UTTAR PRADESH �FOLK DANCE

INTRODUCTION

Uttar Pradesh has a very vibrant culture. Various rulers who have ruled Utter Pradesh in the course of history have consolidated the culture of this state. The same effect can be clearly seen on the songs and dances of this state after all these too are an integral part of any culture.��The dances in Uttar Pradesh can be broadly classified in to two categories namely Classical and Folk. The first group comprises Kathak where as the later has Charkula, Karma and Dadra in its list. Kathak is one of the most famous classical dances of India. The dance has its origin in the courts of Emperors and Nawabs but it has traversed a long path to come to the masses. UP has produced some of the greatest exponents of this art form.

• Among the folk performances, Ras-lila and Charkula are two dances that have their origins at the times of Lord Krishna. While the former is an amorous dance form that depicts the love of Lord Krishna and his consort Radha, the later is symbolizes the birth of Radha. Charkula is performed on social and religious occasions.��Karma is the dance form of tribal. This dance form is very famous in Bundelkhand region. Most of the times local; deities are evoked in this dance form that is also widely spread among the tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gondwana and Jharkhand.��Dadra is an extremely popular dance form of Uttar Pradesh and North Bihar. Traditionally Dadra has always been a dance form with sexual overtones. This dance has a unique style where the singers give playback to the artists dancing and lip-syncing on the stage. Most of the times the theme of Dadra revolves around nuptial and sexual bliss. So, these are some of the famous dances in Utter Pradesh. Do catch performances of any of these dance form during your visit to UP.

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5 POPULAR FORMS OF FOLK DANCE OF UP

1. CHARKULA
2. RASLILA
3. NAUTANKI
4. KATHAK
5. KHYAL

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CHARKULA DANCE

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• Charkula is a dance performed in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.
• In this dance, veiled women balancing large multi-tiered circular wooden pyramids on their heads dance to songs about Krishna. Each pyramid has 108 lighted oil lamps arranged in a spiral. It is specially performed on the third day after Holi. It is believed that on that day Radha was born.
• According to legend, Radha's grandmother ran out of the house with the charkula on her head to announce the birth of Radha, Since then, Charkula has formed a popular dance form of Brajbhoomi, performed during various festivities.
• Every aspect of the culture of the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh is associated with Lord Krishna. So it happened with the Charkula dance as well – a folk dance of the Braj area, which has also found its origin in the Krishna legend. It is believed that the Charkula dance celebrates the happy victory over Indra by Krishna and the cowherd community of Braj. This dance, therefore, became a symbol of happiness as well as joyful rapture. Krishna raised the mount Goverdhan and as if to re-enact the Govardhan Leela the dancing damsel of Braj raises the 50 Kilo Charkula on her head while performing the Charkula dance.

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CHARKULA

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KATHAK

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Kathak is one of the most versatile art forms in India. It will not be an aberration to say that Kathak is the most popular among all the classical as well as folk dance forms in India. The dance owes its origin to the state of Uttar Pradesh. It started its journey from the courts of Emperors and Nawabs of the then Awadh and has traversed a path that was full of turmoil to reach where it is i.e. in the hearts of the masses.

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Kathak has the monopoly of courtesans and consorts in its early phase. This dance form was primarily developed for the amusement of royals that wanted a slight break from the pure classical dances. Therefore a dance form was born that was semi-classical in nature and was based on the Persian, Awadhi and Urdu poetry. This dance form saw volatile changes with the downfall of royalty in India. As Nawabs and emperors started fighting for survival, the patronage became a problem. Artists and exponents of this art started looking outwards. The middle class resisted the move as it saw Kathak as something immoral and considered its artists as prostitutes. Nevertheless due to constant efforts and perseverance of its artists, the art form got a place among the masses. Since then, Kathak has never looked back.

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RASLILA

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The Raslila (IAST rāsa-līlā) (Hindi: रास लीला) or Ras dance, is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and her sakhis (Gopis). Raslila has also been a popular theme for other India classical dances including Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Kathak.^[1] The Indian classical dance of Kathak evolved from the 'Raslila of Braj and Manipuri Raas Leela Classical Dance (Vrindavana) also known as Natwari Nritya, which was revived in 1960s by the Kathak dancer,

• The term, rasa meaning "aesthetics" and lila meaning "act," "play" or "dance" is a concept from Hinduism, which roughly translates to "play (lila) of aesthetics (rasa)," or more broadly as "Dance of Divine Love".^[3]
• The Rasa lila takes place one night when the Gopis of Vrindavana, upon hearing the sound of Krishna's flute, sneak away from their households and families to the forest to dance with Krishna throughout the night, which Krishna supernaturally stretches to the length of one kalpa, a Hindu unit of time lasting approximately 4.32 billion years. In the Krishna Bhakti traditions, the rasa-lila is considered to be one most beautiful depiction of soulful love... In these traditions, romantic love between human beings in the material world is seen as a reflection of the soul's original, ecstatic spiritual love of Krishna, God, in the spiritual world.
• In the Bhagavata Purana it is stated that whoever faithfully hears or describes the Rasa lila attains Krishna's pure loving devotion

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NAUTANKI

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• Nautanki is one of the most popular folk performance forms of South Asia, particularly in northern India. Before the advent of Bollywood (the Hindi film industry), Nautanki was the biggest entertainment medium in the villages and towns of northern India. Nautanki's rich musical compositions and humorous, entertaining storylines hold a strong influence over rural people's imagination. Even after the spread of mass media (such as television, DVDs, and online streaming), a crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 can be seen at the top Nautanki performances. Nautanki's origins lie in the Saangit, Bhagat, and Swang musical theatre traditions of Northern India. One Saangit called Saangit Rani Nautanki Ka became so popular that the whole genre's name became Nautanki. Nautanki is most faomus in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana,and Bihar.

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• Nautanki performances are operas based on a popular folk theme derived from romantic tales, mythologies, or biographies of local heroes. The performance is often punctuated with individual songs, dances, and skits, which serve as breaks and comic relief for audiences.^[1] Audiences sometimes use the breaks to go to the toilet or pick up food from their homes or nearby shops. Nautanki performances involve a lot of community participation from audiences. For instance, community members provide logistical support, financial support, and talented actors for Nautanki performances. Audience members choose what script will be performed and often intervene during the performance to demand a repeat of a song or skit.

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