Rajasthan has a very rich and varied cultural heritage. When it comes to art, Rajasthan has everything in abundance – be it folk dances, drama, music, handicraft. As far as Rajasthani dances are concerned, they are not only spectacular but also very colorful.
Bhavai Dance – Traditional Folk Dance of Rajasthan
Bhawai or Bhavai is the traditional folk dance of Rajasthan and is one of the nail biting, suspenseful dances of the state.
Performed with great skill, it consists of veiled women dancers balancing up to seven or nine brass pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting, and then swaying with the soles of their feet perched on top of a glass, or on the edge of a sword.
Balancing Precision of Rajasthani Dancers
The womenfolk of these tribes are used to such balancing precision due to their endeavor in the parched desert areas.
A number of such urns and pots are easily carried across a distance in this fashion by the Rajasthani women who transport water from the wells to their homes.
The accompaniment to the dance is provided by the male performers singing melodious songs and playing a number of musical instruments, which include pakhwaja, dholak, jhanjhar, sarangi and harmonium.
The History of Bhavai Dance
Believed to have originated in the neighboring state of Gujarat, Bhawai was soon picked up and adapted by the local tribal men and women who imparted the dance a distinctive Rajasthani essence.
This genre of dance is performed by the female performers belonging to the Jat, Bhil, Raigar, Meena, Kumhar and Kalbelia communities of Rajasthan.
