[Himachal GK] Traditional Dances of Himachal Pradesh

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.

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 deers. 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 Punjabi 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 tiger 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 snakes'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 Gompas 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 drums, 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 festivals.Government have taken several initiatives for protecting the dance form.

Keekali and Bhangra

The Keekali dance form is a dance of young girls. The girls hold each other's hand crosswise and rotate swiftly on their toes.

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. Gujjars and many of these tribes have their own distinct traditions of folk dances, songs, dresses and ornaments.

In addition to the popular dances like Kayang, Bakayang and Banyangchu there are many ritual dances performed by Lamas on numerous religious festive occasions. One masked dance form mainly features an important event in the history of Himalayan Buddhism when Lamas 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.)