Traditional dances
Classical, folk and tribal dances of every State and UT: how they are performed and what they mean.
Showing 61–120 of 169
- Popir
पोपिर
The dance of Galo women at the Mopin spring festival, performed in white attire to songs that welcome prosperity and good health.
Arunachal PradeshTribal - Ramlila
रामलीला
A folk enactment of the Ramayana staged over many evenings before Dussehra. The Ramlila of Ramnagar in Varanasi is among the best known.
Uttar PradeshFolk theatreUNESCO 2008 - Raut Nacha
राउत नाचा
A vigorous folk dance of the Yadav (Raut) cattle-herding community, performed with sticks and dohas after Diwali.
ChhattisgarhFolk - Saang (Swang) of rural Delhi
दिल्ली देहात का सांग (स्वांग)
An open-air folk musical theatre of the villages of rural Delhi and neighbouring Haryana, telling old stories through song, dialogue and dance.
DelhiFolk theatre - Sankirtana and Pung Cholom
संकीर्तन और पुंग चोलोम
The devotional singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur’s Vaishnava community, in which drummers leap and spin while playing the pung.
ManipurDevotionalUNESCO 2013 - Sattriya
सत्रीया
One of India’s eight classical dances, born in the Vaishnava monasteries (satras) of Assam in the tradition of Srimanta Sankardev.
AssamClassical - Tamasha
तमाशा
Travelling folk theatre of Maharashtra that mixes song, dance, comedy and drama, with Lavani at its centre.
MaharashtraFolk theatre - Therukoothu
तेरुकूत्तु
An all-night Tamil street theatre of song, dance and dialogue based on the epics, performed in villages of Puducherry and northern Tamil Nadu.
PuducherryFolk theatre - Tur and thali dance
तूर और थाली नृत्य
A tribal group dance of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, danced to the beat of the tur, a drum, and the ringing of a brass thali (plate).
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuTribal - Veeranatyam
वीरनाट्यम
A vigorous temple dance of Andhra Pradesh performed in honour of Veerabhadra, the fierce form of Shiva, to loud drums and trumpets.
Andhra PradeshDevotional - Aji Lhamu
अजी ल्हामु
A Monpa masked dance-drama in which performers in bright costumes enact a story with song and dance, staged at Losar and other festivals.
Arunachal PradeshFolk theatre - Bagurumba
बागुरुम्बा
The graceful dance of the Bodo women of Assam, often called the butterfly dance for its soft, fluttering movements.
AssamTribal - Barada nati
बराड़ा नाटी
A group folk dance of the Jaunsari community of Jaunsar-Bawar in Dehradun district, performed at festivals and fairs.
UttarakhandTribal - Bhand Pather
भांड पाथेर
Kashmir's traditional folk theatre, in which troupes of Bhands mix satire, music, dance and comedy to comment on society.
Jammu and KashmirFolk theatre - Bidesia
बिदेसिया
Bhojpuri folk theatre of song, dance and drama about men who leave home to work far away and the families they leave behind.
BiharFolk theatre - Chari dance
चरी नृत्य
Women dance with brass pots (chari) balanced on their heads, with a lit lamp on top, showing the daily journey to fetch water in the desert.
RajasthanFolk - Chham masked dance
छम नृत्य
A ritual masked dance performed by Buddhist monks in the monasteries of Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur, showing the victory of good over evil.
Himachal PradeshRitual - Chheih lam
छेइह लाम
A lively dance of celebration in which dancers respond to songs (chheih hla) sung by a seated circle.
MizoramTribal - Dekhni
देखणी
A graceful Goan dance-song that blends Indian rhythm with Western melody, usually telling the story of a dancing girl and a boatman.
GoaFolk - Dhimsa
ढिमसा
A group dance of the tribal communities of the Eastern Ghats, in which men and women link arms and move in circles to drums and pipes.
Andhra PradeshTribal - Gussadi
गुस्साडी
The dance of the Raj Gond people of Adilabad, performed by men in tall peacock-feather headgear during the Dandari festival around Diwali.
TelanganaTribal - Jhumar
झूमर
A slow, graceful men's dance of swaying movements, danced in a circle around the drummer, often on moonlit nights after the harvest.
PunjabFolk - Koli dance
कोळी नृत्य
The joyful dance of the Koli fishing community of the Konkan coast and Mumbai, full of rowing and wave-like movements.
MaharashtraFolk - Kutiyattam
कूडियाट्टम
One of the oldest living theatre traditions in India: Sanskrit plays performed in Kerala’s temple theatres with elaborate gesture, slow acting and drumming.
KeralaRitualUNESCO 2008 - Lebang Boomani
लेबांग बूमानी
A Tripuri harvest dance that recalls catching the lebang insect, with men beating bamboo clappers and women dancing in rhythm.
TripuraFolk - Loor
लूर
A spring dance of girls from the Bangar region of Haryana, sung as questions and answers between two groups.
HaryanaFolk - Maruni
मारुनी
A colourful Nepali folk dance performed during Tihar (Deepavali), in which dancers in women’s finery go from house to house with music and songs.
SikkimFolk - Matki
मटकी
A graceful dance of Malwa women who balance earthen pots (matki) on their heads while dancing at weddings and festivals.
Madhya PradeshFolk - Mayurbhanj Chhau
मयूरभंज छऊ
The Odisha form of Chhau, a vigorous martial dance of Mayurbhanj performed without masks, telling stories from the epics and village life.
OdishaFolkUNESCO 2010 - Paika
पाइका
A martial dance of the Munda and other communities of Jharkhand, in which dancers with swords and shields recreate the moves of foot soldiers.
