The Bhopalites witnessed folk dances of Assam here on Monday at Bahirang Open Air Auditorium, Bharat Bhavan. The splendid performances were given by the artistes of Assam called the Kripshti Troupe. As many as 50 artists of the troupe gave a wondorous performance before the Bhopalites to observe the 32nd anniversary of Bharat Bhavan.
The performances began with the folk dance of Assam ‘Bagurumba’. This folk dance is usually performed by the Bodos. It is the usually practiced during Bwisagu, a festival of the Bodos in the Bishuba Sankranti or Mid-April. The dance is sometimes referred to as the “butterfly dance” as its motion resembles butterflies. The movements of the dance are fast yet beautiful.
The costume in this folk dance is a simple Assamese costume with the matching accessories.The performance was then followed with the Pepa recital. Notably, Pepa is a flute-like musical instrument that is used in traditional music in Assam. It is usually with very short stem made from small diameter bamboo with the end away from the mouth capped with the horn of a buffalo.
It is an integral part of the culture of Assam. The Pepa was wonderfully recited by Prashant Badwa and chorus The performance then was followed with Gwal Pariya. Gwal Pariya again is a folk dance that comes from Assam and men and women together perform this dance. The moves and grooves are very smooth and soothing to eyes. The clean formations are like icing on the cake that is included in the performance.
Further, the troupe also performed the Fusion Folk Dances of Assam. The perofmances were wrapped up with the Bihu dance. The artists majorly performed The Rangoli Bihu which is usually performed in Assam during the harvest season. Expressing the joy and happiness of the Assamese this joyous dance is performed by both young men and women, and is characterized by brisk dance steps, rapid hand movement, and a rhythmic swaying of the hips in order to represent youthful passion.
Dancers wear traditionally colorful Assamese costumes. The troupe was accompanied by Pankaj Das on flute, Prshant Badwa on Pepa and male musicians on Dhol.