Folk Dances of India

 Folk Dances of India

There is really no such genre as folk dancing.  Rather, there is a large body of unrelated non-classical dance forms.  The only thing common among these dance forms is their rural origins.

Many folk dances are performed by ordinary people rather than professional dancers.  It is very usual that on special occasions, the villagers gather. They sing and dance, accompanying themselves on a variety of folk instruments. Sometimes the folk dances are performed by professionals. 

The following is a very short and incomplete list of folk and tribal dances.

FOLK DANCE     |        STATES

Bathakamma     |        Andhra Pradesh

Bihu                       |        Assam

Bagurumba         |        Assam

Bhangra               |        Punjab

Changu                 |        Orissa and Andhra Pradesh

Daankara            |        Punjab

Gair                       |        Rajasthan

Garba                    |        Gujarat

Ghoomar             |        Rajasthan

Giddha                 |        Punjab

Gobbi                    |        Andhra Pradesh

Jhoomar              |        Orissa

Kavadi                  |        Tamil Nadu

Karagam              |        Tamil Nadu

Kushan                 |        West Bengal

Mathuri                |        Andhra Pradesh

Raas                       |        Gujarat

Sakhi Nata          |        Orissa

Terahtali             |        Rajasthan

Yaksha Gana      |        Karnataka

Refer the given text to answer the following questions:

1. From where do these dance forms originate?

(A) Urban areas                               (B) Rural areas

(C) Slum areas                                 (D) Dance theatres

2. Which of these is the dance form of Andhra Pradesh?

(A) Bathakamma                             (B) Changu

(C) Mathuri                                      (C) All of these

3. Daankara is the folk dance of which state?

(A) Rajasthan      (B) Gujarat           (C) Punjab           (D) Orissa

4. Which of these is Rajasthan’s Folk dance?

(A) Ghoomar       (B) Giddha           (C) Sakhi Nata     (D) None of these

5. Which of these is not the folk dance of Orissa?

(A) Jhoomar        (B) Mathuri         (C) Changu          (D) Sakhi Nata

6. Which of these is the folk dance of Assam?

(A) Raas               (B) Gair                (C) Bihu                (D) All of these

7. Which of these is the folk dance of Rajasthan?

(A) Gair                (B) Ghoomar       (C) Terahtali        (D) All of these

8. Kushan is the folk dance of which state?

(A) West Bengal                               (B) Andhra Pradesh

(C) Orissa                                          (D) Tamil Nadu

9. Which of these is the folk dance of Tamil Nadu?

(A) Kavadi                                        (B) Karagam       

(C) None of these                            (D) All of these

10. Which of these is the folk dance of both Orissa and Andhra Pradesh?

(A) Sakhi Nata     (B) Changu          (C) Daankara       (D) Bathakamma

Answer keys
(1) (B); (2) (D); (3) (C); (4) (A); (5) (B); (6) (C); (7) (D); (8) (A); (9) (D); (10) (B)