Dances of India

Dances of India by Dr. Maha Gingrich

When we think of Rajasthan, we think of beautiful palaces shown in movies like Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. We also see the elaborate royal clothing and jewelry. As a dancer when I think of Rajasthan, I think of the pirouettes, swirls, acrobatic movements, and incredible costumes with vibrant colors, the intricate folk jewelry, timeless and diverse dances.

Rajasthani dances require not only grace, but also elegance, flexibility, acrobatic moves, and dynamic music filled with toe-tapping tempo. A few years ago, when we did the Ghoomar dance during Dances of India production, people were spellbound.

Ghoomar, meaning going in circles, was originally restricted to be performed only by Rajput women (the royal families). Here the ladies dance with elegant hand movements wearing colorful lahangas or large skirts. As they go in circles the skirts flare beautifully giving you a spectacular dimension.

The Indian movie Padmaavat has an amazing and spectacular representation of the Ghoomar dance. It is very rare to see such beautiful and pure dance styles in Bollywood.

Then there is a dance of chivalry called Geendad. This is an exclusively male dance requiring years of experience as they carry swords or sticks and jump and exchange positions in a circle. These are real swords making it a dangerous dance form like the martial arts of Kerala.

Same kind of precision is needed as they also do fire dances where they eat fire and jump through the fire rings. Yes! Like in the Renaissance festival.

The other exclusively male dance is the Gair. It was originally performed only by men but has now developed into an inclusive dance form. However, usually men and women dance in separate circles. Men wear long, pleated tunics that open out into full-length skirts. Here when they are dancing it seems as if they are depicting a scene from war front. It is believed by the locals that this dance must have got some significance to war.

This form of dance is also seen in Africa and Central Asia.

The sticks used in the dance are called Khanda. These sticks are very attractive and catch every eye. The sticks play vital role in the dance. They are very thin and don’t carry much weight and give a flare look. These sticks are cut from the gundi tree and involve little cleaning