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Goan folk dances bear a tradition of thousands of years,
characterized by innumerable forms performed by and reflecting lifestyles,
cultures and aspirations of different strata, religions and castes of Goan
society.
The prominent ones include Corredinho Dance, Dekhni Dance, Dhalo Dance,
Dhangar Dance, Fugdi Dance, Ghode Modni, Goff Dance, Kunbi Dance, Lamp
Dance, Mussal dance and Romal Dance. 
CORREDINHO DANCE
A Portuguese folk dance and a beautiful example of Portuguese cultural
influence, this elegant dance is highly popular among Goan elite youth.
Corredinho Marcha de Fontainhas, a song-cum-dance, is famous for its
rhythmic and exquisite footwork where normally six couples take part. The
colourful costumes are a feast to the eye.
DEKHNI DANCE
Dekhni in Konkani language means "bewitching beauty". This solo
song-cum-dance performed only by woman to the accompaniment of folk drum "Ghumat",
displays a rare blend of Indian and Western cultures. The dance enacts the
life of a "Devdasi" (literally meaning servant of God) girl
whose job is to perform dance in temples and social ceremonies like
weddings.
Theme
The theme is of a Devdasi girl who comes to a riverbank to take a ferry
to reach the other side where she has an appointment to dance in a
wedding. She requests the adamant boatman for a favour and is even ready
to offer him her golden earring for taking her across urgently.
The dance set to western rhythms and Indian melody, is livened up by the
conversation between the girl and the boatman in the form of a lilting
song, which lingers in the mind for a long time.
DHALO DANCE
One of the most popular Goan dances, Dhalo is performed by women folk on
the moonlit night of 'Pausha' month. Compared to Fugdi dance, this dance
is slow. The songs are in Konkani and Marathi. Normally 12 - 24 women
assemble after the dinner at a pre-selected specific spot ('Mand') in the
courtyard of a house in the village.
They arrange themselves in 2 parallel rows of 12, facing each other, and
in a tribal fashion form a close knit by linking themselves arm-around,
the back arrangement, singing in unison. The songs cover religious and
social themes. The dance goes on every night for a week. On the concluding
day, women sport all sorts of fancy dresses and caricature man.
DHANGAR DANCE
Dhangars, a shepherd community believed to have migrated from Kathiawar
region of South Gujarat and settled in the hilly northwestern fringes of
Goa, are very pious and worship the God
called "Bira Deva". During Navaratra (literally meaning 'nine
nights') festival, the leader of the house observes abstinence and fast,
takes bath at early hours in the morning, milks his share of lone one cup
of milk per day and prays and dances before the family deity.
On the tenth day, after a feast, all the families take out their family
idols to an open space in the village, called 'Mand' and perform a
vigorous session of dance accompanied by song. The dance begins with a
slow beat and simple footwork to the accompaniment of Dhol, cymbals and a
long flute called 'Pawa'. Their traditional songs centre on the love story
of the Hindu God Krishna and his beloved Radha. The Kathiawari-styled
white dress and turban in this dance point to their ancestral lineage.
FUGDI DANCE
Fugdi or "Foogdi" is the most popular folk dance form of
Goa, performed only by women. Though
basically a non-religious, all-weather dance, it is danced on
all-important social and religious occasions, and even at the end of other
dances like Dhalo. The dance starts with invocation to Hindu Gods at a
slow pace of footwork in a circular formation, and suddenly it attains a
fast pace reaching climax.
Theme
The theme of the song becomes social aspects and matching action forms
are enacted. At the maximum speed, the dancers matches the rhythm by
blowing air through the mouth that sounds like "FOO". Hence, it
got the name Foogdi or Fugdi.
Types Of Fugdi
The two sub-forms are "Katti Fugdi" and "Kalshi Fugdi".
The former is a performance with coconut shells in hands whereas; the
latter form is performed in Satari Taluka with water pitchers ('Kalshi')
after the Shravan religious ritual of newly wedded woman.
