Performances: Ghoomar, Matki Dance & Puppetry
Location: Bagore-Ki-Haveli, Ambapol | Picchola Lake, Udaipur, India
Time: 7:00 p.m. onwards
What Worked: Although Bhagore-Ki-Haveli is primarily a costume museum, come evening, it transforms into a fitting platform for Rajasthan’s folk artists. The eerie yellow lighting, dilapidated ruins in the background and the statue of Natraj – the Lord of Dance – all add up to the experience. Seating is informal and is on a first-come, first-served basis. It might be a good idea to come early or you’d have to make do peeking through the gaps of bobbing heads. The performance starts with Ghoomar and is followed by the puppet show. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the evening would be the fascinating Matki Performance. To put it simply, the dancer has to balance 10 or more earthen pots on her head, while dancing with shards of glass beneath her feet. With bated breath and fingers knotted, you’d hope, she doesn’t trip or the pots tumble down. And when it’s finally done, you’ll find yourself letting out a big sigh of relief. All in all, if you’re into experiencing local folk art, these performances won’t disappoint.
twobrownfeet 
dancing is such an important element of culture, both modern and traditional… I hope you could turn this into a series of posts 🙂 wonderful blog 🙂
Thanks Alexandra. 🙂 We wanted to highlight different forms of dance through these posts. It’s such a wonderful form of expression, isn’t it? Yes, it would be wonderful to create a series of similar posts. Thanks for the suggestion. Will need to look up our archives. 🙂