Jhora Dance

 Jhora is one of the famous folk dances of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. It is basically a dance form which is performed by the people belonging to both the high and low caste. This is a community dance form where all the barriers related to the caste system are thrown to the wind. This dance form is performed with the accompaniment of songs.

The men and women join hands and move in the circular formation. They bend their bodies smoothly. The dancers sway their bodies with every beat starting from left to right.There is no restriction on the number of people who can participate. Everyone keeps on joining with every beat of the song. The whole place gets full of people enjoying the dance very soon.Jhora dance is incomplete without the famous traditional drum known as “Hurka”.  Imagine the drum beating in the background and a large group of people dancing their feet on the beats. The beats are different from traditional Indian drums.

This type of folk dance is usually conducted when the spring season starts and the local tribe dance twice a day, morning and evening, throughout the season. It is also performed during the weddings of the local tribe and during the festivals and fairs conducted in the town or village. Many people from across the state and country come and visit the town to witness the colour Jhora dance performance by the local tribe.

Costumes of Jhora

Costumes are a critical part of the tradition and women turn up in their glamorous best. They also adorn themselves with certain simple ornaments like bangle, necklace and ear ring.