Bhagoria Dance

Understand

Where Bhagoria Dance comes from

Bhagoria dance is the festival dance of the Bhil and Bhilala tribal communities of the western Madhya Pradesh districts (Jhabua, Alirajpur, Barwani and Dhar) — the historic Bhil heartland. The dance is performed at the annual Bhagoria Haat — a regional fair and marketplace held around the time of Holi — and has its roots in the pre-marital courtship traditions of the Bhil community. The fair is one of the largest open-air tribal gatherings of central India, with the dance being the central social and romantic act of the occasion.

How it's practiced

Bhagoria dance is performed by young men and women of the Bhil community in opposing rows, each dancer wielding two small sticks that are struck against partners' sticks in rhythmic call-and-response. The dance is paired with courtship — partners choose each other across the rows, with parental approval often following the dance. Music is provided by dhol, dholak and bansuri. Costume is the colourful Bhil tribal dress — the women in ghagra-choli with heavy silver jewellery and the men in colourful turbans and dhotis. The dance takes place over several days around Holi and is the central social event of the Bhagoria Haat.