Traditional dances
Classical, folk and tribal dances of every State and UT: how they are performed and what they mean.
Showing 61–120 of 169
- Popir
पोपिर
The dance of Galo women at the Mopin spring festival, performed in white attire to songs that welcome prosperity and good health.
Arunachal PradeshTribal 
Ramlilaरामलीला
A folk enactment of the Ramayana staged over many evenings before Dussehra. The Ramlila of Ramnagar in Varanasi is among the best known.
Uttar PradeshFolk theatreUNESCO 2008
Raut Nachaराउत नाचा
A vigorous folk dance of the Yadav (Raut) cattle-herding community, performed with sticks and dohas after Diwali.
ChhattisgarhFolk- Saang (Swang) of rural Delhi
दिल्ली देहात का सांग (स्वांग)
An open-air folk musical theatre of the villages of rural Delhi and neighbouring Haryana, telling old stories through song, dialogue and dance.
DelhiFolk theatre - Sankirtana and Pung Cholom
संकीर्तन और पुंग चोलोम
The devotional singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur’s Vaishnava community, in which drummers leap and spin while playing the pung.
ManipurDevotionalUNESCO 2013 - Sattriya
सत्रीया
One of India’s eight classical dances, born in the Vaishnava monasteries (satras) of Assam in the tradition of Srimanta Sankardev.
AssamClassical - Tamasha
तमाशा
Travelling folk theatre of Maharashtra that mixes song, dance, comedy and drama, with Lavani at its centre.
MaharashtraFolk theatre - Therukoothu
तेरुकूत्तु
An all-night Tamil street theatre of song, dance and dialogue based on the epics, performed in villages of Puducherry and northern Tamil Nadu.
PuducherryFolk theatre - Tur and thali dance
तूर और थाली नृत्य
A tribal group dance of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, danced to the beat of the tur, a drum, and the ringing of a brass thali (plate).
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuTribal - Veeranatyam
वीरनाट्यम
A vigorous temple dance of Andhra Pradesh performed in honour of Veerabhadra, the fierce form of Shiva, to loud drums and trumpets.
Andhra PradeshDevotional - Aji Lhamu
अजी ल्हामु
A Monpa masked dance-drama in which performers in bright costumes enact a story with song and dance, staged at Losar and other festivals.
Arunachal PradeshFolk theatre 
Bagurumbaबागुरुम्बा
The graceful dance of the Bodo women of Assam, often called the butterfly dance for its soft, fluttering movements.
AssamTribal- Barada nati
बराड़ा नाटी
A group folk dance of the Jaunsari community of Jaunsar-Bawar in Dehradun district, performed at festivals and fairs.
UttarakhandTribal - Bhand Pather
भांड पाथेर
Kashmir's traditional folk theatre, in which troupes of Bhands mix satire, music, dance and comedy to comment on society.
Jammu and KashmirFolk theatre - Bidesia
बिदेसिया
Bhojpuri folk theatre of song, dance and drama about men who leave home to work far away and the families they leave behind.
BiharFolk theatre 
Chari danceचरी नृत्य
Women dance with brass pots (chari) balanced on their heads, with a lit lamp on top, showing the daily journey to fetch water in the desert.
RajasthanFolk- Chham masked dance
छम नृत्य
A ritual masked dance performed by Buddhist monks in the monasteries of Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur, showing the victory of good over evil.
Himachal PradeshRitual - Chheih lam
छेइह लाम
A lively dance of celebration in which dancers respond to songs (chheih hla) sung by a seated circle.
MizoramTribal - Dekhni
देखणी
A graceful Goan dance-song that blends Indian rhythm with Western melody, usually telling the story of a dancing girl and a boatman.
GoaFolk 
Dhimsaढिमसा
A group dance of the tribal communities of the Eastern Ghats, in which men and women link arms and move in circles to drums and pipes.
Andhra PradeshTribal
Gussadiगुस्साडी
The dance of the Raj Gond people of Adilabad, performed by men in tall peacock-feather headgear during the Dandari festival around Diwali.
TelanganaTribal- Jhumar
झूमर
A slow, graceful men's dance of swaying movements, danced in a circle around the drummer, often on moonlit nights after the harvest.
PunjabFolk - Koli dance
कोळी नृत्य
The joyful dance of the Koli fishing community of the Konkan coast and Mumbai, full of rowing and wave-like movements.
MaharashtraFolk - Kutiyattam
कूडियाट्टम
One of the oldest living theatre traditions in India: Sanskrit plays performed in Kerala’s temple theatres with elaborate gesture, slow acting and drumming.
KeralaRitualUNESCO 2008 - Lebang Boomani
लेबांग बूमानी
A Tripuri harvest dance that recalls catching the lebang insect, with men beating bamboo clappers and women dancing in rhythm.
TripuraFolk - Loor
लूर
A spring dance of girls from the Bangar region of Haryana, sung as questions and answers between two groups.
HaryanaFolk 
Maruniमारुनी
A colourful Nepali folk dance performed during Tihar (Deepavali), in which dancers in women’s finery go from house to house with music and songs.
SikkimFolk
Matkiमटकी
A graceful dance of Malwa women who balance earthen pots (matki) on their heads while dancing at weddings and festivals.
Madhya PradeshFolk- Mayurbhanj Chhau
मयूरभंज छऊ
The Odisha form of Chhau, a vigorous martial dance of Mayurbhanj performed without masks, telling stories from the epics and village life.
OdishaFolkUNESCO 2010 - Paika
पाइका
A martial dance of the Munda and other communities of Jharkhand, in which dancers with swords and shields recreate the moves of foot soldiers.
