Indian folk dances are vibrant and celebrate the vitality of life. Indian folk dances are usually performed on special occasions like the arrival of a new season, the coming of festivals and weddings. Indian folk dances are different from Indian classical dances in that the classical dances are mostly for entertainment or aesthetic purposes. However, Indian folk dances are usually performed for a particular occasion or for practical purposes. Here are some of my favorite folk dances :

Dollu Kunitha is a folk dance from Karnataka. The dancers of dollu kunitha are talented dance artists. They carry a drum and beat the drum in a choreographed dance. The Dollu Kunitha dance is very vigorous and requires the dancers to have endurance and strength. Sometimes the dancers must lift other dancers, which require muscular strength.

Ghumura Folk Dance is a folk dance from Orissa. There are also classical dance versions of the ghumura dance, but for today we’ll just be focusing on ghumura folk dance. When the ghumura dance was first performed it was performed before a battle to raise the adrenaline of soldiers going into battle. The Ghumura folk dance includes the sheep and hen fighting dance, the cow foot dance and other dances.

Bhangra Dance is a dance from the Punjabi region. Bhangra used to be a dance performed only by men, but now it is performed by women as well. Bhangra dance is vivacious and infectious to watch. The costumes are colorful, with the men wearing a sash at the waist, a shirt called kurta and a turban on the head.  The women wear baggy pants that are tight at the ankles and a colorful shirt called kameez.

Padayani is a traditional folk dance from Kerala. Padayani is a religious dance that involves the art of storytelling and satire. The villagers perform the dance of Padayani for long life, health, wealth, and protection from evil. According to the legend, the dances were performed to pacify the goddess Deva and her lust for blood.