Gadwali Folk Dance

Understand

Where Gadwali Folk Dance comes from

The Gadwali folk dance is the composite men's folk-dance tradition of the Garhwal hills, performed at the Harela festival, the marriage and the regional celebration of the Garhwal community. The dance is the men's social dance of the region, accompanied by the songs of the women's Hurkiya Boli tradition. The form draws on the Rajput warrior-ancestry of the Garhwal men and the cultural identity of the post-Chand Rajput principalities of the Garhwal. The Gadwali dance is regularly performed at the state cultural festivals of Uttarakhand and at the regional fairs of the Garhwal.

How it's practiced

The Gadwali folk dance is performed by men of the Garhwal community in a circle at the village festival or at the courtyard of the host. The dance is accompanied by the dhol, the shehnai and the small brass cymbals. The men dance in coordinated steps, with the small regional steps of the Garhwal tradition — the footwork being particularly important in the Garhwal dance vocabulary. The dance is performed at the Harela festival (the monsoon festival) and at the marriage cycle of the Garhwal communities. Costume is the everyday regional dress — the dhoti and the kurta with the colourful Garhwal cap (the traditional bushy cap of the men of the hills). Performances are at the central village square and at the regional festival of Uttarakhand.