One of the famous folk dances of Haryana territory is supposed to be Khoria dance. It is a variety of jhumar dance which is performed only by women and is popular in Central areas of Haryana.
This dance is a group performance which is performed selectively at auspicious occasions like weddings and functions etc. It is said that ‘Speed’ is the highlight of Khoria dance form and hence it is the fastest of all the folk dances.
Haryana’s very own – Khoria Dance
History
The Khoria dance has been performed since ages! Almost from the time since marriages of humans came into existence! This says that Khoria dance has been into existence since quite long time.
Rigorous practice and patience is the key to practice this art form and hence we are in awe as we watch the ladies perform this dance with such ease.
Dressing
The dance portrays a vibe of the tribes of Haryana. The performers wear dresses that have silver or gold embroidery on them which makes them look beautiful and grand.
The dresses are complemented with heavy jewelry because of the huge embroidery it has to give us a magnificent feeling.
The attire also helps build a majestic feeling to the performance. As the dancers step on the stage to commence with the performance, the 1st glance of their drapery itself excites us as an audience.
Performance
As the performance begins, dancers start twirling their dresses at a slow rhythm and take their positions. Gradually, the pace of their dance proceeds to a rapid speed as they continue with their movements. The speed now keeps on increasing and gets faster and faster.
From Slow to Rapid: The Increasing Pace of the Loor Dance
As the speed increases, the group starts to separate and women split from their original formations. Minimum a duo or a trio of the group comes at the center of the stage as others are splitting. They hold their hands crossing them on their chest and start spinning on their legs.
The Art of Balance: Spinning on Legs in the Loor Dance
This dance just gets awesome at this stage and is all about balance. The women keep spinning at high speed. Then comes a time when a pair among the group keeps whirling on their legs as other dancers make way for the pair and encourage them by cheering and holding the beats with their claps.
Celebrating Love and Marriage: The Khoria Dance in Haryana
Marriages takes place at or near the bride’s residence, so after the wedding, arrangements are made by the groom side to bring the bride to his home. Since there are a lot of formalities that take place at the bride’s house, this takes a long time and the Khoria dance is performed at the bridegroom’s house to entertain and pass this time without getting bored.
Addition to dancing, the performers also portray the marriage scene in the dance where women enact the character of bride and groom. The contentment and love are all portrayed by the women very beautifully and along with the perfect balance these women achieve. Hence the Khoria dance is supposed to be the expertise art form.
It is connected with the daily life of the people and with the most important events like harvest. Singing the traditional folk song, the girls enter the dancing place and form a circle. The simple movements acquire form and color with the whirling of their full-gold-work or silver work ghagras and dupatta and the sound of heavy rustic jewellery.
The graceful presentation is indeed impressive as the dancer performs with the sole intention of well being and goodness around that too without getting tired or irritated. Such is the beauty of folk dance Khoria!
