(From top) Sadri dance by artistes from Sundergarh district, Otan dance by Raikia Kandhos from Phulbani and medley of various adivasi dances of Orissa performed by students of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences on the occasion of Tribal Dance Festival at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 9: The second day of the Tribal Dance Festival being held at Rabindra Mandap was a live spectacle of the rich cultural life of the tribal people.

A recital of the Bonda Niney dance by artistes from Mudulipada in Malkangiri set the tone for the cultural extravaganza to follow. In this dance form, men wear a cloth wrapped around the waist and don headgears while women hold peacock feathers and sickles. This harvest dance was marked by swift movements of the feet and the sound of ghungroos.

The Gonda dance was performed by artistes from Sonepur village of Raighara block in the Nabarangpur district. They danced to the beats of various tribal percussion instruments such as madal, dhudra, tuduhudi and chitkuli.

Ho, a popular tribal dance related to harvest festivities, was performed by artistes from Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj.

According to tradition, dancers first worship the goddess of earth (the soil) and then offer a hunted animal that is then shared by all members of the community. Women in this dance form wear jewellery made of beads, gold and silver around the neck and arm. Women wore similar ornaments made of metals during the Otan dance performed by Raikia Kandhos from Phulbani. The women also wore a number of hairpins while the men wore tribal attire. The energetic dance recital was applauded by the audience.

“The music accompanying these tribal dances is so pulsating that you cannot stop dancing. Also, what strikes you is the immense confidence with which the artistes perform,” said Sushant Beuria, a college student.

“I have never seen such a wonderful performance. Each tribal community has unique dance forms but all of them are beautiful,” said Kavita Mohanty, a bank employee.

Among other dances performed on the second day was Sadri dance by Sundergarh artistes.

It was a medley of 13 tribal dances in 13 minutes by tribal students from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences.