folk dances of Goa

Some of folk dances of Goa:

Dance form an integral part of the Goan
way of life. Every village has its own
maand which is the sacred spot reserved
for folk dances and other cultural
activities. But then, since maand is
sacred, there are restrictions. It’s
common for the maand to be located in
centre of the village, usually the
courtyard of the village head. However,
since that limits the audience, the village
folk dances and other cultural activities
dances are sometimes staged in cities to
entertain and propagate the village’s rich
local culture and talent. Besides seeing
the performance, one also gets to hear
the melodious folk songs, in an
undiluted, ancient dialect of the locality.
Also on display might be the numerous
musical instruments that provide the beat
and rhythm, necessary for the flow of the
dance routines.

1. The dalo is an ancient Goan folk
dance performed predominantly by
women which combines dance, drama
and music. Women dressed in colourful
traditional saris stand in two rows,
facing each other and dance to the tune
of melodious folk songs. Once the
harvest is cut and stored, the dalo is
held at the village maand (sacred
ground) on moonlit nights in winter (in
the Hindu month of paush).

2. Diwli Nach is a dance performed
during shigmo (spring festival celebrated
close to holi) while balancing an oil-
lamp with five lit wicks on the head
without any support. The trick is not to
tilt or topple the lamp during the dance.
Though a great amount of concentration
is required to perform this task, the
dancers go about it very naturally and
gracefully.

3. Ghode Modni is a war dance
performed in North Goa. The dance is
held during shigmo by men brandishing
swords and wearing a hobbyhorse which
gives them the appearance of riding
horses. The dance is said to depict the
victorious returning home of Rane’s
warriors after defeating the enemy. The
costumes are worn after carrying out
religious rituals, usually in a temple.

4. Goff is also performed during the
shigmo festival. In the village of
Poiguinim, a group of men move from
house to house performing this dance.
Colourful ropes are suspended from the
roof of the matov (canopy). Each dancer
holds one rope and to the rhythm of the
song, performs the dance twining the
ropes in the process to form a cord.
Then they perform reverse movements to untwine the ropes. This dance for sure makes for a scintillating performance!

5. Mando is a folk song where men and
women simulate a mock flirtation to
songs that speak poignantly of yearning
and rejections of love. The mando is
sung by the Christians during family
celebrations like weddings and feasts.
The western influenced melodies are
played on a violin, while a ghumot (local
percussion instrument) provides the
beat.