Bihu dancers from Assam enthralled the audience at a 100-day dance festival at Peringottukara Devasthanam on Thursday. The performance was energy packed with the characteristic brisk steps and rapid hand movements of the Bihu dance.
Led by Mousumi Borah, the young performers of the Zhumura Kala Kendra, clad in red-themed dress, provided a visual treat to the audience. Performed in a group, the Bihu dancers are usually young men and women and in earlier times, it served principally as a courtship dance.
The Bihu dance takes its name from the Bohag Bihu festival (also called ‘Rongali Bihu’), the national festival of Assam, which celebrates the Assamese New Year. The festival takes place in mid-April, and the Bihu dance is meant to celebrate and emulate the seasonal spirit, celebrating fertility and passion.
The use of instruments such as drums (Dhul) and hornpipes (Pepa) is believed to replicate the sound of rain and thunder. Other musical instruments such as Taal, Toka, Gogona, and Xutuli are also used to beautify the spirit of the dance form.
The Bihu dance performed on Thursday was composed by Ranjit Gogoi and Mousumi Borah. The performance was choreographed by Mousumi Borah.
