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Dance
Himachal is a land of dances. Its dance forms are varied and some are quite
complicated. These dances are an inseparable part of tribal life which reflects
the great perseverance and good humour of the human beings in the face of
poverty and death. No festivity here is completed without dancing. The dance
forms like Dulshol, Dharveshi, Drodi, Dev Naritya, Rakshas Nritya, Dangi, Lasa,
Nati and Nagas are danced all over the state and provide a welcome break in the
monotony of life. These last for hours and the beats and gestures keep changing
from one stage to another.
The Mala (garland) Dance
The Kayang Mala dance is very popular in
Himachal. In this, the dancers
dressed in their traditional finery, weave their arms, together to form a sort
of a criss-cross pattern so that, they appear like beads in an intricately
woven garland. They drink chhang (a rice-brew) before the dance and that adds to
the lusty beauty of the dance.
The Demon
(Rakshasa) dance or Chhambha
 These dances from the Kinnaur area are reminiscent of the pre-historic
period. The Kinnaur folk are compared to playful deer. This dance form is
performed with demon masks numbering three, five, seven or nine. It depicts the
attack of the demons on the crops and their ritual chasing away by the forces of
good.
'Chhambha' is similar to the Punjabi dance
Bhangra. Dressed in their demon costumes
and masks, the dancers look quite awesome. These dances are arranged in areas
which have a dense population. During local festivals like Chaitol and Bishu,
community dancing can be seen. In these men and women hold hands and dance. The
leader is known as 'Ghure' and the rest follow in his footsteps. In some areas
men and women dance separately.
The Dalshone and Cholamba dances
These dances belong to the Ropa valley and in these the patterns formed by
the dancers look like coiled serpents. The Cholamba dance is performed when a
tiger is killed. The skin of the dead animal is stuffed and a gold ornament is
put in his nose. The carcass is then rotated and the people dance around
it.
The Nagas Kayang is a dance which copies the movement of a snake. The Herki
Kayang is faster in tempo and is danced to a romantic song. This dance is
performed by young men and women. The Shuna Kayang dance is danced in most
villages in the area and it combines both slow and fast movements. This depicts
scenes from the life in the village as also the forest.
Jataru Kayang
This is a popular dance at festivals. In this dance songs connected with the
festival are sung. As the musician play upon their instruments the leader of the
dance, dances with a traditional Chamar in his hands The chamar becomes a great source of resentment and
leads to fights among the dancers. The Ghure who is the leader of the dance has
to deposit a small fee at the temple of the deity for using the chamar.
The
Shan and Shabu dances
These
are two popular dances of the Lahaul valley people and are danced at the
Buddhist Gompas in the memory of the Buddha. Shan means a song of prayer for the
Buddha. Dances danced to these songs are known as Shan dances. It is a tribal
dance which is performed at the completion of the harvesting of crops. The
instrument played in this are drums, shehnai and a stringed instrument like a
violin.
A
similar dance known as Shabbo is performed at festivals. It depicts the feelings
and beliefs of the people in this area. These dances are linked to the local
religious festivals.
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