Ghoomar is a traditional ritual folk dance of the women of Rajasthan, India which was started by the Bhil tribe which later became popular and adopted by other Rajasthani communities. The Ghoomar dance is the characteristic dance of the Bhils and a community dance of the Rajputs, also which only the women traditionally perform. It is considered as one of the traditional rituals among this community. So, on the occasion of marriage, a bride is expected to dance Ghoomar after being welcomed at her husband's home. It is usually performed by groups of women in swirling robes, and accompanied by men and women singing together. This folk dance gets its name from 'ghoomna' which means the whirling and spinning of the body. Ghoomar displays the spectacular colours of the flowing 'ghaghara' or long skirts of the Rajasthani women. There is an amazing grace as the skirt flair slowly while the women folk twirl in circles, their faces covered with the help of the veil.
Women from all age group participate in Ghoomer dance. At times this dance may continue for hours or the whole night. While dancing, the dancers move in a circular direction with clockwise and anti-clockwise steps. The performers sometimes unite their hands and even clap their hand in-between. The performers move gracefully on the beat of the songs in synchronizing steps. As the tempo of the dance increases, the dancers swirl fleetly.
Music of Rajasthan originates from Rajasthan, one of the states of India and home to several important centers of Indian musical development, including Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur. The region's music shares similarities both with nearby areas of India and the other side of the border, in the Pakistani province of Sindh.
Rajasthan has a diverse collection of musician castes, including langas, sapera, bhopa, jogi and Manganiar. There are two traditional classes of musicians: the Langas, who stuck mostly exclusively to Muslim audiences and styles, and the Manganiars, who had a more liberal approach.
Source: Wikipedia
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