Artistes of Paroja tribe from Odisha perform Dhemsa dance and (above) Rathwa tribe from Gujarat showcase Diwari dance on National Tribal Dance Festival-2014 in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 14: An array of folk dance forms were staged at the three-day National Tribal Dance Festival that concluded at Utkal Mandap here on Friday.

Over 200 artistes from 11 tribal communities of the country showcased their ethnic art forms there.

The Bir Vairab of the Bhutia tribe from Uttarakhand, Rinjha of the Santhal tribe from Odisha, Karma by the Baiga community of Madhya Pradesh and Kakchhad by the Muria tribe of Chhattisgarh were among the major highlights of the concluding evening.

Wearing colourful masks and carrying swords, the Bhutia artistes enthralled the audience with their Bir Vairab recitals.

While the Santhal dancers matched steps to the rhythm of traditional musical instruments, a group of 20 artistes from the Muria community mesmerised everyone with their Kakchhad performance.

A number of unique folk dance forms such as Diwari of the Rathwa tribe from Gujarat, Kuanri lousawa of the Kharia tribe from Jharkhand and Sahrul of the Oraon tribe from Odisha were performed at the festival.

The artistes, who have come from outside the state, were excited to perform here.

“This is for the first time we are performing here and have received high praise. Very few people know about our art form and we are really happy people here could witness the beauty of our dance,” said Shiv Kumar, the leader of the Baiga dance troupe.

In the Baiga community, unmarried boys and girls perform Karma to welcome newly married couples.

The amphitheatre was jam-packed with dance enthusiasts coming in large numbers to enjoy folk cultures from across the country.

“I came to watch the performances on all three days. Such festivals do not happen often. I did not want to miss the chance. It’s incredible to know that our county has so many beautiful rural dance forms,” said Somali Mohanty, a 28-year-old schoolteacher.

Hori dance by the artistes from Bhopal, Birli by the tribal people of Odisha, and Gedi recitals were also exhilarating.

The festival was organised by SC and ST Research and Training Institute in association with Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghrahalaya.