Dalkhai is a popular folk dance of the

Adivasi The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The ter ...

s of

Odisha, India Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

Etymology

The dance originates in the Sambalpur district in Odisha. The name derives from dancers shouting ‘Dalkhai Bo!’ at the beginning and end of each stanza sung in the dance.

Description

The dance normally corresponds to the

Hindu epics Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called ''Kavya'' (or ''Kāvya''; Sanskrit: काव्य, IAST: ''kāvyá''). The ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'', which were originally composed in ...

such as the love story of Radha and Krishna. It is performed in various festivals such as Bhaijiuntia, Phagun Puni and

Nuakhai Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha in India. Nuakhai is observed to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the calendar it is observed on ''panchami tithi'' (the fifth day) of the lunar for ...

. The dance is popular among the

Binjhal The Binjhal (also known as Binjhwar) is an ethnic group and an offshoot of the Austroasiatic Baiga tribe, are found mainly in many districts of Odisha, Chhatishgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The 2011 census showed their population to be ar ...

, Kuda, Mirdha, Sama and other tribes of Western Odisha. Male dancers address their female counterparts during the performance and flirt with them. The dance is accompanied by a rich orchestra of folk music played by a number of instruments known as ' dhol', 'Nisan' (typically a giant drum made of iron case), 'Tamki' (a tiny one sided drum 6" in diameter played by two sticks), 'Tasa' (a one sided drum) and 'Mahuri'. However, the 'Dhol' player controls the tempo while dancing in front of the girls Women wear a colorful printed Sambalpuri saree. They also tie a scarf on their shoulders holding the ends in both the hands. Various traditional pieces of jewelry such as the necklace, bangles, etc. are worn by the performers to complete the look.

References

Culture of Odisha Indian folk dances {{india-dance-stub