Modern (Western) Garba/Raas

In the United States, Raas and Garba are being performed throughout for weddings, Hindu celebrations and holidays, among other things.

One very unique mode of this dance style is collegiate dance teams and the numerous competitions that are hosted across the nation. Here at BU, I am the choreographer for Boston University Fatakada, the competitive Garba/Raas team! Our team recently won the Best of the Best competition in Chicago, Illinois in 2008, and Raas Nationals Championships in Dallas, Texas in 2009! We basically utilize both modern and traditional aspects to create a very fun routine. Using traditional raas and garba songs, we make remixes of about 6-8 songs and dance with intricate choreography and formations.


There are many competitions that are hosted such as GarbaFest, hosted by BU, as well as Miami Mayhem, hosted by the University of Miami. The Indian dance scene is spreading rampant, and there are over 35 collegiate teams presently. You can know see these folk dances being performed on many televised competitions such as America's Got Talent.

Check out some team pictures and videos:

Other collegiate teams:

Don't you just love wearing costumes!?

Garba/Raas is typically performed in very traditional costumes.

The women wear traditional blouse and skirts ("Chania Cholis") and scarves ("Dupatta"). These articles of clothing have many mirrors on them. They also wear heavy jewelry. 
Picture shown below:

The men wear traditional pants ("Dhotis") and flowy tops ("Kedias"). These articles of clothing are very free-form, and they allow for a lot of movement. Picture shown below:

Many props are also used while doing Garba. These include pots, umbrellas, tambourines and wicker baskets.  I would like to discuss one prop that is used, as it relates to one major event in Gujarat called Tarnetar Mela. Tarnetar Mela is a matchmaking festival in India, where men dance with embellished umbrellas. Women come to this festival to revel in the beautiful umbrellas, and ultimately pick the man she wants to marry. Through this festival, umbrellas have become a very common prop used in Garba. The video below shows men in a circle performing garba with umbrellas among other props such as swords:

GAR- WHAT? GARBA!

Garba is a more fluid form of dancing, very similar to raas. However, garba does not incorporate dandiyas, as in raas. Instead, garba relies heavily on the bodily form as well as the hands. Garba was also the dance originating from the story of Raas-Leela, discussed below!

Typically, girls and women move in a circle formation around a statue of the Goddess of Durga during the Hindu celebration of Navaratri. The sway to the beat of the drums and flute music, and clap their hands in an uniform fashion, creating varied sounds.
 

The circle formation, believe it or not, is actually very significant to the Indian culture and Hindu religion. The circle represents the "circle of life" and the reincarnation belief--> birth, life, death, rebirth and so on.

                                                             Garba Performed in a circle

RAAS: What is it?!

Raas is a style of dance that originated in Gujarat, India. It has its origins in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, which is an ancient Hindu scripture. Raas comes from "Raas Leela" which basically describes the Hindu God Krishna who playfully dances with the village women, called Gopis. The breakdown of the words "Raas Leela" perhaps best describes the dancing. As quoted from an online source, "'Raas' comes from the Sanskrit word "Ras," literally meaning "taste", but interpreted to mean "emotion." The word "Leela" broadly describes the actions of God that we may or may not understand; however, in "Raas Leela", the word refers to Lord Krishna's playful dance. Therefore, Raas Leela describes the dance of Lord Krishna performed with full emotion, love, and bliss."

                                                                       Raas-Leela


Raas is performed with two sticks, one in each hand, called Dandiyas. They signify the swords that the Goddess Durga used to fight the demon. The pairs of sticks are then used to hit another persons pair of sticks while dancing in a fluid motion. They are also sometimes used to make noise when hit together. Raas is performed to music that entails numerous heavy drum beats and flute music. While the performers are dancing, they move into different formations. The most common is the horizontal line where people partner up and hit their dandiyas together. A picture is shown below:

Raas is normally performed during Navratri, a nine night Hindu festival worshiping Shakti (Power), also known as the Goddess of Durga. Raas is also performed at many auspicious occasions, such as weddings. 

Next up--> GARBA!

Welcome!

Hey Guys! So I thought this blog would be a great educational resource in understanding the Indian culture! One major aspect of the Indian culture is the abundance and importance of dancing, dramatics, and music. Dancing and music, specifically, are key aspects to religion, language and art in India. I am going to take a more narrower approach and discuss the dancing art form of Garba and Raas, both very prominent in the state of Gujarat.

Through this blog, I will discuss the numerous techniques and fundamentals of garba and raas, as well as their significance to the Gujarati Indian culture. I will also delve into the more modern approaches of these dance forms, specifically the Western style and the integration of these dance forms across the United States, as seen by the resurgence of national competitions.

To the right of this blog you will find some youtube videos of what exactly the modern version of garba/raas is! This is my team, Boston University Fatakada! Please watch it to get an idea of what it actually is!


Ill be back soon to discuss the different dancing styles and their significance!!

Enjoy!