India is a culturally rich country with varied dance forms. Since ancient days dance had been a well accepted performing art and had been reflecting diverse cultural traditions. India presents an amazing variety of dances; certain dances are religious in nature, while others are performed primarily for the purpose of entertainment or marking a festive occasion. The recognition of this performing art has initiated the exponents and admirers to organise a wide range of dance festivals across the length and breadth of the country.
India Dance Festivals are organised with an intention to promote the classical and regional dances of the state. These dance festivals can be regarded as a cultural fest and a platform to encourage the upcoming performers to keep the cultural legacy of the land intact. As the popularity of the classical dance forms in India increased, dance festivals came to be organized in a few temples, with the aim of bringing the religious dances and temples close to each other. Amongst the most notable examples in this context is the Khajuraho Dance Festival, which was first held some 20 years ago, amidst the backdrop of erotic sculptures. It proved to be one of the exclusive festivals of the modern times and enjoys immense popularity till date. With time, several other dance festivals also came to be organized across India.
The famous dance festivals of modern India include the Chennai dance and music festival, Pragjyoti International Dance festival, Pattadakal Dance Festival, Khajuraho Dance Festival, Mamallapuram Dance Festival, Chidambaram Dance Festival, Konark Dance Festival and many more.
Khajuraho Dance Festival:- Khajuraho Dance Festival is a weeklong dance festival and is held during the months of February and March in Khajuraho. This cultural extravaganza is organized by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department and is promoted as one of the major cultural event in Khajuraho. This cultural event takes place at an open-air auditorium in front of the Chitragupta Temple.
Nishagandhi dance festival:- Nishagandhi Dance Festival popularly known as Nishagandhi Nritya Utsav is celebrated twice a year, once in the month of October-November and then in the month of March-April in the Nishagandhi Theatre, in Kanakunnu palace compound, in the city of Trivandrum or Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. This festival is about a week long and witnesses participation from artisans all over the country.
Rajgir dance festival:- This dance festival has attracted the attention of the tourists as well as the locals of Rajgir. Rajgir dance festival comprises performance of various singers and dancers from all over the country.
Konark Dance Festival:- India is a country of rich cultural heritage. The religion, arts and crafts in the Indian culture are so well intermingled with each other that it is almost impossible to segregate them. There are also so many varied forms of music and dances that each region has a special music and dance form of its own which has originated from the deep rooted cultural and religious practices of that specified region.
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