Dances of West Bengal

The culture of West Bengal is renowned, worldwide, for its richness and variety. The cuisines, music, costumes, language and wonderful dances of the state are important constituents of its rich and varied culture. The folk dance forms of West Bengal are known for their beauty and fervor. The dance encyclopedia of this rich culture includes a wide variety within itself. Each region of the state has something different to exhibit. Altogether, it forms a wonderful combination of varied dance forms. Here, we will provide you information on the six most popular dance forms of West Bengal.

Brita Dance

The land of West Bengal is famous for its festive culture and adorable art. Music and beats run in the veins of Bengali people. There are several kinds of folk music and dances prevalent in various parts of the state. Amongst the chosen few, the Brita Dance, also known as Vrita Dance, is considered to be very special. In Bengali culture, the Vrita is more than a simple dance. In fact, it is considered to be a prayer, full of thankfulness, from the devotee to the almighty and as such, has religious overtures.

Brita Dance is actually a traditional folk dance of West Bengal. It is generally performed by the barren women of the state, in order to invoke the blessings of the Gods, so that their wishes for a child are fulfilled. After getting their wishes are granted, the women again dance in the temple premises, to appease the deity and thank him for his blessings. The dance is also performed after recovery from a life threatening crisis or a contagious disease, like small pox or chicken pox. It is still prevalent in rural Bengal.

 

 

Gambhira Dance

The folk dances of West Bengal hold a special place in Bengali culture. They complement the beautiful culture of the state, by their colorfulness and festivity. Initially, the folk dances were either agricultural or devotional. Gradually, the agricultural dances gave place to dances more inclined towards devotion and religion. One of the famous devotional dances of Bengal is Gambhira, the sacred devotional dance performed by worshippers of Shakti. The dance is named so because it is performed in the dance hall of the Chandi Mandir - Gambhira, which has a specially constructed pavilion in front of the shrine, for the dance.

Gambhira dance is performed on the song of the same name. In this dance, there are two main dancers, who are accompanied by a chorus. The two main dancers perform the role of nana (maternal grandfather) and nati (grandson), respectively. The dancer playing the character of nati wears a string of bells around his ankles. Through this dance, the two dancers indulge in dialogue and express their concerns about social, political, economic and moral problems of contemporary culture and society. The chorus behind them repeats the catchphrase of the song.

Gambhira dance is performed along with musical instruments, like harmonium, flute, drum and judi. A complete combination of all the art forms, like dialogue, dance, songs and music, it seems like documentary-dance form or a folk play. When the chorus repeats the refrain, the two main dancers perform the dance. When they sing and perform, the chorus takes a backstage. The mask-wearing Gambhir dancers of Maldah are famous amongst this dance fraternity. Though this dance has now lost much of its popularity, it is still performed in Rajshahi.

  

Chhau Dance

Chhau Dance is one of the most renowned tribal martial dances of India. The dance is known as Seraikella Chau in Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj Chau in Orissa and Purulia Chhau in West Bengal. Since the dance is supposed to have originated in the Purulia district of Bengal, it is known as such in the state. Purulia Chhau dance differs quite a lot from its counterparts from other states of India and has distinctive characters of its own. It is internationally renowned for its beauty and perfection.

Purulia Chau is performed on the Sun festival, which falls in the Chaitra month of Hindu calendar i.e. March-April as per the Gregorian calendar. However, it is not limited to the festival; the dance can be performed on other occasions in the state as well. For instance, on Republic day of 1995, Chau dance was the approved theme of West Bengal's tableau. The dance is basically themed on the epical stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The most popularly used themes (ragas) are Vira and Rudra, symbolizing power and strength.

In the countryside performances of Purulia Chhau, there is no elevated stage and the dancer performs on the flat ground, with people sitting encircling them. While performing in some show or on a wider platform, an elevated stage is used for the performance. The dance is accompanied with loud beats and triumphs and instruments like drum and marui. It starts with a drum beat, followed by an invocation to Lord Ganesha, the Hindu God of Wisdom. The dancer is supposed to wear heavy colorful head masks and perform the steps with vigor.

 

 

 

Santhal Dance

Santhal is one of the most abundantly found tribes in India. A major chunk of this tribe can be found in West Bengal and Jharkhand. Santhal tribe has a rich cultural lineage and immense solidarity. Its members are basically the devotees of 'Thakurji', the deity they believe created this world. They move to the beats of music, to celebrate the glory of nature, raise a message and offer prayers to the presiding deity of their tribe, through a dance known as Santhal dance.

The Santhal dance is considered to be one of the best tribal folk dances of India, which offers immense vibrancy and cheerfulness. This dance is supposed to be a replica of the folk dance of Madhya Pradesh. Santhal dance is generally performed by both the men and women of the Santhali tribe. It often covers issues related to gender and land rights.

While performing, the male Santhali dancers are dressed up in dhoti and make use accessories, like turban, tree leaves, flowers and bushes, during the dance. The dance is basically performed on special occasions. During the spring festival, it is performed to the glory of nature. Santhali dance is accompanied with folk music instruments like flutes, pipes, drums and cymbals.

  

Tusu Dance

West Bengal is a land of rich culture and lots of festivity. Almost every region in the state has a specific folk dance and music attached to it. These folk traditions are basically related to some specific season of festival. The Tusu Dance of Birbhum district is one of them. It is basically performed in the month of Pausa, during the Gregorian months of December and January. The dance is basically related to the Tusu Parab (Tusu Festival), which is celebrated on the day of Makar Sankranti.

Tusu dance is basically the celebration of the arrival of an auspicious and pleasant season. Groups of girls from the district go to the riverside every evening, in the Pausa month, to sing and perform. On the day of Makar Sankranti, they gather together at the riverside, to worship the clay and cowdung idol of Goddess Tusu. They sing and perform dances in front of the deity, asking for a good groom. The dance is very elegant and graceful and creates a wonderful atmosphere, when accompanied by a melodious song from the rich collection of Tusu music.

The entire Tusu dance has traditional-folk essence attached to it. The dance is performed by men as well, when it is known as ' Bhaduriya Saila'. In Tusu dance man move in clockwise direction and the women in anti-clockwise direction. It is basically performed by unmarried girls and boys and at some places, it is mandatory to be performed by a virgin girl. It is customary for the dancers to take a ceremonial bath in the river before this performance. The dance is performed in groups and is simple in nature, without any accompanying musical instrument.

 

 

 

Lathi Dance

Dance is a unique art of expression. Be it celebration, remorse, anger, love or pain, dance moves can clearly define every expression. Talking about the Lathi dance of West Bengal, performed on Muharram, it confines within itself the feeling of remorse and anger, associated with this Muslim festival. During the first ten days of Muharram, the Lathi players display their art at several places, like road and country yards.

The final performance of the Lathi dance is done at the Karbala ground, with 6-8 feet long bamboo stick, angled with metal tip, which is used like a sword during the performance. The dance is basically performed by a group of youths. The zeal is maintained by the sound of drums and brass cymbals. It is more like a sporty event, rather than a dance, mainly because it is more demonstration of valor, than being an art.

Lathi dance is divided into several sections - introduction, different warlike positions, battle, decree and rest. The tempo, which begins on slower note, gains fervor with time and finally goes to extreme at the climax. In the entire performance, the dancers skillfully spin their sticks, moving them to the front or sides. They also move these sticks under their legs or over their heads, along with the music. They create a warlike atmosphere with this performance.