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Dance
Ghoomar Dance:
This is basically a community dance for women and performed on auspicious
occasions. Derived from the word ghoomna, piroutte, this is a very simple
dance where the ladies move gently, gracefully in circles. The Ghoomar is the
characteristic dance of the Bhils. Men and women sing alternately and move
clockwise & anticlockwise giving free and intended play to the ample folds of
ghagra.
Chari Dance:
This is popular in the Kishangarh region and involves dancing with a chari, or
pot, on one's head. A lighted lamp is then placed on the pot.
Fire Dance:
The Jasnathis of Bikaner and Churu are renowned for their tantric power and
the dance is in keeping with their lifestyles. A large ground is prepared with
live wood and characoal where the Jasnathi men and boys jump on to the fire to
the accompaniment of drum beats. The music gradually rises in tempo and
reaches a crescendo, the dancers seem to be in a trance, like state. This is a
desert dance.
Terahtaal:
Terahtaal is derived from the hindo word '13', it is performed with the aid of
13 cymbals, which are fastened to the bodies of the female dancers who are
accompanied by male singers and drummers. It is performed in honour of the
local diety, Ramdev, and can be seen at the Ramdevra festival which is held in
August or September at the small village of Ramdevra, near Pokhran in western
Rajasthan.
Gair Ghoomar:
This is one of the
many dance-forms of the Bhil tribals. Performed during Holi festival, this is
among a few performances where both men and women dance together, dressed in
traditional costume. At the commencement of the dance, participants form two
circles, the women, who form a small inner circle, are encompassed by men, who
form a large circle around them, and who determine the rhythm of the dance by
the beating together of sticks and striking of drums. As the dance proceeds,
the participants change places, with men forming the inner circle.
Drum Dance:
This is a professional dance-form from Jalore. Five men with huge drums around
their necks, some with huge cymbals accompany a dancer who holds a naked sword
in his mouth and performs vigorously by twirling three painted sticks.
Gair:
Another holi dance but performed only by men. This becomes dhandia gair in
Jodhpur and Greendad in Shekhwati. It is a dance of southern Rajasthan
originally.
Teerah Taali:
The Kamad community of Pokhran and Deedwana perform this dance in honour of
their diety, Baba Ramdeo. In this the men play a four-stringed instrument
called a chau-tara and the women sit with dozens of manjeeras, or cymbals,
tied on all over their bodies and strike them with the ones they hold in their
hands. Sometimes, the women also hold a sword between their teeth or place
pots with lighted lamps on their heads. This dance is seen in fairs.
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