The last day of the three days ‘National Tribal Dance Festival’ which began on 1 November, organised in Chhattisgarh, witnessed a bunch of tribal talents from different states and countries.

The last day of the three day event was graced by the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren along with CM Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, who felicitated the artists for their dance forms, in different categories of the dance festivals.

In addition to India, artists from 10 countries including, Mozambique, Togo, Egypt, Mongolia, Indonesia, Russia, New Zealand, Serbia, Rwanda and Maldives also took part in the event.

The tribal culture and dances are a strong medium to connect with people and it is especially relevant today because in the ‘new modern world’ it has become difficult to show people the real tradition and values one possess, said Peaca UC, the Serbian troupe leader who took part in the festival.

Explaining about the traditional Serbian dance, he said in old Serbia it was not easy for young men and women to meet each other.

“So the only place where they could hold hands was while dancing together,” he added.

Earlier, the Egyptian troupe that presented an action packed performance on Tuesday night expressed their gratitude to the state for organizing the event.

Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, the north-east of Assam, Jharkhand, the south-east state Andhra Pradesh, the south-west state of Goa’s dance style were also presented.

Besides, the captivating ‘Karma dance’ by the artists from Dindori, a tribal-dominated district of Madhya Pradesh, reminded everyone of Chhattisgarh’s Karma dance based on harvesting and agriculture. This is a popular dance of the Baiga tribe.

The women, dressed in dark blue saris and wearing headbands, performed the dance giving the message of collective harmony and unity, preserving the identity of the tribal tradition.

The tribals of Madhya Pradesh performed Saitam dance. There was a wonderful jugalbandi with melody and rhythm.

The dance is performed in Madhya Pradesh on the auspicious occasion of harvest and various festivals.

The Rathwa dance of Gujarat is performed by the women dressed in attractive brightly coloured costumes belonging to nomadic tribes.

Rathwa is a tribe who originally live in Udaipur district of Gujarat. There is a special folk dance of this tribe, which is known as ‘Rathva Nritya’. This dance, once confined to a particular area, has made a special identity through various programs across the country for a few years.

This was followed by a performance of Kunbi dance. The Kunbi, a predominantly tribal community settled in Goa, preserve the most ancient folk tradition here.

In the next sequence, the Ho-Ho dance of Jharkhand was presented as a symbol of prosperity and progress according to its tribal tradition with very simplicity and simple dress.