Apatani Folk Dance (Ziro)

Understand

Where Apatani Folk Dance (Ziro) comes from

The Apatani folk dance is the central festival-dance of the Apatani tribe of the Ziro valley of the Lower Subansiri district, performed at the Myoko festival (the central agricultural celebration of the Apatani) in March. The Apatani are one of the major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and the Ziro valley is one of the most distinctive cultural landscapes of the state (the Apatani women are famous for the traditional facial tattoos and the elaborate nose-plugs that the community practiced until the 1970s). The Myoko festival is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Apatani and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state and at the Myoko festival of the community.

How it's practiced

The Apatani folk dance is performed by men and women of the Apatani community in a circle at the central courtyard of the Ziro valley or at the open ground of the Myoko festival. The men and women perform in coordinated steps to the song of the Myoko cycle and to the rhythm of the dhol and the small regional instruments. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Apatani tradition. Costume is the traditional Apatani dress — the colourful wrap and the small regional headdress. Performances are at the Myoko festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.