GHODE MODNI
Ghode Modni ('Ghode' means 'horse' and 'Modni' means 'gyrations and
dance-like movements') is literally a dance involving horse-like
movements. It is a spectacular warrior-dance commemorating the victory of
the Ranes, the Maratha rulers of the Satari Taluka in Goa, over the
Portuguese. This dance is popular in Bicholim, Pernem and Satari Talukas
once ruled by the Marathas.
It is performed during the "Shigmo" festival. The Kshatriya
dancers wear head gears made of colourful flowers, don in full traditional
livery, fix at the waist effigy of a wooden horse beautifully bridled and
decorated with spotless white clothes, and carry 'Ghungurs' in the
anklets. Holding the bridle in one hand and brandishing and waving a naked
sword with the other hand, the dancers move forward and backward to the
beat of drums - 'Dhol', 'Tasha' and Cymbals - to recreate the prancing of
warhorses.
GOFF DANCE
It is a folk dance with cords, manifesting joy and happiness of Goan
peasants after the harvest. It is performed during the Shigmo Festival in
Phalgun (March) month. Each dancer holds a colourful cord hanging at the
centre point of the 'Mand' - the place of performance - and starts dancing
intricately with the others, forming a beautiful, colourful, intricate
braid at the end of the first movement.
The music starts again and the dancers reverse the pattern of dancing so
skillfully that the braid gets unraveled and at the end of the second
movement, all the cords are loose and single once again. There are 4
different braids of Goff. The songs sung are devoted to Lord Krishna. "Ghumat",
"Samael" and "Surta Shansi" or melodic instruments
accompany the dance. Goff has an affinity with tribal dance forms of
Gujarat.
KUNBI DANCE
Kunbis, the earliest settlers of Goa, are a sturdy tribal community
mostly settled in Salcete Taluka, who though converted to Christianity,
still retains the most ancient folk tradition of the land. Their songs and
dance belonging to the pre-Portuguese era are uniquely social and not
religious. The fast and elegant dance by a group of Kunbi women dancers,
wearing traditional yet very simple dresses, lends a colourful touch to
this ethnic art form.
LAMP DANCE
This dance derives its name from brass lamps used in the dance during the
Shigmo festival. The accompanying instruments include Ghumat, Samael,
Cymbal and Harmonium. The performers indulge in a slow dancing movement,
balancing brass lamps with burning wicks on the head and the hands. The
balancing act controlled by tremendous self-discipline and exquisite
footwork matching with the rhythms of the traditional folksongs are
eye-catching. This group dance is popular in the southern and central Goa.
MUSSAL DANCE
The Kshatriyas, the warrior class of 'Chandor' (erstwhile Chandrapur, the
capital of the "Kadamba" rulers) perform this dance-cum-song to
celebrate the victory of Harihar, the Hindu King of Vijaynagar over the
Cholas in the early 14th century. They hold and brandish pestles
('Mussals') - a favourite war instrument with the Yadavas - during the
victory parade and dance as the original one held centuries ago.
The march comprises 4 couplets while the main dance uses 22 couplets.
Originally the Gaonkars did the performance on the full-moon night of the
Falguna. The Kshatriyas, though converted to Christianity, still retains
the cultural heritage and perform it now on the second day of the
carnival.
ROMAT DANCE
This thanks-giving ceremonial dance-cum-procession performed during the
Shigmo festival is known as Romat in the northern Goa and Mell in the
central Goa. It is an extremely crowded, noisy and colourful affair. Teams
of dancers drawn from different sections of the village dance and march
martially with huge banners, ceremonial umbrellas, festooned sticks and
batons towards the temple of the presiding deity or to the house of the
landlord.
The cacophony emanating from deafening beats of huge 'Dhols' and 'Tashas'
and a prolonged, vigourous dancing procession displaying colourful dresses
leave the spectators spell-bound. 