Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem (Lyrical dance)

Understand

Where Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem (Lyrical dance) comes from

Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem (the lyrical women's dance) is the women's folk-dance of the Khasi community of Meghalaya, performed at the Shad Suk Mynsiem festival and at the regional cultural programmes. The dance is one of the documented women's traditions of the Khasi community and forms part of the broader Khasi folk-dance repertoire. The form is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state and at the Shad Suk Mynsiem festival.

How it's practiced

Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem is performed by women of the Khasi community in a circle at the central courtyard of the village or at the open ground of the festival. The women perform in coordinated steps to the song of the festival cycle and to the rhythm of the ka phreng (the bronze drum) and the small cymbals. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Khasi tradition. Costume is the traditional Khasi dress — the women's jainsem (the silk wrap-skirt with the head-cloth) and the regional shawl. Performances are at the festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.