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Folk Dance
Ras Leela
This dance is common among the people living in the Braja area
of the Faridabad district. Lord Vishnu has been manifest in many
incarnations. He is the supreme embodiment. He is Lord Krishna. The Gopis
of Braj Bhoomi, the simple milk maid are his true devotees. Krishna choose
them as the finest examples of human beings.
Radha, the most beautiful of the Gopis, proud of her beauty and power
over men was the last one to surrender to the utter bliss of the lord.
Ras Leela becomes a dance of spiritual ecstasy with God pervading
the world as his own self and as the selves of the dancing
gopis. The gopis form a circle around a Krishna. In this circular dance
the bracelets ,anklets and the bells of the gopis sound together in perfect
harmony. Gopis moving in Rhythm, sway their bodies gracefully.
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Phag Dance or Phalgun
or "Faag" Dance
This is a seasonal dance ,through which agricultural people
express their joy and vigour. During the month of February -March ,they have a
little leisure between sowing and harvesting. The crops are growing well, the spring
is on and the rural folk express themselves through song and dance.
In this dance men and women group together. The rhythm takes
them on to emotional expression through their hands, eyes, and feet.
The dance involves a variety of movement ,requiring sound co-ordination.
Women wear traditional costumes in different colours. Men similarly display
different colours in their turbans. They sing in the ancient Daamal style,
a combination of dance and song, the origin of which dates to the hoary
past, it is a mixed dance but some times it is performed by men only.
The songs are different in each case.
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Daph dance
Daph dance is also a seasonal dance connected with the harvest
and spring. It depicts the joyful emotions of the farmers. Men and women
of all sections of the village community participate in this dance, separately.
For melodic instruments the ancient Haryanavis used flutes, lutes and
beens. The daph used in this dance is an ancient instrument. The songs
are most suited to the occasion. The sound of the ornaments worn by the
women also becomes a part of the dance-orchestra.
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Dhamal Dance
Dhamal dance is as old as the Mahabharatha. It is popular among
the Ahirs of Gurgaon district. It is also in vogue in Mahendargarh
and Jhajjar. The dance is rooted in the deeper emotions of the people,
is performed on moonlit nights of Phalgun. When the winter veil of
fog and mist is lifted from the face of the earth and whisper of spring
is in the air indeed. The dancers assemble in an open space and form themselves
into a circle. They start with a song to the sound of Dhamal beats. The
songs sung during the dance relate to the burden of love and labour. They
depict the villager's hopes, aspirations, their love -longings and joys
and sorrows. Between fifteen and twenty dancers participate in the
dance. Old musical instruments like Sarangi, Been, Dholak and Khartals
constitute the orchestra. First of all the orchestra men make a
line and start playing folk tunes. The dancers move in front of
them emerging right and left when the dance starts.
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