Dances of Madhya Pradesh
Tribal Dance Forms
Madhya Pradesh has been, and still is, to a large extent dominated by its tribal population. So it is not surprising that the ethnic dance and music of Madhya Pradesh is also tribal in nature.
The colourful Maria Gonds of Bastar celebrate almost every significant event in their lives by dancing. One of their most famous dance tradition is the spectacular marriage dance, the Gaur do catch a performance if you can.
The head dress that the Maria Gonds wear for the dance is made of bison horn, raw silk and feathers and is handed down from father to son. Like the American Indians, the Maria Gonds attach great importance to their head dress; a Maria may give a bullock in exchange for a good pair of horns. The traditional marriage ceremony of the Marias is simple - theres just the dance and the feast after it
Murias Tribes Drum Dance
Their neighbours, the Murias, are known for their tradition drum dances called Mandri. It is mainly the dance of boys, who play the drum along with dancing. Sometimes girls also join them, though they appear grouped separately.
The dance movements and steps of the boys are often complicated, involving kneeling, jumping, gyrating and the like, but at no time is there a let-up in the playing of the drum.
All over India the harvest means celebration and dancing. So it is for the tribals here. Women in the Bundelkhand region dance the Jawara, in which they carry the newly harvested grains of the jowar (sorghum) crop on their heads in baskets. They skilfully keep their baskets balanced on their heads without using their hands even though the dance is often quite fast-paced.
The Folk Theatre
The Maach of Madhya Pradesh is a folk theatre form presented largely through traditional song and dances. Men portray all the characters and the themes are generally historical or borrowed from folk legends about kings and warriors. There is not much of acting, as the theme unfolds mainly through song and dance. The singing is generally done by the dancers themselves, but there are supporting musicians too. The climax of the performance often shows the principal characters dancing in a cloud of coloured powder.
Folk Dance
The dances are to some extent influenced by the folk dances of the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. The womens dances are full of swirls, with one hand holding the ghunghat (veil worn over the face) and the other poised on the waist
Other interesting dances of the tribals of Madhya Pradesh are the Phag (a sword dance) and Lota (a dance performed by women who balance full pitchers of water on their heads).
