Ngada (Ao Naga dance)

Understand

Where Ngada (Ao Naga dance) comes from

Ngada is the autumn festival dance of the Ao Naga tribe of Nagaland, performed at the Ngada festival (the central harvest celebration of the Ao) in November. The dance is one of the three principal Ao Naga festivals (Moatsu, Tuluni and Ngada) and is associated with the celebration of the harvest. The form is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Ao community and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of the state and at the Hornbill Festival.

How it's practiced

Ngada is performed by men and women of the Ao Naga community in a circle at the central courtyard of the village or at the open ground of the Ngada festival. The men and women perform in coordinated steps to the song of the Ngada cycle and to the rhythm of the regional instruments. The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Ao tradition. Costume is the traditional Ao Naga dress — the lungi, the colourful headdress and the regional shawl. Performances are at the Ngada festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.