Dances of Uttar Pradesh
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.
Folk Dances of Uttar Pradesh
Holi
Braj Holi is slightly different where celebrations start a week earlier than the rest of India. This is the season where the men from Nandagaon (Krishna's village) raid Barsana (Radha's village) to raise a flag on Shri Radhikaji temple. Women from Barsana greet them while beating them with long wooden sticks and colored water where the men have to be well padded as they cannot retaliate.
Mayur
Braj Holi is slightly different where celebrations start a week earlier than the rest of India. This is the season where the men from Nandagaon (Krishna's village) raid Barsana (Radha's village) to raise a flag on Shri Radhikaji temple. Women from Barsana greet them while beating them with long wooden sticks and colored water where the men have to be well padded as they cannot retaliate.
Charkula
Charkula is a dance form that owes its birth to Krishna era. It is therefore not surprising that it is so popular in Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. The dance has many legends attached to it. One legend goes by that the mother of Radha, consort of Krishna, ran outside to deliver the news of her birth carrying Charkula or oil-lamps on her head. Since then this became a tradition to perform this dance on auspicious occasion but primarily on the third day after Holi, the day Radha was born.
Raslila
Raslila is a famous art form of the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. The Braj region comprises areas in and around Mathura. It includes towns that are in someway or other attached to Lord Krishna and his times.