Alkap Dance

Understand

Where Alkap Dance comes from

Alkap (Bengali: আলকাপ) is a folk performance tradition of the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum in West Bengal and of Chapai Nawabganj and Rajshahi in Bangladesh. The name is said to derive from 'aala' (a part or verse) and 'kaap' (kavya — verse or satire), reflecting its character as a sung, danced and acted commentary on social life. The form has also spread into Dumka in Jharkhand and Purnia in Bihar. Alkap is recognised by the Government of West Bengal's Information & Cultural Affairs Department as one of the distinctive folk traditions of the state.

How it's practiced

An Alkap troupe — usually ten to twelve performers — is led by a sarkar (master) and includes two or three young male leads called chhokras, one or two gayen (singers), dohar choristers, and accompanying musicians. A full programme has five parts performed in order: Asar Vandana (invocation), Chhora (a young-man's song), Kaap (the satirical verse-sketch), Baithaki Gaan (a seated song) and Khemta Pala (a comic play). Performances are staged at village gatherings, melas and at households celebrating weddings or religious occasions.