Maniyaro Raas

Understand

Where Maniyaro Raas comes from

Maniyaro is one of the forms of dandiya dance of the Mer community of Saurashtra, identified in the Mer community's Wikipedia entry as the women's counterpart to the men's Mer Raas. The form takes its name from the Gujarati word for a small glass bead or bangle, and the dance is associated with women's festive celebrations and with the wedding songs of the Mer community. A 1980 Gujarati film, Pardeshi Maniyaro, takes its name from the song tradition, and the song Maniyaro Te Halu Halu is among the best-known of the form's repertoire.

How it's practiced

Maniyaro is performed by women, typically in two opposing rows facing each other, with sticks and clapping used in a looser and more song-driven way than in the men's Mer Raas. The dance is built around the singing of Maniyaro songs — short, melodic verses often sung call-and-response — with the dance movement and stick-play following the song's rhythm rather than driving it. The form is performed at weddings, Navaratri and at community gatherings of the Mer community in the Porbandar area.