Cultural Activities (Traditional General Knowledge) (Part-III)

‘Thullal’ is a solo satiric dance form belonging to the state of Kerala.

‘Ghoomar’ is a folk-dance form, from the state of Rajasthan. It was the Bhil tribe who performed it to worship Goddess Sarasvati, which was later embraced by other Rajasthani communities. The dance is chiefly performed by veiled women who wear flowing dresses called ghagra.

Lezim or lazium is a folk dance form, from the state of Maharashtra in India. It is a group dance performed in formations of two or four in the villages of Maharashtra. Lezim is performed in colourful costumes, the dance involves a dholki and all the dancers carry Lezim which is an instrument with jingling cymbals. It is often played during the Ganesh festival.

‘Bolak-aat’ is a dance form, from the state of Karnataka. It is believed that Lord Vishnu, on his mission to kill the evil spirit ‘Bhasmasura’, performed 30 different dance forms, and ‘Bolkat’ is one among them.

‘Aaluyattu’ is a folk-dance form, from the state of Nagaland. The dance is performed by the Konyak tribe.

Bhavai and Kalbelia, as traditional dance forms, owe their genesis to Rajasthan.
Bhavai—It is a swaying and twirling movement performed by women but can also be performed by men. It involves tricky balancing acts such as balancing seven to nine brass pots on the head while standing on narrow or sharp objects.
Kalbelia—It is more often associated with the tribe - Kalbelia of Rajasthan. The women sway, twirl and gyrate to the music and use acrobatic dance steps to showcase the flexibility and the different instruments played by men.

Hafiza, Rouf, Dhumal, Bhand Jashan, Kud etc., are famous folk dances of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Dangi is a famous folk dance of Himachal Pradesh.

‘Bhavai’ is a traditional dance form of the state of Gujarat. Bhavai dance is considered to be a dance of emotions.

‘Kandian dance’ is a common dance form of Sri Lanka.

The Pashtun tribe of Pakistan performs a traditional dance called the ‘Waziri Dance’. Peshawar and Quetta are important centres of Pashtun culture in Pakistan.