Dance is an important aspect in the lives of people living in Northeast India and hence many age-old dance forms are still practiced and kept alive.
Folk dance forms in the Northeast states showcases vibrant culture and rich tradition which depict the tradition of a certain state or community and some are performed to worship the deity.
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Bihu, Mayubhanj Chhau, and Manipuri dance being the common folk dance form known worldwide by the people, but there is more to the glory of the dance forms of the Northeast states.
Here is a list of folk dance forms of the Northeast states:
Bihu
This popular folk dance form is performed during the festival of Bihu in Assam.
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The dance is performed by young men and women, accompanied by the playing of pipes & drums.
The lyrics used in the songs play a vital role as it propagates love.
Dancers are usually seen forming circles or rows before commencing the dance.
Bagurumba
The Bodo tribe of Assam practices this dance form.
This dance form is usually performed by women.
This dance is accompanied by instruments like drums and flutes.
Since Bagurumba is believed to have been inspired from nature, it can be further classified into different dance forms – each inspired from elements of nature like animals, plants, birds, insects, water, air and so on.
Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem
Shad Suk Mynsiem is a dance festival which is celebrated after every successful harvest season in Meghalaya.
The dance is performed by men and unmarried women or young girls.
The dancers make two different circular formations with the girls taking the inner circle and the men forming the outer circle.
While the dance movements of the girls are subtle in nature, the men make all the difficult moves.
Various instruments like flutes, Spanish guitars and a host of percussions are used.
Wangala
Wangala dance is a part of the Wangala festival.
It’s a major festival of the Gar community in Meghalaya, performed after the harvest season.
This festival includes ceremonies to appease the deity “Patigipa Rarngipa”, which is held in altogether villages.
The four days and nights of the festival are completed by dancing and merriment.
Ponung
Ponung being the traditional folk dance of Arunachal Pradesh, is performed before the harvest of staple crops which involves women dancers.
They ‘perform dance by forming formations by holding each other’s hand.
These dancers are led by a man who sings various songs and uses a sword-like musical instrument known as ‘Yoksha’.
This is the only instrument used in the entire act.
Wancho Dance
This dance is performed in the state of Arunachal Pradesh by the Wancho tribe during festivals or important cultural events.
The dancers wear traditional attire with the men folk wielding a sword in their right hand.
The performance usually begins when the men start singing and dancing.
They follow a peculiar dance step which involves thrusting of the sword.
Hojagiri
Hojagiri is one of the most important dance forms of Tripura.
The dance is performed during festivals, such as ‘Laxmi Puja’, ‘Durga Puja’ and the third day of ‘Dusshera’.
While women dance gracefully by balancing bottles or earthen lamps on their head, men take care of the musical part.
Dhol Cholom
One of the instruments that dominate Manipuri dances is the drum.
Dhol Cholom, a drum dance is one of the dances performed during Holi festival in Manipur.
The dance is performed by men who display acrobatic moves while playing the dhol.
The dance usually begins with a slow tempo and gradually gathers pace.
Cheraw Dance
The traditional dance form of Mizoram is a set of skillfully formulated moves which involves movement of bamboo staves.
While the men move horizontally and vertically held bamboo staves, women dance in between them and the challenge is not to get caught between the staves.
The movement of the staves makes a unique beat and it helps the dancers to move accordingly.
Chang Lo
Chang Lo dance is traditionally performed in the state of Nagaland to celebrate victory over an enemy.
Since it is a war dance, dancers deck up in costumes worn by warriors and display war tactics.
Women on the other hand drool over their heroes and the same is performed in the dance.
Maruni
Performed by both men and women wearing colorful clothes, Maruni is performed in weddings of Sikkim.
The performers are accompanied by a joker called ‘Dhatu Waray’ who makes fun of others.
Nine different musical instruments, collectively called ‘Naumati Baja,’ are used in the performance.
Though the dance traces its origin to Nepal, it forms an important part of the culture of Sikkim as well.