Ladakh Brokpa (Drok-pa) Dance

Understand

Where Ladakh Brokpa (Drok-pa) Dance comes from

The Brokpa dance is the folk-dance of the Brokpa (Drok-pa) community of the Dha-Hanu region of western Ladakh. The Brokpa are one of the most distinctive communities of Ladakh, with their own cultural and linguistic identity. The dance is performed at the community-festival of the Dha-Hanu valley and is associated with the social and the cultural life of the Brokpa community. The form is one of the documented regional traditions of Ladakh and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state.

How it's practiced

The Brokpa dance is performed by men and women of the Brokpa community in a circle at the central courtyard of the Dha-Hanu village or at the open ground of the festival. The men and women perform in coordinated steps to the song of the Brokpa cycle and to the rhythm of the small regional instruments of the Brokpa tradition. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Brokpa community. Costume is the distinctive Brokpa dress — the heavy woollen goncha and the elaborate beaded headdress of the community. Performances are at the central courtyard of the village and at the cultural programmes of the state.