JharkhandMartial - Parichakali
परिचकली
Martial dance with sword and shield, in which pairs of men stage mock combat to rhythmic songs.
LakshadweepMartial - Poikkal kuthirai attam
पोइक्काल कुदिरै आट्टम
The 'false-legged horse' dance, in which a dancer wearing a dummy horse frame and wooden stilts prances like a horse.
PuducherryFolk - Portuguese-influenced folk dances of Daman and Diu
दमन और दीव के पुर्तगाली प्रभाव वाले लोकनृत्य
Couple and group dances of the Christian and Luso-Indian families of Daman and Diu, set to violin, guitar and songs that show four centuries of Portuguese influence.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuFolk 
Raibensheरायबेंशे
A martial folk dance of Bengal performed by men with acrobatic moves that imitate drawing a bow, hurling a spear and wielding a sword.
West BengalMartial- Raslila of Braj
ब्रज की रासलीला
Devotional dance-drama of Mathura and Vrindavan that enacts Shri Krishna's childhood and his dance with Radha and the gopis.
Uttar PradeshDevotional - Shondol
शोंडोल नृत्य
A graceful dance once performed for the kings of Ladakh, often called the royal dance of Ladakh.
LadakhFolk - Sua Nacha (parrot dance)
सुआ नाचा
A women’s folk dance in which a circle of dancers clap and sing around a clay parrot (sua) placed in a basket.
ChhattisgarhFolk 
Thang-Taथांग-टा
The traditional martial art of Manipur, using the sword (thang) and the spear (ta), performed today as both a fighting art and a graceful display.
ManipurMartial- Therukoothu
तेरुक्कूत्तु
Street theatre of northern Tamil Nadu that tells stories from the Mahabharata through song, dance and dialogue through the night.
Tamil NaduFolk theatre - Tippani
टिप्पणी नृत्य
A work dance from the Chorwad area of Saurashtra in which women beat the floor with long wooden poles while they sing.
GujaratFolk - Traditional dance of the Andamanese peoples
अंडमानी जनजातियों का पारंपरिक नृत्य
Dances of the Great Andamanese and Onge peoples, in which a singer keeps time by striking a wooden sounding board with the foot while the dancers stamp and leap around.
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsTribal 
Veeragaseवीरगासे
A vigorous devotional dance of Karnataka based on the legend of Veerabhadra, performed with a sword and shield during Shaiva festivals.
KarnatakaDevotional- Wangala
वांगला
The post-harvest thanksgiving dance of the Garo people, offered to the Sun God Misi Saljong, famous for the ‘100 Drums’ celebration.
MeghalayaTribal - Zeliang folk dances
ज़ेलियांग लोक नृत्य
Graceful group dances of the Zeliang Naga people of Peren district, known for their quick, light steps and harmony.
NagalandTribal 
Behdienkhlamबेहदीनखलम
A Pnar (Jaintia) festival of Jowai held to drive away plague and disease, with dancing, giant decorated structures and a ball game in a pool.
MeghalayaRitual- Bizu dance
बिजु नृत्य
A dance of the Chakma community performed at Bizu, the festival that marks the end of the Bengali year in mid-April.
TripuraTribal - Brokpa dance
ब्रोकपा नृत्य
Dances of the Brokpa people of the Dah–Hanu villages, performed in flower-decked headdresses at their harvest festival.
LadakhTribal 
Burra Kathaबुर्रा कथा
A Telugu storytelling theatre in which a lead narrator sings and dances with a tambura, while two companions add commentary and humour.
Andhra PradeshFolk theatre
Charkulaचरकुला
Braj folk dance in which women balance a tall, tiered wooden frame lit with oil lamps on their heads while dancing.
Uttar PradeshFolk- Dalkhai
दलखाई
A lively folk dance of western Odisha, performed by young women to the beat of the dhol and nisan during the Dussehra festival of Dalkhai.
OdishaFolk - Domkach
डोमकच
A lively dance and song of women held at the bride’s or groom’s home on the night of a wedding, full of teasing and humour.
BiharFolk - Gambhira
गम्भीरा
A masked folk dance and song form of Malda, performed at the Chaitra festival of Shiva, which mixes devotion with sharp comments on everyday life.
West BengalFolk theatre 
Gatkaगतका
The Sikh martial art of stick and sword fighting, shown in fast, rhythmic displays at religious processions and festivals such as Hola Mohalla.
PunjabMartial- Ghode Modni
घोडे मोडणी
A warrior dance of Goa in which men wear wooden horse frames at the waist and recreate the valour of mounted soldiers, mainly during Shigmo.
GoaMartial - Jhamakda
झमाकड़ा
A lively dance of the women of Kangra, performed at weddings with songs, teasing and laughter.
Himachal PradeshFolk 
Kachchhi Ghodiकच्छी घोड़ी
A lively dance in which men wear dummy horses made of bamboo and cloth and act out mock battles and tales of local bandits.
RajasthanFolk
Kamsaleकंसाले
A devotional dance of southern Karnataka in which devotees of Male Mahadeshwara swing and clash brass cymbals in rhythmic patterns while singing his praises.
KarnatakaDevotional- Karma dance
करमा नृत्य
A dance performed around a branch of the Karam tree during the Karma festival, when sisters pray for the well-being of their brothers and for good crops.
JharkhandTribal - Kavadi attam
कावड़ी आट्टम
A devotional dance in which pilgrims carry a decorated arch (kavadi) on their shoulders as an offering to Lord Murugan.
Tamil NaduDevotional - Khoria
खोड़िया
A women's dance and play held in the groom's home on the night the wedding party leaves, full of song, mimicry and fun.
HaryanaFolk
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