed in their traditional finery, weave their arms together to form a sort of a criss cross pattern in order to appear like beads in a woven garland. They drink chhang (a rice brew) before this dance.The Demon (Rakshasa) dance
This dance form, from the Kinnaur and nearby areas are redolent of the historic period. The Kinnaur folk are being compared to deerDeer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
s. The dance form is performed with demon masks. It represents the attack of the demons on the crops and their ritual pursuing away by the forces of good.
Chhambha is more or less same to the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
i dance Bhangra. These dance forms are generally organised in areas having dense population. During their local festivals like Chaitol and Bishu, such a type of community dancing can be witnessed. In this dance form men and women hold hands and dance. Their leader is known as Ghure and others follow in his footsteps.
Dalshone and Cholamba dances
The following dance forms belong to the Ropa valley and in these dances the pattern formed by the dancers seems to be as coiled serpents. The Cholamba dance is generally performed when a tigerTiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
is killed. The dead animal's skin is stuffed and a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
ornament is put in his nose. The remains of the dead is then rotated and people dance around it.
The Nagas Kayang is a dance form which copies the snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s's movement. The Herki Kayang is faster in rhythm and is generally danced at romantic occasions. The dance is performed by young men and women.
The Shuna Kayang dance is danced in most of the villages and its rhythm combines both slow and fast movements. This represents scenes from the life in the village and the forests.
Shan and Shabu dances
These are 2 most popular dances of the Lahaul valley and are generally danced at the Buddhist GompaGompa
Gompa and ling are Buddhist ecclesiastical fortifications of learning, lineage and sadhana , located in Tibet, India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
s in the memory of the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. Shan means a prayer for the Buddha. Dances danced to these prayers are termed as Shan dances. This is a tribal dance which is performed after the completion of the harvesting of crops. Some of the instruments played in this are drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, shehnai
Shehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
and a stringed instrument like a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
.
A similar dance form known as Shabbo is also performed at festivals. It represents the beliefs and lifestyle of the tribal people of the region. These dance forms are linked to the local festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s.
Keekali and Bhangra
The Keekali dance form is a dance of young girls. The girls hold each others hand crosswise and rotate swiftly on their toes.The Bhangra is a male dance which was originated in the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
and is quite popular in Kangra, Hamirpur
Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh
Hamirpur is a town and the district headquarters of Hamirpur district in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Hamirpur is located in a relatively colder region in western Himachal Pradesh with a lower altitude as compared to the other districts of the state...
and Una
Una, Himachal Pradesh
Una is a city and a municipal council in Una district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.-Geography:Una is located at . It has an average elevation of 369 metres .-Demographics:...
.
The tribal dance forms of the trans Himalayan region differs a lot in content and music. The old tradition of both song and dance in these regions has been enthusiastically guarded against urban influence. Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Tehsils of Pangi and Bharmour of Chamba
Chamba district
Chamba is the northwestern district of Himachal Pradesh, in India, with its headquarters in Chamba town. The towns of Dalhousie and Khajjhiar are popular hill stations and vacation spots for the people from the plains of northern India....
constitute this zone. The inhabitants in these regions are known as Kinnauras, Lahaulas, Spitians, Pangwals and Gaddis. Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
s and many of these tribes have their own distinct traditions of folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
s, songs, dresses and ornaments.
In addition to the popular dances like Kayang, Bakayang and Banyangchu there are many ritual dances performed by Lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s on numerous religious festive occasions. One masked dance form mainly features an important event in the history of Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
when Lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s effectively carried out a plan of executing a king namely Langdarma. A special event for masked dances is the celebration of the birth of Padma Sambhava (who carried the message of Buddhism to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.)