Regional folk music and dance
Below the classical forms sits a far larger body of music tied to specific districts, castes, harvests and festivals. Almost none of it was written down, and a good deal of it is held by hereditary performing communities.
North and west
| Ghoomar | Rajasthan | Women dancing in a circle in wide swirling ghagras, with a distinctive turning arm movement |
| Manganiyar & Langa | Rajasthan | Hereditary Muslim musician communities performing for Hindu and Muslim patrons alike. Kamaicha, khartal, sarangi — and some of the most striking singing in South Asia |
| Kalbelia | Rajasthan | Danced by the Kalbelia community, serpentine and extremely flexible. UNESCO-listed |
| Lavani | Maharashtra | Fast, rhythmic, performed to the dholki. Bold, often explicitly romantic lyrics; historically performed by women of specific communities |
| Garba & raas | Gujarat | See garba and dandiya raas |
| Bhangra & gidda | Punjab | See bhangra |
East and northeast
| Baul | Bengal | Wandering mystic minstrels — patchwork robes, ektara, and songs of a personal, anti-institutional spirituality. UNESCO-listed; a direct influence on Tagore |
| Bihu | Assam | The spring festival dance: fast, joyful, with dhol and the pepa horn |
| Chhau | Odisha, Jharkhand, Bengal | Masked martial dance-drama with acrobatic movement. Also UNESCO-listed |
South and central
| Lambadi | Telangana, Andhra | Banjara community dance, performed in heavily mirrored and embroidered dress |
| Koli | Maharashtra coast | Fisherfolk dance, with movements drawn from rowing and casting nets |
| Theyyam | Kerala | Ritual performance in which the performer is understood to become the deity. Not a folk dance for entertainment — a religious act you may be invited to witness |
| Dhimsa | Eastern Ghats | Tribal circle dance of the Araku region, danced in long linked lines |
These forms belong to particular communities, are learned by apprenticeship rather than notation, and depended on patronage systems that have largely disappeared. Several survive today mainly through festival circuits and government schemes — which keeps them visible while changing what they are. Recording is not preservation, but it is better than nothing.
The overview page is folk dance, and the film industry's long habit of borrowing from these traditions is covered in film music.
Traditions vary by region, gharana and teacher — where practice genuinely differs, this page says so rather than presenting one version as the rule.
See also: folk dance across south asia · garba and dandiya raas · why "indian food" isn't one thing
Last updated: 2026-08-12
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