Folk dances and music of Rajasthan
In entire India, the name “Rajasthan” represents a rich and diverse culture and tradition. The vibrancy of Rajasthani culture and traditions reflects through its folk dance and music. After spending their days in the rocky terrain and under the scorching desert sun, people indulge themselves in various performing arts like singing, dancing, drama etc together with other community festivities that help to nurture their carefree and fun-loving attitude. Each region of the state exudes its own form of folk entertainment complemented by different songs, dance styles, and musical instruments.
Folk songs are commonly ballads that relate to love stories and heroic deeds, and devotional or religious songs widely known as banis and bhajans. Most prominent performers include Mirasis, Dholis, Bhaats, Bhopas, Nats etc and are found in abundance across the state. These traveling entertainers frequently put up shows that are not only pleasing aesthetically but also depict stories in a captivating and unique way. Here are some of the most popular forms of entertainment of the royal state.
RAJASTHANI FOLK DANCE STYLES
Akhepua Musical Group perform different forms of Rajasthani folk dances.
Rajasthani Chari Dance
One of the popular Rajasthani folk dances, Chari Dance portrays the art of collecting water in a pot or chari by the Rajasthani women. This famous dance form...

Rajasthani Bhawai Dance
A popular and difficult artistic folk dance, Bhawai Dance can only be performed by skilled Rajasthani folk dancers. Basically, this dance involves women performers...

Kalbelia Dance
An integral part of the Kalbelia culture, Kalbelia Dance is one of the most aesthetically beautiful Rajasthani folk dances. The performance involves...

Gramin Bhawai Dance
Gramin Bhawai Dance is one of the ancient and most popular Rajasthani folk dances. Bhavai or Bhawai dance form involves entertaining balancing acts...

Terah Taali Dance
Members of the Kamada tribe perform Terah Taali Dance which is one of the ancient and most popular Rajasthani folk dances and is performed with Manjeeras...

Gair Dance
Originated from the Bhil community, Gair Dance is one of the most colorful Rajasthani folk dances and performed mainly on festivals like Holi...

Kachhi Ghodi Dance
One of the most popular Rajasthani folk dances, Kachhi Ghodi Dance is performed by men with dummy horses. The performers rhythmically move to drum beats...

Ghoomar
Quintessentially Rajasthani, Ghoomar is perhaps the most popular folk dance in the country. Introduced by the Bhil tribe, this dance form was adopted...

Kathputli Dance
It is an ancient dance form based on popular legends that was started by the Bhat tribal community several thousand years ago. Performed...

Maand
Maand or Mand is the most sophisticated style of Rajasthan’s folk music and exclusively contributes to India’s classical music. Though it was only performed...

Pabuji Ki Phach
It is an amazing Rajasthani folk music that is performed in the commemoration of Pabuji, a 14th century folk hero of the Bhopa community. This music expresses...

Rajasthani musical instruments
The huge array of Rajasthani musical instruments is ingeniously made from a variety of materials by the performers themselves. Some of these simple...

Drum Dance
This is another very popular dance form of Rajasthan. Drum Dance belongs to the Jalore region. Enacted only by men, this dance involves five men hitting huge drums...

Fire Dance
It is a difficult and dangerous dance form that is mostly performed in the desert areas. This form portrays the lifestyle of Jasnathis of Chum and Bikaner...
