The Garos generally sing folk songs relating to birth, marriage, festivals, love, and heroic deeds, accompanied by different types of drums and flutes.
The Khasis and Jaintias are particularly fond of songs praising nature’s creations like lakes, waterfalls, hills, etc., and expressing love for their land. They use different types of musical instruments like drums, duitara, and instruments similar to the guitar, flute, pipe, and cymbal.
Both males and females perform the Lahoo Dance. Attired in fine clothes, usually, two young men on either side of a woman and holding arms, dance in steps. In place of the usual drum and pipe, a cheerleader, usually a man gifted with the talent of spontaneous recitation, recites couplets to the applauding audience.
The Doregata Dance is another interesting dance where, while dancing, the women try to knock off the turbans of their male partner using their head. If the women succeed, it is followed by ringing laughter.
The Chambil Mesara or Pomelo Dance is a solo dance-form that requires a lot of skill. The performer suspends a pomelo (a cord tied to the waist) and then hurls it around without any detectable movement of the hips. Expert dancers can hurl two separate fruits hung on a cord. |
