Terah Taali

Understand

Where Terah Taali comes from

Terah Taali (literally thirteen claps, also written Tertali) is a folk dance of the Kamar tribal communities of Rajasthan and adjacent Madhya Pradesh. The Kamar are one of the central Indian Scheduled Tribes historically associated with agricultural labour and small-scale ironwork. The dance is part of the Kamar ritual and life-cycle repertoire — performed by women in honour of a wedding, a birth, or at the festival of Diwali. The form is closely related to (and more documented than) the Madhya Pradesh Matki dance tradition. Today Terah Taali is performed at state folk festivals across Rajasthan and at the national Republic Day pageants.

How it's practiced

Terah Taali is performed by one or more women seated on the ground with thirteen manjira (small metal cymbals) attached to different parts of the body — head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. The dancer's head is covered with a hat or petha; sometimes a small sword is clenched between the teeth and an ornamental pot is balanced on the head. The women strike the manjiras against each other in complex rhythmic patterns in time to the song and the dhol accompaniment, building to a faster tempo as the dance progresses. Costume is the tribal sari or ghagra with heavy silver jewellery. The form is performed at weddings, the birth of a child, and at Diwali and spring festivals.