Traditional dances
Classical, folk and tribal dances of every State and UT: how they are performed and what they mean.
Showing 121–169 of 169
- Kud
कुड
A ritual night dance of the hills of the Jammu region, performed to thank and honour the local folk deities (Lok devtas).
Jammu and KashmirRitual - Lai Haraoba
लाई हराओबा
The ritual festival-dance of the Meitei, 'the merrymaking of the gods', in which priestesses (maibis) dance the story of creation.
ManipurRitual - Lambadi dance
लंबाड़ी नृत्य
The dance of Banjara (Lambadi) women of Telangana, known for its mirror-work skirts, heavy silver jewellery and graceful circling movements.
TelanganaTribal - Lezim
लेझीम
A vigorous group dance performed with the lezim, a wooden handle strung with jingling metal discs, seen in Ganesh processions and school drills.
MaharashtraFolk - Maanch
माच
The musical folk theatre of Malwa, centred on Ujjain, in which actors sing the dialogue of popular stories on an open-air stage through the night.
Madhya PradeshFolk theatre - Moatsü dances of the Ao
आओ जनजाति के मोआत्सू नृत्य
Songs and dances of the Ao Naga people during Moatsü, the festival held in early May after the sowing season.
NagalandTribal - Mudiyettu
मुडियेट्टु
A ritual dance-drama of central Kerala that enacts the goddess Kali’s battle with the demon Darika, performed by the whole village in Bhagavati temples after the harvest.
KeralaRitualUNESCO 2010 - Ojapali
ओजापाली
An old Assamese narrative performance in which a lead singer (oja) and his chorus (palis) sing, act and dance stories from the epics and Puranas.
AssamFolk theatre - Pandav nritya
पांडव नृत्य
A ritual dance-drama of Garhwal that retells the Mahabharata, in which performers are believed to be possessed by the Pandavas.
UttarakhandRitual - Pandvani
पंडवानी
A Chhattisgarhi ballad tradition in which a single performer sings and acts stories of the Pandavas from the Mahabharata.
ChhattisgarhFolk theatre - Sarlamkai
सरलामकाई
A dignified dance of the Mara and Lai (Pawi) peoples of southern Mizoram, once performed to mark victory over enemies or in a hunt.
MizoramTribal - Siddi dhamal
सिद्दी धमाल
An energetic drum dance of the Siddi community of Gujarat, whose ancestors came to India from East Africa.
GujaratTribal - Tamang Selo
तामांग सेलो
A lively song and dance of the Tamang community performed to the beat of the damphu, a small round frame drum.
SikkimFolk - Yak dance
याक नृत्य
A Monpa pantomime dance in which two men inside a yak costume dance with a rider and masked herders, celebrating the yak that sustains life in the high hills.
Arunachal PradeshFolk - Ankiya Naat and Bhaona
अंकीया नाट और भाओना
Devotional one-act plays created by Srimanta Sankardev, performed as Bhaona in namghars and satras with music, dance, masks and a narrator called the sutradhar.
AssamFolk theatre - Bhavai
भवाई
A travelling folk theatre of Gujarat that mixes music, dance, comedy and social satire, traditionally performed in honour of the Goddess Amba.
GujaratFolk theatre - Bhavai
भवई
A balancing dance in which a performer dances with a tall stack of earthen or brass pots on her head, sometimes on a sword edge or glass.
RajasthanFolk - Bhuta Kola
भूत कोला
A night-time ritual performance of the Tulu-speaking coast in which a trained performer, in make-up and costume, embodies a local guardian spirit (daiva).
KarnatakaRitual - Cham dances of Torgya
तोरग्या के छम नृत्य
Masked ritual dances performed by monks in the courtyard of Tawang Monastery during the Torgya festival to drive away evil and bring well-being.
Arunachal PradeshRitual - Gaur Maria (bison horn) dance
गौर माड़िया नृत्य
A dance of the Maria people of Bastar in which men wear headdresses of bison horns and feathers and imitate the movements of the gaur.
ChhattisgarhTribal - Ghumura
घुमुरा
A powerful drum dance of Kalahandi in Odisha, in which dancers play an earthen drum, the ghumura, tied to their chest while they dance.
OdishaFolk - Jagarna
जागरणा
A Dogra women's dance and play performed in the groom's home on the night the wedding party leaves for the bride's village.
Jammu and KashmirFolk - Jatra
जात्रा
Bengal’s popular open-air folk theatre, with loud dialogue, songs and live music, played on an open stage surrounded by the audience.
West BengalFolk theatre - Kariyala
करियाला
A night-long open-air folk theatre of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur, with dance, music and short comic and satirical plays.
