Dandiya Raas

Raas or Dandiya Raas is the traditional folk dance form of Gujarat, India, and is associated with scenes of Holi, and lila of Krishna and Radha at Vrindavan. Along with Garba, it is the featured dance of Navratri evenings in Western India. During Navratri festival, in most of the cities of Gujarat people gather and perform Garba dance - an event that is becoming increasingly popular in countries with large Gujarati-speaking communities around the world, such as Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The word "Raas" comes from the Sanskrit word "Rasa". The origins of Raas can be traced to ancient times. Lord Krishna performed Rasa lila" ( means Lord Krishna's playful dance. The word "Laika" also refers to things that God does that we fully understand).

There are several forms of Raas, but "Dandiya Raas", performed during Navaratri in Gujarat is the most popular form. Other forms of Raas include Dang Lila from Rajasthan where only one large stick is used, and "Rasa lila" from North India. Raas Lila and Dandiya Raas are similar. Some even consider "Garba" as a form of Raas, namely "Raas Garba".

In Dandiya Raas men and women dance in two circles, with sticks in their hands.

Originating as devotional Garba dances, which were always performed in Durga's honour, this dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between the Goddess and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king, and is nicknamed "The Sword Dance". During the dance, dancers energetically whirl and move their feet and arms in a complicated, choreographed manner to the tune of the music with various rhythms. The dhol is used as well as complementary percussion instruments such as the dholak, tabla, bongos and others.

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