Haryanavi Dance (Composite)

Understand

Where Haryanavi Dance (Composite) comes from

The composite Haryanavi folk dance is a stage tradition that has emerged in recent decades as the state-developed representation of the rural Haryana man's folk heritage. Combining the elements of the Ghoomar (the women's circle dance with the men joining), the Dhamal (the heavy drum-dance) and the rural men's folk-song dance tradition, the composite is performed by rural men's troupes at state cultural festivals and at the parades of the state's Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. The composite is rooted in the regional folk-arts of the Haryana villages — particularly of the Jat, Gujjar, Ahir and Bishnoi communities — and has been documented as a representation of Haryana's traditional rural-masculine identity.

How it's practiced

The composite Haryanavi dance is performed by groups of men (typically 4-10) in colourful rural dress — the bright Rajasthani-style angarkha and the bright turban of Haryana (the colourful pagri is the regional signature). The dance includes the dancing dip from the Dhamal tradition, the circular motion from the Ghoomar (with men joining in), the martial lathi-stick sequences of the Jat tradition and the celebratory shouts and claps. Music is the dholak and the dhol and the brass shehnai, with the dhol-music leading the dance. Costume is the men's rural Jat-Gujjar dress — the dhoti, the bright kurta, the colourful pagri, the leather belt and the tribal heavy-metal anklet. Performances are at cultural pageants of the state.