Himachal PradeshFolk theatre - Kikli
किकली
A playful dance of Punjabi girls, who hold hands crosswise in pairs and spin round fast while singing.
PunjabFolk - Kunbi dance
कुणबी नृत्य
A simple, graceful dance of the Kunbi community, among the oldest settlers of Goa, performed in groups to old Konkani songs.
GoaTribal - Launda Naach
लौंडा नाच
A Bhojpuri folk dance in which male performers dress as women and dance and sing at weddings and village festivities.
BiharFolk - Nautanki
नौटंकी
Popular open-air folk opera of Uttar Pradesh, told in rhyming verse, loud song and the boom of the nagara drum.
Uttar PradeshFolk theatre - Oggu Katha
ओग्गु कथा
A folk ballad theatre of the Kuruma and Golla (Yadava) communities, telling stories of deities such as Mallanna to the beat of the small oggu drum.
TelanganaFolk theatre - Ramman
रम्माण
A religious festival and ritual theatre of the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra in Chamoli, with masked dances and episodes from the Ramayana.
UttarakhandFolk theatreUNESCO 2009 - Sarhul dance
सरहुल नृत्य
The dance of Sarhul, the spring festival of Jharkhand’s tribal communities, held when the sal trees flower to honour nature and the village deities.
JharkhandTribal - Silambattam
सिलम्बट्टम
An ancient Tamil martial art of staff fighting, performed as display and taught as a sport.
Tamil NaduMartial - Tarpa dance of the Warli
तारपा नृत्य
A tribal circle dance of the Warli and neighbouring communities, danced around a player of the tarpa, a long wind instrument made from a dried gourd.
MaharashtraTribal - Thabal Chongba
थबल चोंगबा
‘Dancing in the moonlight’: young men and women hold hands and dance in a circle during the Yaoshang festival.
ManipurFolk - Theyyam
तेय्यम
A ritual worship form of north Kerala in which a performer in huge headgear and vivid face paint becomes a deity for the night and blesses the devotees.
KeralaRitual - Tholu Bommalata (leather shadow puppetry)
तोलु बोम्मलाटा (चमड़े की छाया कठपुतली)
A shadow puppet theatre that tells epic stories with large, brightly coloured, translucent leather puppets cast on a lit screen.
Andhra PradeshFolk theatre - Danda Nata
दंड नाट
A ritual dance-drama of south Odisha held in the month of Chaitra, in which devotees perform acts of penance and dance in honour of Shiva and Shakti.
OdishaRitual - Dhangari Gaja
धनगरी गजा
A dance of the Dhangar shepherd community of Maharashtra, performed by men in circles to honour their deity and celebrate the pastoral life.
MaharashtraFolk - Dhobia nritya
धोबिया नृत्य
Lively folk dance of the washermen (dhobi) community of eastern Uttar Pradesh, performed at weddings and festivals.
Uttar PradeshFolk - Dhunuchi naach
धुनुची नाच
A devotional dance performed during Durga Puja, holding clay censers (dhunuchi) full of burning coconut husk and incense before the goddess.
West BengalDevotional - Jhumur of the tea gardens
झुमुर (चाय बागान)
A lively group dance of the tea garden communities of Assam, with women in a line and men playing the madal drum.
AssamFolk - Kalaripayattu
कलरीपयट्टु
Kerala’s traditional martial art, practised in a sunken training ground called a kalari, with body conditioning, kicks, leaps and weapons such as sticks, swords and the flexible urumi.
KeralaMartial - Kummi
कुम्मी
A simple women's folk dance of rhythmic clapping in a circle, with songs and no instruments.
Tamil NaduFolk - Santhali dance
संथाली नृत्य
The group dances of the Santhal people, with women in long linked lines moving gracefully to the deep beat of the tamak and tumdak drums.
JharkhandTribal - Suggi Kunitha
सुग्गी कुनिता
A harvest dance of Karnataka, best known among the Halakki Vokkaliga community of Uttara Kannada, performed after the crops are gathered.
KarnatakaFolk - Terah Taali
तेरह ताली
A devotional dance in which seated women strike small brass cymbals (manjeera) tied to their arms and legs in many rhythms, in praise of the folk deity Baba Ramdev.
RajasthanDevotional - Gair
गैर
A Holi dance of men who move in a large circle, striking sticks together as they turn. It is popular among the Bhil community and in the Mewar and Marwar regions.
RajasthanFolk - Oppana
ओप्पना
A lively group song-and-dance of the Mappila Muslims of Kerala, performed with clapping around the bride at weddings.
KeralaFolk