Sambalpuri Folk Dance

Understand

Where Sambalpuri Folk Dance comes from

The Sambalpuri folk dance is associated with the Sambalpuri region of western Odisha, comprising the districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sonepur. The tradition has roots in the ancient culture of the Kosala kingdom (with Sambalpur as its historic capital) and blends with the broader central Indian and Chhattisgarhi folk-dance traditions. The Sambalpuri tradition is also the origin of the recognised Sambalpuri textiles (the famous Sambalpuri sari with extra-warp ikat) and the Sambalpuri songs and dances are celebrated at the Nuakhai festival, at the Sital Sasthi yatra (the marriage of Shiva and Parvati) and at weddings. The form is less documented in English sources than the eastern-Odisha classical dances but is widely practised across the western districts of the state.

How it's practiced

Sambalpuri folk dance is performed by men and women in a circle (sometimes in two facing rows) in brightly coloured regional Sambalpuri dress — the ghagra-choli with the heavy silver jewellery and the mirror-worked Sambalpuri sari. The songs are typically love-and-marriage songs and are led by a woman singer with the ensemble responding. Steps include the characteristic Sambalpuri swing of the hips and the alternating right-foot kick, with the dhol and the small mandal accompanying. Costume is the local dress of the western Odisha villages — the Suar Anchal (village wedding dress) for women and the dhoti-kurta for men. Performances can run for hours at weddings and festivals, with the dance and song building together in energy.