Jawara Dance of Madhya Pradesh

Jawara dance is a popular folk dance of Madhya Pradesh. It is mainly famous in the Bundelkhand region among the peasant community. People from rural areas come together to share happiness after reaping a good harvest.    

Jawara Dance is done during festivals and joyous occasions. You can also witness Jawara dance during events conducted by the state or central government. It is also known as harvest dance,

Jawara Dance Performance

Unlike most other folk dances that originate from daily life activities and are easy to do, Jawara folk dance requires skills. Not everyone can participate in this dance performance. Dancers need to use heavy props while dancing and do complex steps. Dancers learn the dance for years to gain experience and perform during festivities. It is passed down from generations to generations.

The female dancers carry a heavy basket of Jawara crop on their head which represents the significance of crop in our lives. This act is performed before and during the dance performance. Dancers move in swaying motion keeping their body rigid as they are balancing the basket on their head. Jawara dance requires a lot of stunts and prop balancing.

Both male and female can participate in the Jawara dance. At the beginning of the dance, dancers showcase their balancing skills by balancing lit lamps on their hands and heads while they also maintain balance standing on each other. After a while, the song starts to pick up and dancers start to dance with enthusiasm.   

Costumes

Female dancers wear colourful knee-length dhotis and traditional jewellery. Knee-length dhoti is required for maximum leg movement. As this dance requires complex and rapid steps it is important for dancers to not be bound with anything otherwise it can be dangerous.

Male dancers wear colourful shirt tunic with a nehru jacket and dhoti. Both male and female dancers have cloth wrapped on their head decorated with peacock feathers.

Peacock feathers are significant because if you see the dance you will realize that the dance resembles a peacock. Dancers hold each other from the waist while coming forward and moving back, they also sway their bodies in a manner which a peacock does with his feathers. When the rain comes peacock starts dancing in joy and when good crops come peasants start dancing with joy.

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