Traditional dances of Himachal Pradesh
General
Himachali dance forms are highly varied and quite complicated. These dances are very vital part of the tribal life. It reflects the culture and the tradition of Himachal. Hardly any festivity here is celeberated without dancing. Some of the dance forms like Dulshol, Dharveshi, Drodi, Dev Naritya, Rakshas Nritya, Dangi, Lasa, Nati and Nagas are danced all over the region.
The Mala (garland) dance
The Kayang Mala dance is one of the most popular dance in Himachal. In this, the dancers are dressed in their traditional finery, weave their arms together to form a sort of a criss cross pattern in order to appear like beads in a woven garland. They drink chhang (a rice brew) before this dance.
The Demon (Rakshasa) dance
This dance form, from the Kinnaur and near by areas are redolent of the historic period. The Kinnaur folk are being compared to deers. The dance form is performed with demon masks. It represents the attack of the demons on the crops and their ritual pursuing away by the forces of good.[1] Chhambha is more or less same to the Punjabi dance Bhangra. These dance forms are generally organised in areas having dense population. During thier local festivals like Chaitol and Bishu, such a type of community dancing can be witnessed. In this dance form men and women hold hands and dance. Their leader is known as Ghure and others follow in his footsteps.
Dalshone and Cholamba dances
The following dance forms belong to the Ropa valley and in these dances the pattern formed by the dancers seems to be as coiled serpents. The Cholamba dance is generally performed when a tiger is killed. The dead animal's skin is stuffed and a gold ornament is put in his nose. The remains of the dead is then rotated and people dance around it.
The Nagas Kayang is a dance form which copies the snakes's movement. The Herki Kayang is faster in rhythym and is generally danced at romantic occasions. The dance is performed by young men and women.
The Shuna Kayang dance is danced in most of the villages and its rhythym combines both slow and fast movements. This represents scenes from the life in the village and the forests.
Shan and Shabu dances
These are 2 most popular dances of the Lahaul valley and are generally danced at the Buddhist Gompas in the memory of the Buddha. Shan means a prayer for the Buddha. Dances danced to these prayers are termed as Shan dances. This is a tribal dance which is performed after the completion of the harvesting of crops. Some of the instruments played in this are drums, shehnai and a stringed instrument like a violin.
A similar dance form known as Shabbo is also performed at festivals. It represents the beliefs and lifestyle of the tribal people of the region. These dance forms are linked to the local festivals.