Continuing my study on ‘Dances of India: Folk Dances’, now I write on Folk Dances of Madhya Pradesh as below:
1. Karuma: This is a folk dance of Gond area near the boundary of Orissa. It is danced separately by men and women. It is performed very actively. Sometimes, women and young boys sit on the dancers’ shoulders and do some acrobatics before alighting down. This is a dance of happiness in which the dancers play hide and seek with their faces.
Goncha Dance: This is a prayer dance to the Rain God performed with religious overtones. It is danced by young people all through the night to calm down the God of Rain and seek his help in raising the crops.
Lakshmi Jagar: This is also a religious folk dance in which people from various villages worship an image of the Goddess Lakshmi under a tree named, Shumal. Beej, Khel, Gopal and Bihu are other notable folk dances close to this form of dancing.
Stilts Dance: This is a dance performed on Stilts. It is similar to the way Japanese children play.
Tipri is another dance akin to this type of dancing form.
Horn Dance: This dance of performed by hitting drums. The dancers are adorned with horns and bulls and feathers.
Lodans: This is a purely women’s dance, who balance water pots on their heads as they dance.
It is a rather difficult dance form requiring balancing skills.
Sundariya: This is a Banjaran women’s dance. The dancers stand in two rows facing each other and wave their arms while dancing.
Pabaku Dance: This is a men’s dance, which is performed in the morning on the day of Banjara festival. The dancers purify the ground, sprinkle coloured water on it and then dance on the ground with swords.
Gero Dance: This is a folk dance of the Banjars’ tribe of Madhya Pradesh. Men perform this dance with quickening steps.
Kamuchino Dance: This is also a men’s dance of Banjars. The dancers form a circle and have a man each on their shoulders as they dance.
Dagura Dance: This is a folk dance that only a man of Birus tribe dance for amusement.
Besides, there is a Pali Dance that is done with a couple, a man and a woman. Dewari Godo is other tribal dance of the area.
(to be continued…)