Cultural Dances of West Bengal

-:|| Cultural Dances of West Bengal ||:-

1. Gaudiya nritya (Classical)

2. Gambhira (Maldah)

3. Raibenshe (Birbhum)

4. Chhau (Purulia)

5. Jhumur (Bankura)

6. Tusu (Jhargram)

7. Sharul (Medinipur)

8. Kathi (Medinipur)

9. Dhali (24 Parganas)

10. Rava (Jalpaiguri)

11. Kushan (Kochbihar)

12. Gajan (Hooghly, Bardhaman)

13. Kirtan (Nadia)

14. Dhunuchi (Kolkata)

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1) Gaudiya nrittya : Gaudiya Nritya is the Classical Bengali dance tradition that originates from Gauda the historical & empirical capital of Bengal. The age of this dance is more than four thousand years. Gaudiya nritya has been archaeologically known in Bengal from the 4th century BCE from the artefacts found from Chandraketugarh, a 2,300 years old archaeological site located near the Bidyadhari river, about 35 kilometres north-east of Kolkata. The 8th Century Pala period paintings, Charyapadas, Gitagovindas and Mangalkavyas also illustrates the images of classical Gaudiya nritya. Among the dance customs found in the sculptures of Deolia Temple and Begunia Temple in Bardhaman,Jorh Bangla Temple in Bishnupur,Terracotta Temple and Shyam Rai Temple, the genre of Gaudiya nritya can be clearly identified.

2) Gambhira : The Gambhira dance is performed all over the Malda district of North Bengal during the festival of Chaitra Sankranti. The masks are made out of neem and fig trees by the local Sutradhar community. 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.

3) Raibenshe : Raibenshe  is a genre of Indian folk martial dance performed by male only. This genre of dance was once very popular in West Bengal. Presently, it is performed mostly in Birbhum, Bardhaman and Murshidabad districts.

4) Chhau : The Chhau dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes found in Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism. The costumes vary between the styles, with Purulia using masks to identify the character. The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other Indian literature.

5) Jhumur : Jhumur is a community dance of Bengal performed during the harvest season and festivals.  The dance is mostly performed in open places. Traditional Musical instruments generally used are Dhol, Mandar, Bansi, Nagara, Dhak and Shehnai etc.

6) Tusu : 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.

7) Sharul : One of the most popular tribal festivals celebrated across Medinipur region of Bengal, Sarhul festival marks the beginning of New Year. It is celebrated by the Oraon, the Munda and the Ho tribes. Celebrated every year in the first month of the Hindu calendar, on the third day of the moon or the fortnight of 'Chaitra', Sarhul marks the advent of the spring season or “Phaagun” and is celebrated till the month of June or “Jeth”.

8) Kathi : The Kathi dance is usually performed by men in a group and the songs bear the stories of the daily occupations of villagers. The dance exhibits the skilful exposition of the rhythmic foot-work which is accompanied by the beating of sticks by the performers. These dances are repetitive in nature and the rhythm of the dance is maintained by performing for long periods.

9) Dhali : Dhali is a war motive dance style very similar to Pyrrhichios, but it expresses the defensive manner of war. Dhali comes from the word Dhal that refers to a shield of defense. Dhali dances portray the shieldmen in the troops. This dance form is widely popular in the aboriginal community of Bengal. The courage, excitement, pain, emotion, offense, defense, fear, and other war feeling are expressed by facial expression as well as dance gesture. Paika is another similar type of war dance in West Bengal. This style of dancing includes acrobatics, mock fighting, and martial orders.

10) Rava :  The females of Rava tribe is very industrious. They wear dresses made by themselves. The original dresses are : Lukun, Kambang and Phakchek. Rountuk Bai, the combined Laxmi-Parvati goddess is worshipped as the main deity. Arrangement of Rountuk is done by the ladies. The notable dance are: Hangai Sani— the dance of sowing paddy seeds and Nakcheng Reni— dance of catching shrimps and prawns in rivers. Another famous dance is Handabaru—a battle dance with shield and sword.

11) Kushan : Kushan dance or kushan nritya or kushan gaan is a Rajbongshi folk drama form based on Krittivasi Ramayan. The artistes narrate the story of Ramayan in Kamtapuri or Rajbongshi language through musical verses. The Kushan folk theater is traceable to the 15th century when the Koch dynasty ruled northern region of West Bengal, and the current northern Bangladesh. The name, Kushan, has its sources in the name Kush, the second son of Sita.

12) Gajan : The Gajan dance is associated with such deities as Shiva, Neel and Dharmaraj. Gajan spans around a week, starting at the last week of Choitro continuing till the end of the Bengali year. It ends with Charak Puja.

13) Kirttan : The most outstanding feature of the Kirttan dance is that it can be performed by members of the whole village without any distinction on the basis of caste, class or religion. Thus the rich and poor, young and old, zamindar and tenant all freely participate in it. The dance is quite simple with the devotees forming a ring and moving round in a circular pattern raising and lowering their hands with the beating of the musical instruments.

14) Dhunuchi : During the Durga puja in Bengal, it is common to have dhunuchi nritya, or a frenzied dance with the censer, to the accompaniment of feverish dhak rolls. Many puja traditions also organize contests for the best dance, where some performers may go with as many as three Dhunuchis - the third one held between the teeth.