Folk Dances of Goa

 The folk dances of Goa bear a tradition of thousands of years, characterized by innumerable forms performed by and reflecting lifestyles, cultures and aspirations of different strata, religions and castes of Goan society. The prominent ones include the Dashavatara, Ghode Modni and the Goff Dance. Goa is also referred as the ‘Rome of East’ is one of the most phenomenon and contemporary tourist destination in India with tradition Goan culture and folklore. Colonized by Portuguese for 450 years, cultural tradition of Goa consists of numerous Goa churches, temples and mosques.

Some of the popular folk dances of Goa are as follows:

Dhalo dance:- Dhalo dance is one of the most famous rural dances of Goa. Dhalo is performed by women folk on the moonlit night-time of Hindu ‘Pausha’ month.  The dance is performed by kunbis, Bhandari, Naik, Gabit and Gaudi communities. According to legend, Radha used to sing love songs regarded as dhalos to Lord Krishna. Earlier dhalos referred solely to the love of Krishna and Radha. 

Diwli Nach: Diwli Nach is a dance performed in shigmo whilst balancing an oil-lamp with five light wicks on the head with no any support. The trick is not to lean or collapse the lamp during the dance. Though a great amount of attention is required to perform this job, the dancers go about it very naturally and elegantly.

Fugdi Dance:- Fugdi is a folk dance performed by the womenfolk of some communities of Konkanies in the Konkan coastal region of Goa and Maharashtra states during the Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Vrata or towards the end of other dances like Dhalo. According to certain historical facts, this dance style is said to have been created from few ancient Goan traditions. In addition, this dance is mainly performed during the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, when women usually take a break to escape boredom arising from their daily routines. Furthermore, it is also performed during religious and social events.

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