Bhavai is a genre of
folk dance
A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, Ritual, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances ...
popular in Rajasthan state in northern
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The male or female performers balance a number of earthen pots or brass/metal pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting and then swaying with the soles of their feet perched on the top of a glass bottles, on the edge of the sword, on the rim of a brass/metal ''thali'' (plate) and on the broken glass during the performance.
The first Bhavai Dancer of India was Mrs. Krishna Vyas Chhangani, who was born in Jodhpur (Rajasthan).
The Dance form consists of veiled women dancers balancing up to 22 brass/metal pitchers on their head with lit the fire up to 9 pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting and then swaying with the soles of their feet perched on the top of a glass or on the edge of the sword. There is a sense of cutting-edge suspense and nail-biting acts in the dance.
The accompaniment to the dance is provided by the male performers singing melodious songs and playing a number of musical instruments, which include ''
pakhawaj
The ''pakhavaj'' is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, originating from the Indian subcontinent, kendang of Maritime Southeast Asia and other South Asian double-headed drums. Its older forms were made with clay.
It is the percussion instrumen ...
'', ''
dholak
The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The dholak is most commonly recognised in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, but can also be found amongst the Indo-Diaspora in countries s ...
'', ''jhanjhar'', ''
sarangi
The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...
'', and
harmonium
The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...
.
History
Traditionally, this genre of dance was performed by the female performers belonging to the
Jat
The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...
,
Bhil
Bhil or Bheel refer to the various Indigenous peoples, indigenous groups inhabiting western India, including parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and are also found in distant places such as Bengal and Tripura. Though they now speak the Bhili ...
,
Raigar,
Meena
Meena () is a tribe from northern and western India which is sometimes considered a sub-group of the Bhil community. It used to be claimed they speak Mina language, a
Spurious languages, spurious language. Its name is also transliterated as ' ...
,
Kumhar
Kumhar or Kumbhar is a Indian caste system, caste or community in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Kumhars have historically been associated with the art of pottery.
Etymology
The Kumhars derive their name from the Sanskrit word ''Kum ...
, and
Kalbelia
The Kalbelia are a snake charming tribe from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, India. The dance is an integral part of their culture and performed by men and women.
Kalbelia Tribes
Kalbelias are followers of Sage Kanifnath, who drank a bowl of ...
communities of Rajasthan.
It is assumed that this genre of dance was evolved from the exceptional balancing skills of the females of these communities developed to carry a number of pots of water on head over a long distance in the desert.
See also
*
Dance in India
Dance in India comprises numerous styles of dances, generally classified as Indian classical dance, classical or Folk dance in India, folk. As with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India ...
*
Ghoomar
Ghoomar or ghumar is a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan. It was the Bhil tribe who performed it to worship Goddess Saraswati which was later embraced by Rajputs. The dance is chiefly performed by veiled women who wear flowing dresses called ...
: Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan, India
Notes
Folk dances of Rajasthan
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