JharkhandMartial - Parichakali
परिचकली
Martial dance with sword and shield, in which pairs of men stage mock combat to rhythmic songs.
LakshadweepMartial - Poikkal kuthirai attam
पोइक्काल कुदिरै आट्टम
The 'false-legged horse' dance, in which a dancer wearing a dummy horse frame and wooden stilts prances like a horse.
PuducherryFolk - Portuguese-influenced folk dances of Daman and Diu
दमन और दीव के पुर्तगाली प्रभाव वाले लोकनृत्य
Couple and group dances of the Christian and Luso-Indian families of Daman and Diu, set to violin, guitar and songs that show four centuries of Portuguese influence.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuFolk - Raibenshe
रायबेंशे
A martial folk dance of Bengal performed by men with acrobatic moves that imitate drawing a bow, hurling a spear and wielding a sword.
West BengalMartial - Raslila of Braj
ब्रज की रासलीला
Devotional dance-drama of Mathura and Vrindavan that enacts Shri Krishna's childhood and his dance with Radha and the gopis.
Uttar PradeshDevotional - Shondol
शोंडोल नृत्य
A graceful dance once performed for the kings of Ladakh, often called the royal dance of Ladakh.
LadakhFolk - Sua Nacha (parrot dance)
सुआ नाचा
A women’s folk dance in which a circle of dancers clap and sing around a clay parrot (sua) placed in a basket.
ChhattisgarhFolk - Thang-Ta
थांग-टा
The traditional martial art of Manipur, using the sword (thang) and the spear (ta), performed today as both a fighting art and a graceful display.
ManipurMartial - Therukoothu
तेरुक्कूत्तु
Street theatre of northern Tamil Nadu that tells stories from the Mahabharata through song, dance and dialogue through the night.
Tamil NaduFolk theatre - Tippani
टिप्पणी नृत्य
A work dance from the Chorwad area of Saurashtra in which women beat the floor with long wooden poles while they sing.
GujaratFolk - Traditional dance of the Andamanese peoples
अंडमानी जनजातियों का पारंपरिक नृत्य
Dances of the Great Andamanese and Onge peoples, in which a singer keeps time by striking a wooden sounding board with the foot while the dancers stamp and leap around.
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsTribal - Veeragase
वीरगासे
A vigorous devotional dance of Karnataka based on the legend of Veerabhadra, performed with a sword and shield during Shaiva festivals.
KarnatakaDevotional - Wangala
वांगला
The post-harvest thanksgiving dance of the Garo people, offered to the Sun God Misi Saljong, famous for the ‘100 Drums’ celebration.
MeghalayaTribal - Zeliang folk dances
ज़ेलियांग लोक नृत्य
Graceful group dances of the Zeliang Naga people of Peren district, known for their quick, light steps and harmony.
NagalandTribal - Behdienkhlam
बेहदीनखलम
A Pnar (Jaintia) festival of Jowai held to drive away plague and disease, with dancing, giant decorated structures and a ball game in a pool.
MeghalayaRitual - Bizu dance
बिजु नृत्य
A dance of the Chakma community performed at Bizu, the festival that marks the end of the Bengali year in mid-April.
TripuraTribal - Brokpa dance
ब्रोकपा नृत्य
Dances of the Brokpa people of the Dah–Hanu villages, performed in flower-decked headdresses at their harvest festival.
LadakhTribal - Burra Katha
बुर्रा कथा
A Telugu storytelling theatre in which a lead narrator sings and dances with a tambura, while two companions add commentary and humour.
Andhra PradeshFolk theatre - Charkula
चरकुला
Braj folk dance in which women balance a tall, tiered wooden frame lit with oil lamps on their heads while dancing.
Uttar PradeshFolk - Dalkhai
दलखाई
A lively folk dance of western Odisha, performed by young women to the beat of the dhol and nisan during the Dussehra festival of Dalkhai.
OdishaFolk - Domkach
डोमकच
A lively dance and song of women held at the bride’s or groom’s home on the night of a wedding, full of teasing and humour.
BiharFolk - Gambhira
गम्भीरा
A masked folk dance and song form of Malda, performed at the Chaitra festival of Shiva, which mixes devotion with sharp comments on everyday life.
West BengalFolk theatre - Gatka
गतका
The Sikh martial art of stick and sword fighting, shown in fast, rhythmic displays at religious processions and festivals such as Hola Mohalla.
PunjabMartial - Ghode Modni
घोडे मोडणी
A warrior dance of Goa in which men wear wooden horse frames at the waist and recreate the valour of mounted soldiers, mainly during Shigmo.
GoaMartial - Jhamakda
झमाकड़ा
A lively dance of the women of Kangra, performed at weddings with songs, teasing and laughter.
Himachal PradeshFolk - Kachchhi Ghodi
कच्छी घोड़ी
A lively dance in which men wear dummy horses made of bamboo and cloth and act out mock battles and tales of local bandits.
RajasthanFolk - Kamsale
कंसाले
A devotional dance of southern Karnataka in which devotees of Male Mahadeshwara swing and clash brass cymbals in rhythmic patterns while singing his praises.
KarnatakaDevotional - Karma dance
करमा नृत्य
A dance performed around a branch of the Karam tree during the Karma festival, when sisters pray for the well-being of their brothers and for good crops.
JharkhandTribal - Kavadi attam
कावड़ी आट्टम
A devotional dance in which pilgrims carry a decorated arch (kavadi) on their shoulders as an offering to Lord Murugan.
Tamil NaduDevotional - Khoria
खोड़िया
A women's dance and play held in the groom's home on the night the wedding party leaves, full of song, mimicry and fun.
HaryanaFolk