Imagine gorgeous mountain peaks surround you while the smooth breeze is tickling you. The sounds of trees grooving to the wind are distracting, but your glance is fixed at the intriguing story about the partnership of a local boy and his domestic yak.
It is unique, and it’s amazing, right? Yak Cham Dance brings you theatre under the open sky. It is one of the most popular folk dances of Sikkim.
Bhutia of Sikkim
Sikkim is known for its diverse culture. It is a bowl filled with cheerful balls that are waiting to bring you joy. The secret behind Sikkim’s colorful personality is its communities that contribute by bringing their unique and wonderful art and culture to the table.
One of these communities is the Bhutias. Mountain life is not easy, but Bhutias have evolved over time and learned to use scarce resources for their survival. In return, they worship and thank nature for its precious gifts.
Why Yaks?
Bhutias have made Yaks their best friend and prime source of livelihood. Yaks are wonderful mountain creatures. Every part of Yak is useful for them. Yaks provide wool, milk, transport, and meat. They survive in the cold atmosphere with help of their thick coat of fur. This is used by people to earn their livelihood.
Yaks are also a convenient mode of transportation in the mountains. They are active, careful, and brilliant. They are like the best friend of every Bhutias. Thus, Bhutias worship the God of livestock and show their gratefulness through Yak Cham dance.
Yak Cham dance is performed to worship the god of livestock. The dancers acknowledge the important role of Yaks in their life by performing this folk dance. They worship the god of Livestock to say a warm and grateful thank you for the blessing.
Yak Cham Dance Performance
Yak Cham dance is a story-based folk dance. If you are strolling through the roads of Sikkim and come across people wearing Yak costumes and a boy wearing a loose clock fastened by a belt dancing together, then stop and enjoy the Yak Cham dance.
Yak Cham dance tells the story of a mountain boy and its biggest support the domestic Yak. It tells you how the Yak supported the local boy throughout his journey. Yak Cham will display the emotional relationship between the boy and the Yak. How the Yak helped the boy in economic matters.
Yak Cham dance is used by the Bhutias to thank Yaks for their contributions and share their story with you.
Energetic Folk Dance
Yak Cham dance requires over the top costumes and bold steps. It is not easy to impersonate Yaks. Yaks are powerful and aggressive animals, and their body language is nearly impossible to imitate. But Bhutias have a strong will as well. They put on the Yaks costume and confuse you between real and reel.
Yak Cham is performed with a lot of energy and creates an energetic ambiance around the stage. Despite the power, Yak Cham dance will manage to make you cry. It will also make you smile and maybe lead you to adopt a Yak.
The story of Yaks and the mountain boy is depicted so passionately that you may experience goosebumps. Yak dance is a ritual for Bhutias, but it will be an exhilarating experience for you. You will learn a lot, smile a lot, and shed tears a lot. Yaks are an integral part of their lives. They leave no table unturned for depicting the role of yaks in their lives.
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