15 Folk Dance Of Odisha
Below mentioned 15 folk dances of odisha origins from tribal culture.
- Odishi dance
- Karama dance
- Danda dance
- Danda nata dance
- Pala dance
- Dalkhai dance
- Devdashi dance
- Changa dance
- Cheev dance
- Kharia dance
- Gadava dance
- Jhumair nacha
- Chhau dance
- Santali dance
- Sakhi nacha
- Sakhi kandei nacha (East-indian poppets dance)
Odishi Dance –
The odishi dance form of Odisha (Orissa) is one of the six accepted classical dance forms of India. Like all other Indian classical dances, this too has its beginnings in religion and philosophy with an origin in the temples of Orissa (Orissa). The rhythms, bhangis and postures used in odishi dance have their own distinctive styles. The dance is mainly performed with the theme of infinite love of Lord Krishna and Radha.
The associated art of this dance and music, more popularly known as Panchama Veda, was played with success in Odisha (Orissa) from a very ancient time. It was King Mahameghavahan Kharvela, a skilled master in the art of dance and music, who, through his royal patronage, provided a strong step for the further development of this art.
The Hathi Gampha inscription states that in his third royal year, King Kharavela entertained the people of the capital by organizing dance and musical performances. This great tradition created by Kharavela was followed by the latter rulers of Odisha (Orissa), and the art progressed under the patronage of the Bhamkara and Somvanshi emperors.
However, the community that played the biggest role in popularizing this art – by giving it a news, a new hope and horizon – was the community of temple maids or devadasis. The Devadasis or Maharis used to perform this dance form and perform it as a prayer or ritual before the Lord. At first, only a few mantras accompanied his nrishti. But after Jayadeva composed the Gita Govindam, thus incorporating acting into the dance form, the grace of this dance form was revived.
odishi dance would have been reduced inside temples but for Ray Ramananda – a playwright and composer – who introduced it in another form he taught odishi to some boys and performed the dance form as Gotipua nacha. He convinced Chaitanya Deva that singing and dancing were also forms of prayer. Thus, the odishi dance form was enriched by the encouragement of various kings and an extensive Vaishnava cult. Subsequently, odishi was further refined and became more of a dance form than Gotipua Nacha.
odishi consists of both Tandava and Lasya elements. It has the Navalla system but the element that sets odishi apart from other dance forms is grace. In Odyssey, the torso movement is considered very important which is soft, emotional and beautiful. The original body position is the chauka which is believed to be a replica of the body position of Lord Jagannath.
The dance is mentioned in the Bharat Natya Shastra as ‘Odra Magadhi’ – one of the ancient names of Odisha (Orissa) apart from Kalinga and Utkal. The five divisions of odishi are Mangalacharan, Sauhai or Batu, Pallavi, Abhinaya and Moksha. odishi has its own style and music.
Like other classical dance forms, the Guru Shisya tradition is prevalent in odishi. It takes about five to seven years to be trained in this style. But, as the Guru says, even the whole life’s dedication seems to reduce the Guru completely in this form.
Famous odishi Dancers – Some of the famous odishi dancers are Guru Pankaj Charan, Guru Kelucharan, Late Deprasad, Late Sanjakt Panirahi, Kumkum Mohanty, Indrani Rehema, Guru Nabakishore, Guru Gangadhar, Guru Ranbir, Guru Subarat Pattaniyak and Ilina.
The famous folk dance of Odisha (Orissa) are:
Cheev Dance –
Famous Folk Dance of Odisha (Orissa) Cheev Dance – An ancient dance practiced in the areas of Mayurbhanj district, and which originated from the mock fights of Odia warriors, is known for its masculine vitality. The Cheevs of Sareikela (Jharkhand) and Purulia (West Bengal) are a slightly different dance form from Mayurbhanj of Odisha (Orissa), performed during the Chaita Parba in the open air on a vertical platform.
This dance comprises of Tandava and Lasya elements representing Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati respectively. Percussion instruments, such as traditional drums and other musical instruments, are generally played. Complex leg movements, herds and jumps reflect emotion rather than facial expressions. Hence the feet, legs and waist are used to depict the Bhavas. It is a thematic dance featuring popular episodes from the epics and Puranas.
The Chhav dance begins with the Ranga Vaidya – a piece of indigenous musical instrument that inspires the dancers, followed by the orchestra picking up the initial melody of the dance in slow steps. In the next phase, ‘Naata’, the thematic content of the performance and the play is created. The concluding stage is ‘Nataki’, when vigorous movements of the dancers develop a high tempo. Equally popular, a form of war or martial dance, pyika depicts warfare tactics.
Other folk dances include the Chaitighoda, or dummy horse dance, a traditional fishermen’s dance. Inside the frame of the horse the dancer performs the swirling movements of a horse with two other characters Rauta and Rautani singing and dancing to entertain the audience throughout the night.
Girls in the Sambalpur region dance and sing Dhalkhei to the beats of drums, tenkis and nissan, to which a lover briefly questions a song in the form of a song and accordingly revives her beloved.
One of the oldest folk dance of Odisha (Orissa), Danda Nata is a culture where Lord Shiva and his wife Ghori practice. Devotees perform severe penance by walking on a bed of red-hot live charcoal, standing on standing swords or piercing the skin with their tongues or iron nails.
Read – odishara sanskruti
Read also – Deha o mana
In the rural dance, Medha Nacha, the performer puts on a mask and dances to the rhythm of enchanting music in a religious procession. Made of paper mache, the mask can be human, divine or animal
Odisha (Orissa) Tribal Dances
The colorful costumes of the tribes, made of animal cones and shells and their dances with drums, flutes and string instruments leave the audience spellbound. These lively and spontaneous dances continued to be performed on occasions of birth, death and naming ceremonies, marriages, changing seasons and many fairs and festivals. The dancers are mostly performed by groups of men and women and are accompanied by a song.
Changa dance and Karma dance are also some of the tribal folk dance of Odisha (Orissa). The styles of dance and music by the Sor, Gond, Koya, Kond and Gadaba tribes are mostly different.