Traditional Dances of Himachal Pradesh - Keekali and Bhangra

Keekali and Bhangra

For more details on this topic, see Bhangra (dance).

The Keekali dance form is a dance of young girls. The girls hold each other's hand crosswise and rotate swiftly on their toes.
The Bhangra is a male dance which was originated in the Punjab and is quite popular in Kangra, Hamirpur and Una.
The tribal dance forms of the trans Himalayan region differs a lot in content and music. The old tradition of both song and dance in these regions has been enthusiastically guarded against urban influence. Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Tehsils of Pangi and Bharmour of Chamba constitute this zone. The inhabitants in these regions are known as Kinnauras, Lahaulas, Spitians, Pangwals and Gaddis. Gujjars and many of these tribes have their own distinct traditions of folk dances, songs, dresses and ornaments.

In addition to the popular dances like Kayang, Bakayang and Banyangchu there are many ritual dances performed by Lamas on numerous religious festive occasions. One masked dance form mainly features an important event in the history of Himalayan Buddhism when Lamas effectively carried out a plan of executing a king namely Langdarma. A special event for masked dances is the celebration of the birth of Padma Sambhava (who carried the message of Buddhism to Tibet.)